Beginners

Where to begin in the world of miniatures?

Grab some tools

Every miniaturist will have a toolbox. Whether it’s a tackle box, a crafters box or a big bag of tricks, there will be some kind of workbox with a good base of tools to use to create.

The best tools to make sure you have when starting out are:

A cutting mat
A good craft knife or scalpel
Glues
Pencil
Ruler
Toothpicks
Tweezers

While you will probably collect more tools as you go along, these are the most commonly used ones you will reach for again and again and are all you really need to get started!

Pick your poison

Two decisions you’ll first find yourself making are:

Do I want dollhouse or a roombox?

What size do I want to make it?

While the dollhouse may be seen as the ultimate, not every miniaturist has a dollhouse. Some prefer to make room boxes – one room in a box or small scenes, like dioramas. This is a little more space conserving, but also gives the opportunity to dabble in different styles without making many houses. A shop for one project, a kitchen for the next.

Scale is the next thing to look at. 1/12scale is the most common, especially for beginners, but smaller scales are becoming more popular!

Find your friends

Joining a club gives you the benefit of an experienced hive mind, and the company of like-minded people. There are workshops on offer, and generally a well supplied library of miniature magazines and books!

If you don’t have a club nearby find a connection online! There are many dollhouse miniature pages on facebook which you can join and share ideas, tips and bargains.

You can look for inspiration on instagram too. Many miniaturists are showing their projects with followers and creating a wee miniature world to enjoy together.

You can even find miniatures on youtube. Makers find it a great spot to share their work, and also tutorials to share the joy!