How to find the right 3D sculptor for your project [Guest Post]
I’m always excited to learn about areas of games publishing that I’m not an expert in. When I saw the first spoilers for Ben Levy’s game Mantle of the Keeper, I knew I had a prime opportunity to do just that.
I’ve never commissioned a 3D sculptor (unless you count box inserts), and the idea of finding the right artist fits well with similar articles I’ve written on illustration (here, and here).
Ben is an active member of a lot of the same design forums that I frequent, and I’ve gotten to know him over the years. He’s earnest, open, and an all around solid guy. I’m an hour one backer of MotK, and am excited to share some of his insights into how to find and hire a 3D sculptor for your game.
The rest of this guest post is written by Ben.
Hi! I’m Ben, Co-founder of StrongBox Games. We are an indie board game design and publishing studio based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
And, our first title, Mantle of the Keeper (MotK), just launched on Kickstarter!
For me, wearing the hat of “game designer” is a part time gig. During the day, I am a Landscape Architect for a mid-size, multi-disciplinary engineering firm. In layman's terms, whether it’s for a corporate campus or a public park, I get to design cool outdoor spaces that help bring people together.
On a daily basis I communicate with creatives and craftsmen. And over the years, I’ve unwittingly developed a skillset that has been instrumental in our game design process.
Part of our journey in creating MotK has involved finding a 3D Sculptor to create miniatures of the game’s main characters. Finding the right artist was a massively challenging and massively rewarding process.
Jasper asked me to share some insights, so that other designers who are looking for high quality 3d sculpts for their games can benefit from our experience.
Here are 4 tips for finding the perfect 3D Sculptor:
Quality is memorable
I love games that offer incredible minis. My designer mind is captivated by incredible attention to detail. Quality minis help immerse me into the game’s theme. Good minis won’t save a bad game, but they will help get a good game to the table, make it memorable, and increase its immersion.
That is exactly why it is important to prioritize high quality sculpting when searching for an artist for the job. A benefit to living in a digital world is that most freelance 3D sculptors have their portfolios (collection of works) available in digital format. When I reviewed designer portfolios I looked for 3 things:
Attention to Detail
Categories of work (fantasy, robotic, sci-fi, etc.)
Experience
How well does the prospective artist’s quality, style, and experience mesh with the needs of your project? Not all projects are the right fit for all artists. But how do you know when someone is a good fit?
Partnering with the right artist
It is one thing to find a 3D Sculptor who is willing to take on your project - it is a whole different endeavor to find one that can execute your vision, communicate reliably, capture detail, AND be within your budget.
For us, this person was Renan Assuncao. Our approach to working with Renan was that we were all partners. Together, we strived to produce quality minis that accurately captured our game’s characters.
The biggest benefit of working with Renan was that we maintained open, honest, and reliable communication. No one was hesitant to suggest tweaks or ideas. This environment allowed creativity to flow!
Renan truly wanted to understand even the minutia of our vision, but text can be limiting. So sometimes we had to get creative:
Here Zac (SBG Co-founder) is posing to help communicate the desired hand position of Vogarn the Apothecary
Renan definitely checked all the boxes and was the perfect partner for our project. But how did we find him?
Finding the right person for the job
The process of finding the right creative partners can be daunting. Here are some places to get you started in your search for a 3D sculptor:
Facebook Groups (yes, Facebook): The tabletop community is thriving on Facebook. This includes gamers, designers, manufacturers, and artists! Some of the best groups you can visit to find a sculptor are Art & Graphic Design for Tabletop Games and Board Game Design Lab Community.
Freelance Websites: Websites like Fiverr and Upwork allow you to search for freelancers by category!
Word of Mouth (how we found Renan): The board game community is incredibly helpful to one another. Oftentimes, if you see a cool graphic, or a nice box design, you can reach out to the creator and get more information on it. This is exactly what I did when I came across a designer’s post displaying their game’s minis. They happily referred me to Renan, and the rest is history.
Board Game Geek: Plenty of modern games have 3D sculpts. A surefire way to track down professional level sculptors is to navigate to the games with your favorite minis, click on the credits, and see who did the sculpts. From there, a quick google search will often bring you to their Art Station and contact information.
Different methods work for different people. I suggest researching these avenues to see what best fits your needs and budget.
Quality comes at a cost
Bringing 2 dimensional graphics into the 3rd dimension is no easy task. 3D sculptors invest a lot of time and energy into bringing ideas to life.
Their rates often reflect this difficult process.
The first question a 3D sculptor is going to ask you is most likely, “What level of detail are you looking for?”
Higher levels of detail = longer sculpting times = higher costs.
The entry point to secure a “good quality” mini sculpt for a standard character starts in the $400 - $500 range, typically. “Good quality” means you can see noticeable details, more complex poses, and even environmental elements. When we were getting quotes, we saw anywhere from $400 - $900 per sculpt. This does not account for tooling costs that game manufacturers charge to make the miniature molds.
Minis are an investment.
However, there are some artists out there who are willing to make deals. This happens on a case by case basis. It’s important to note that this is an investment of time, resources, and opportunity for BOTH you and the artist. But if you are ready to invest resources, find the right artist, and effectively communicate ideas, then minis just might be a possibility for your project.
Which board games have your favorite miniatures?
