for all the metric masters out there, i'd recommend using scales that are easy to do math with. good example would be 1:10, as you simply take the real life measure and divide by 10. other easy ones are 1:4, 1:20, 1:50, 1:100. its pretty easy with any scale really, as long as you have a calculator and use the metric system, as it is based on power of 10's which are so much more comfortable to convert. ofc you can use the same scales as shown in the video with imperial, as ex. 1:12 would always be "1 real life unit is 12 model units". the imperial system needs to be exterminated though. its so unecessarily convoluted.
@@BentleyHouseMinis I would caution anyone who doesn't make 100 percent of their miniatures from scratch or hopes to buy or sell stuff with others. The scales that are listed in the video are going to be the ones available from manufacturers and people that sell their crafts online. If you choose a scale because it is just simple math you will make it very difficult to interact with anyone else in the hobby.
@@michaellindsey1543 That's what I was thinking too as I was reading that. 1:10 may be close to 1:12 but 1:12 is everywhere as far as being able to get off the shelf items goes, 1:10 not so much.
Using the cutouts and placing them next to things was EXTREMELY helpful in visualizing how your brain can tell something doesn't work. Excellent video!
@@heatherwise8450 I meant to answer this earlier. It would be nice to be able to get out and take pictures of flat Ara around town. I thought about around my doll room but it is too much of a wreck.
@@Rach1313 I don't do photography because I don't have the equipment but I can see little Aras printed out and snuck into miniature scenes. Maybe something to do after Christmas.
I want to build a small home in a cupboard for my grandkids and Im so greatful for this video. As someone who has dyslexia scale was giving me the blues but all of your examples and the chart you've provided have made me excited to begin my project.
The paper doll scale sheet you made has made a 100-percent difference in my confidence. I think it’s what will push me to make my first project. You are so wonderful and thoughtful. Thank you SO much!
Another suggestion for your Mini Aras - if you haven't decided which scale to work with, but have a set amount of space (for example, a section of bookshelf) to put your dollhouse in, you can use the different scale Aras to figure out which one will look best in the space you have.
If it helps anyone 1/16 furniture and houses are the scale used for Calico Critters/Sylvanian Family toys. I love your scale chart and your video! I needed a refresher so badly, I appreciate it.
This was desperately needed!!! Thank you for making the figures. It will help immensely. My sister bought me an old dollhouse kit from an estate sale that is missing critical structural pieces and I can’t figure out how measure interior walls because I am not sure what scale the house is supposed to be in. This really helps put it into perspective
@@BentleyHouseMinis are the cut outs no longer available? I really wanted it lol. Im new to all this and I'm going to attempt to build a house and all its contents from scratch.☺
@@creationsfrommyheart2445 They should still be available linked in the description box. Let me know if the link is broken for some reason. Happy building!
@@BentleyHouseMinis I was able to get the chart, but your cut out wasn't apart of it. Also thank you for the reply☺ you do beautiful work and I'll definitely be watching all your videos ❤
I'm horrible at math, my best subject has always been English/Writing, and this video made sense to me. Thank you so much for the scale explanation. One day when I have the time, I would love to create a Farmhouse (and or Log Cabin) and Barn miniatures, as I'm a Kentucky country girl. God bless you and your loved ones. ♥
I am grateful to you and your clear explanations of scale with examples. I'm working on resizing a scrapbook album and thought this would be the best option. Thank you from Villa Rica, GA. ☀🌴🏖
This video is a life saver. I've been wanting to build my own dollhouse since I was a little girl, now that I have my own home (after 40 yrs old) I am overly excited to begin a replica of my house. Thank you so very much for this amazing information. I absolutely love how you explain EVERYTHING!!
I plan on doing a miniature of Monica's appartment door as a keyholder to hang on the wall, so the reference to Phoebe Buffay was just PERFECT !! I'm french and I'll use the metric system but I still found your video very useful. Merci beaucoup, Ara :D
I really love finding small item's in thrift stores that are just the right scale. This was really informative as I use the metric system and some of the names eluded me for years. :}
I am glad it helped to at least explain the names ;) It would definitely be easier for everyone if we just worked in 1:10 scale using the metric system!! But I guess 1:12 stuck somewhere along the way.
This is soooo helpful. Thank you. I hate math and measuring. This was just the best ever and I know this took a lot of work. I really appreciate it. My granddaughter and I started a candy store in 1/12.
This was FANTASTIC!!! I have always known that there were different scales but never understood it all! I am hopeless at maths, so this helped enormously!! I would love to hide your mini-self in people's houses... but I imagine the joy (or weirdness) would be lost on them! Thank you for being such a warm and enthusiastic teacher and for sharing your passion for miniatures in such a fun and joyful way!
I am so glad this video was helpful! I have seen lot of charts out there that I think make it over complicated so I wanted to address multiple ways to approach scale😉 I think its more fun that way!
