WildMesh is in the business of sculpting minis for games like D&D, and it uses Patreon to take requests from the gaming community. Many of the mini lines released by WildMesh are decided by polls made available to patrons. “We do not want to create for you”, the Patreon page says. “We want to create with you.” In addition to a range of mini STL files, supporting the Patreon reportedly grants you “insight on our creative process” and the chance to “learn some useful tricks” too.
Many of WildMesh’s artists have previous experience with other big-name miniature companies. Several founding members worked with Den of Imagination, and many of the team have worked with Wizkids to create official Marvel, DC, and DnD miniatures. WildMesh COO Tomasz Szumski tells Wargamer the team, which currently has 20 members, have 100 collective years of experience 3D sculpting for commercial clients.
This experience, combined with input from its Patreon community, has led WildMesh to create an enormous range of game-agnostic minis. Its portfolio includes everything from fantasy dwarves to sci-fi mechs with a bit of Warhammer 40k flair. For the price of $10 (£8.50), May patrons receive a small army of hive aliens, gladiators, skeleton warriors, and what appear to be literal “grimdark” toilets.
The company has been around since 2018, but the Patreon launched in February 2022. Szumski says the motivation behind the move was “the opportunity to build and work with a community”. However, he also adds “an established Patreon page is much more stable money-wise than individual clients”.
WildMesh hasn’t made public how many patrons it has on Patreon. However, Szumski assures us the company is “still growing and expanding”. “I never thought it was possible in this business”, he says. “We’ve painted miniatures for our friends in a local club, and now we sculpt and paint miniatures for Wizkids, Marvel, DnD, and so many wonderful individual clients”.
Looking to print your own minis? Whether you’re a fan of Space Marines, tabletop RPGs, or the best board games out there, you’ll need to learn the art of painting miniatures – and our handy guide is here to help. We can also recommend some of the best 3D Printers for bringing your minis to life from home.
Source: Wargamer
