The Journey from image of an idea to finished 1:12 Scale Model.

Hanna tells us her method for creating miniatures

5 years ago, I gained a scholarship to IGMA’s summer school & this is where I begun making miniatures on a more professional level & I discovered it is the process of creating miniatures that I really enjoy.

When I get the original idea, it first goes round & round in my head, then I start sketching and finally I work out how to make it, to look as realistic as possible. 

Most of my inspiration for miniatures, come from my own daily life. 

I began doing miniature watercolours, copying originals. Then the idea of doing a miniature atelier (studio) was obvious and you can’t have an atelier without an easel. I started the process by measuring my own easel, then lots of sketching, and calculating it from centimeters to milimeters to the scale 1:12 equivalent. Sometimes you have to change the original measures, as proportions often need to change when you scale into miniature.

Now the final process starts: Choosing the material. What kind of wood? How to deal with all the different kind of metal parts, so the easel can work like a full size one.

I usually make 4-5 prototypes before I end with the final model and even then I have to make small corrections along the way.

I started to make my easel in beech wood, the same as my real one but later I fell in love with American walnut, and most of my customers seem to like that as well.

It was hard to find the metal parts, that worked and looked good. Luckily we have the internet, so I found a little company in UK, and he now provides me what I need for my small easels and others for my miniature models. The last addition are wheels which enables you to drive it around in your studio, just like a full size one!

See more of Hanna’s work HERE