This is such a lovely resource you made. I wanted to add, that people in days gone by were quite a bit smaller. Thus people were not usually 6' (aka 6" in 1/12 scale). They were often only 5'-5'6" tall-even men. Although this does not affect furniture much, it does affect doorways. AND doors were often even shorter because they were made such that people had to duck down to get in them. So doors on my Tudor house are only 5.5" tall which is historically accurate. BUT it was almost impossible to find a male doll who was under 6' (aka 6') so doors look a bit too short if you compare them to the dolls. So you have to decide what sort of accuracy you are looking for--scale accuracy or historical accuracy or what. Just some added thoughts. Thank you for you help and work always.
This is very very true! If you are going for historical accuracy there is a lot more measuring and research involved! Nothing is every completly standard in history... not even people! ;)
This is such a detailed and incredibly helpful resource. As someone with a learning disability involving math, this has been one of the biggest things preventing me from pursuing miniature projects because I couldn't wrap my brain around these concepts. Thank you so much for this!
OMG! The scale picture of you is so very helpful. Thank you! I have only been working in 1:144 scale for a while and am trying to move up a scale to 1:48 and maybe 1:12. So this was very helpful.😀
There is also 1/56 and 1/58 a lot of tabletop modelers use for board games (like d&d) or dioramas that include dollhouse-like buildings. Some also use that scale for stop motion. :) Thank you for the video and breaking all of this down!
Thanks for the info! There are definitely more scales I have yet to experience... I need to deep dive more into table top scale and model train scale at some point for sure!
@@BentleyHouseMinis there is also an N train model scale where objects are smaller than in O scale. Sadly, according to Wikipedia, the actual scale varies according to country or manufacturer! The true scale is 9mm = 1,435mm (standard railway gauge). Bleh.
Hi Ara, I didn’t find that boring at all. It’s was great having you explain the different sizes, especially the really smaller ones. Not to mention the mini Ara cut outs. I am definitely printing those off. Thank you for sharing the size chart and information. Cheers Robyn ❤😊
Ok, I am not finished watching this, but I just had to say thank you for the laughs. I love Phoebe scale, and I lost it when you popped on Mr. Bean. Perfect!! 💗💗💗
N scale model railway stuff may also be of interest if you model in 1:144 scale as it’s only very slightly smaller. A great range of buildings and accessories are available in N scale. Great video.
Dear Ara, you have no idea how I needed some help about scales. I was totally lost, and then you came to rescue me (and a lot of other people like me, I believe! hahaha). I truely thank you. I can tell you're a great teacher, and a super nice person. Thank you! :D
Thank you! I've got a doll house that's a hand me down, we've had it for around 20-25 years, and it has never once been away from little hands. I asked my mother about fixing it, only to learn the maker has passed. Fixing it is now in my hands, and I hope things will go well considering I'm modelling/3D printing the parts Edit: I'm between 1/16 and 1/24 scale. I think I'll go on the bigger end of 1/16 because again, this is a dollhouse that has had many little hands grab at it
I know I am a bit late on this video, but this really do helps a lot. Thank you for sharing and teaching! In my country we use cm and mm, and I struggle to go from inches to cm or mm. I am currently working on a display cabinet for my father, he collects rocks and crystals and have a big display unit. Now I'm busy making him a miniature display unit for his tiny crystals. Can't wait to print out your scale model and have you in my crafting space as referance and to keep my company. Thank you so much!
This is helpful I'm doing my first abandonded doll house for my dissertation piece.. I'm very dyslexic and number and measuring is confusing for me so this helped alot thank you x
So helpful! After 30 years I am sorting everything in my unused/unfinished dollhouse and sticking to the intended 1/12, but planning a cabin in 1/16 to use my mom's 50's items and a box room for the odd pieces that were given to me that match each other, but fall between 1/6 and 1/12.
I am a lazy crafter - I may have zoned out, possibly drooled a bit during the arithmetic aspect of this video however, perked up during the no- calculating portion. You have made lazy-crafting infinitely better. I will promptly be downloading mini-yous. Thank you for the time and effort.
I've sold a bunch of 3/4 scale (also used for 1:16 and 1:18 scales) furniture to folks in the US on Etsy. Initially, I was surprised at the number of people that use this scale for Brinca Dada, Petite Princess, Lundby, and occasionally 1:12 dollhouses. You can also find 3/4 plastic/resin figurines which help with the scaling of hand made creations. Now I have a G-scale or garden scale train set for an outdoor display. I've seen the scale listed between 1:20 to 1:32 scales. I finally found G-scale figures that matched my particular train (1:30) and I can create goodies to match. The scales may differ between manufacturers and countries. So scale can get very complicated and your video really helps to put it into perspective (pun intended ;-) . Thanks, Ara!
I have never heard of Brinca Dada... I will have to look that up! It's crazy how many scales there are out there you're right! And that's why I had to put the disclaimer that I knew I wasn't discussing them all... the video would have been 3 hrs long lol!
