The basic way to post your art process is to capture five stages — sketch, line art, color, 3D, and turntable video — from the same framing, and post them in that order. A post where viewers can watch the piece change gives them more to remember your character by than a single finished image.
This guide covers what to save while you draw, four post formats, how to write the captions, how to make the 3D version the climax of the story, and what to avoid.
Note: Figmee currently offers figurine-style images created from your drawings, 3D model data (GLB / 3MF), and turntable videos of your 3D models. Ordering physical 3D prints is Coming Soon.
What is an art process post?
An art process post — often called a making-of — shows not just the finished piece but the stages that led up to it, in order. A finished-piece post tells people what you made; a process post shows them how it changed along the way. As viewers follow the lines getting cleaner, the colors going in, and the shape settling into place, their eyes naturally land on what makes your character distinctive.
What to capture
The most common regret with process posts is realizing afterwards that you never saved the in-between versions. Before you start, decide to keep one image at each of these five stages:
- Sketch: one image once the composition and pose are settled. Keep it even if the lines are messy.
- Line art: one image of the clean lines only. Hide the color layers before you export.
- Color: one image once the flat colors are done. Saving one before and one after shading and finishing effects gives you options later.
- 3D: one image of the figurine-style image or 3D model made from the finished illustration.
- Turntable video: a short video of the 3D model rotating.
Keep three things consistent: framing, margins, and orientation. If you draw digitally, exporting every stage from the same canvas size takes care of this. If you draw on paper, lay the sheet flat and shoot straight down from the same spot each time so the drawings line up when placed side by side. Shooting at the same time of day in the same place also keeps the paper from looking a different color at each stage.
If you already know you want to take the character into 3D, save a colored version with the full body facing roughly forward — you can use it directly as the source image. For tips on drawing characters that translate well into 3D, see how to turn an original character illustration into a figurine-style 3D model.
Four post formats
The same material becomes a different post depending on how you arrange it. Here are four common formats and when each one works best.
Before-and-after pair
Place two distant stages next to each other — sketch and final, or line art and 3D. The difference is obvious at a glance, so it reaches people who scroll quickly through their feed. Structure the post as "final (or 3D) first, earliest stage second," or the other way around. Leading with the final piece makes people stop; leading with the sketch makes the transformation more surprising.
Step-by-step thread
Post the five stages one at a time as replies in a thread. Each post carries one stage and a short note, and the final post holds the finished piece or the turntable video. There's room to explain what you did at each step, which suits viewers interested in how you draw. Mentioning the total length in the first post — "1/5," for example — helps people who join partway through.
Speed paint / time-lapse
Record your screen while you draw and share it as a sped-up video. If your painting app can record and export the drawing process, use that. Its strength is showing the lines being drawn, and it suits viewers curious about your workflow. The full process gets long, so focus on the parts between sketch and color where the most change happens.
3D turntable video
Turn the finished illustration into 3D and close with a short video of the model rotating. It reveals the sides and back that a flat illustration can't show, so it works as the climax at the end of any of the other three formats. When you post it on its own, put the original illustration first and the turntable video second so viewers can see what became 3D.
How to write the captions
Short captions focused on one point per post tend to get read more than long ones.
- One idea per post: mention just one thing you worked on at that stage — something viewers can check in the image, like "I made the hair flow asymmetrically."
- One line on what you struggled with or changed: a sentence like "The hat was bigger at first, but it hid the face, so I scaled it down" shares a decision the finished piece can't show.
- Reveal your character's lore a little at a time: add one detail — name, personality, favorite things — to each stage, and people have a reason to read to the end of the thread. Don't put everything in the first post; let it unfold alongside the drawing.
Make the 3D version the climax of the story
Of the five stages, going 3D is where the look changes most. Here's how to create that stage with Figmee and place it at the end of your process.
With Figmee, you upload an illustration you drew yourself, and it creates a figurine-style image based on that drawing, which you can then turn into a 3D model. Because the 3D version is built from your own lines and colors, it reads as the next chapter for the same character, even after the sketch, line art, and color stages. Results depend on the original drawing.
- Prepare the finished illustration: use a digital illustration, or a photo or scan of a drawing on paper. Supported formats are PNG, JPEG, and WebP, up to 20 MB per image. Photos of real people or objects are not supported.
- Create a figurine-style image: upload, choose a quality, and press "Generate 3D Image." It usually takes about 2–3 minutes.
- Create the 3D model: once you're happy with the image, press "Generate 3D Model." You can rotate the finished model 360° in your browser to check it.
- Make the final shot: screen-record the viewer while you rotate the model, or export a video with "Create 360° video" on the artwork page. The exported video is square, runs about 6 seconds with the model making two full turns, and has the Figmee logo in the bottom right corner. Exporting the video doesn't use tokens.
Place this video after the sketch, line art, and color stages, and you can show your flat character becoming 3D in one continuous story. For the full route from a single illustration to 3D, see how to turn your original character into 3D; for which drawings work well in 3D and which don't, see the complete guide to turning an illustration into 3D.
Format notes for each platform
The number of images per post, video length limits, and aspect ratios differ from one social platform to another, and they change over time. Rather than giving numbers that may be out of date, here's what to check before you post:
- Number of images: how many images fit in one post. This decides whether all five stages go in a single post or get split into a thread.
- Aspect ratio and cropping: how images are cropped in the feed. If every stage is shot with the same framing, they'll be cropped the same way too.
- Video length and format: whether the platform accepts the length and file type of your turntable or time-lapse video. Figmee's turntable video exports as MP4 or WebM depending on your browser, and some platforms don't accept WebM.
When in doubt, check the posting specifications in each platform's help pages before you publish.
What to avoid
- Don't post someone else's artwork, or a licensed character's process, as your own: turning another artist's drawing or an existing franchise character into 3D isn't your creative process. Figmee also only accepts drawings you made yourself or images you have permission to use from the rights holder.
- Don't compare your work with other artists' without permission: posts that put another creator's work side by side with yours ("better than so-and-so's") shouldn't be made without their consent. If you want a comparison, compare your past work with your current work.
- Don't promise results: avoid claims like "post in this format and you'll go viral" unless you have evidence. Reactions depend on many factors, such as when you post and what your audience is interested in.
FAQ
I'm embarrassed to show unfinished work.
Rough sketches are supposed to be rough — the bigger the change from start to finish, the more satisfying the story. If you'd still rather not, starting from the line art is a process post too.
How many images should I take?
One at each of the five stages in this guide (sketch, line art, color, 3D, and turntable video) is the baseline. If you're unsure, save extra and choose when you post — that's easier than running short later.
Is it fine to do the 3D part last?
Yes. It's made from the finished illustration, so last is fine. Still, if you decide on 3D early, you can plan a 3D-friendly image at the color stage — for example, drawing the full body facing roughly forward.
Summary
To post your art process, capture five stages — sketch, line art, color, 3D, and turntable video — with the same framing, margins, and orientation, and post them in order. Pick from four formats — before-and-after, thread, time-lapse, or turntable video — to suit the situation, and keep each caption to one idea. Ending with a turntable video of your character in 3D lets you tell the whole journey from flat drawing to 3D as one story.