I recently started on a cardboard western saloon cuckoo clock and decided to put in an interior. I had no real plan for it other than I wanted it to be a bit wonky. I laughed when you said Phoebe scale because I believe that is exactly what that clock/saloon is lol. I plan on making more of them and plan on making a barbie house for my daughter. I fear doing the math and this video really helped me feel differently about it. Thank you!
I want to make a Pheobe scale project someday too... in some ways I think it can be harder to work in that scale because you have to allow yourself to be whimsical! I have seen some really awesome 'Pheobe scale' projects recently and they always look so magical in my opinion :) Have fun creating your Western Saloon😁 how fun!!
Well done explaining scale! Another example of mixed scale would be like my moms Halloween and Christmas villages...the people are always much larger than the houses lol. I prefer miniatures on the 1:12 and the inside of a dollhouse and she prefers whole villages from the outside. But the people are always larger probably so that from a distance looking down you can still see their detailed features. Thank you for this video! Love your channel!
For people who would like to be able to use a ruler in their scale work, "architectural scales" can be read directly in common scales like dollhouse, half, quarter and a few others. They are read just a little different than ordinary rulers, searching on the internet for how to read one gets instructions. I'm afraid people using fashion model scale are left out though, mine at least does not have a 2 inch scale.
THANK YOU. I have issues with measurements and while I feel more comfortable in winging and eyeing my builds, it's always better to have things in uniformity.
This has been so helpful. I have 4 1:12 scale dolls houses, but have found that all the dolls house dolls I have look too big, just like Morticia,. Thankyou for taking the time to explain all this in terms that those of us without a mathematical brain can understand.
I completely get what you're saying when you say larger scales take up SO much space. I'm making the set for a book I'm working on (I can't draw but love to make things, and had a bit of a falling out with my illustrator) and I'm doing it mainly in 1/6 scale. I'm using enormous shipping crates and my garage is full!
I love your video and great to see you again ! My problem still is I don’t have a computer plus printer .Not that I am a computer smart person,lol. I do see many reasons why a computer plus printer would let me do many things I want to do now . It is not high on the must get list because of money .I wish I had basic pattern for multi use part that I could use . Like a bed pattern for the head and footboard , side rails . Then you can take those parts them together to make something else.Or a page with pattern printed on it that you could lay paper over it and trace it .Have the page laminated so it can be used a lot .Pattern in scale of choice .It could be part of a Miniature Planner !The possibilities are endless ! I can see you designing this . Thank you for sharing,teaching always inspiring me . Much thanks, Elisabeth
I have known some miniaturists that don't have printers to trace patterns straight on their computer screen. It gets the job done ;) Thanks Elisabeth!!
Thank you so much for this Video Ara! I'm getting back into my miniatures 1:6th scale. I really appreciate the easy explanation on how to scale up & down. It was so easy to understand! Also thanks for including those of us who work in 1:6 scale. I can now make use of your free patterns and scale them up! 😊❤
I just realized the two doll houses I just ordered are 1:48! And I paid a good price for it. My God, it’s way too small :)) The Video is clear and helpful. Thank you!
This was actually super helpful. I recently 3d printed my first bjd in 1/3 scale and was trying to figure out the best way to properly scale props and possibly a 1/3 scale room for her
Thank you so much for this video! We are building a 150'x150' 4 story castle for my Castle Dreams non profit for autistics. Being autistic myself, I am very interested in accurate representation. I will be building a model and thanks to your info, it will be half scale. I can't tell you how happy I am to run into this channel. I will be sharing the project on a youtube channel I am starting to help demonstrate the process as we build the real castle. I have ordered a 3D resin printer, which I think will be absolutely vital for making things for the model. Thank you so much!!!
Hahaha! That Mr. Bean scene is totally me! I'm 5' tall, and surely have been seen walking around with my arms out trying to measure a room or furniture😁😁😁
I loved this video! It was very informative and entertaining (I loved the skits)!! I love your videos because you explain every subject in great detail. My preferred scale is 1:6 and this video will help me with the patterns in 1:12 scale as I find most dollhouse items and patterns in this scale. You took a difficult subject and made it easy to understand! I'm so glad I found your channel!! Many blessings to you!
This has been probably the most helpful video I've ever watched on any topic in my life!! Lol I'm new to miniatures and found it difficult to get a real life comparison so this really helped me figure out what I need to search for. Thanks Ara! This video was so well explained and clear, you rock!
Super helpful! I am a mega newbie, so i really appreciate this, since I've been trying to find accessories for my Fisher Price Grand Hotel (which i converted to a haunted house). So, i learned from this video, that my house is a 1:24 scale! I've had to make candles and some very simple furniture with polymer clay and other flotsom and jetsom i have floating around the house, and that sort of worked for my first project, but i'm hooked on the whole miniature thing now, so i want to hunt for pieces that will match my next 1:24 Fisher Price doll house. Thank you for taking the time to post this exceedingly helpful video! I am awed by your talent and your work. To be honest, had i watched your video before i motivated myself to do this haunted doll house project, i don't know if i would have had the hubris to even start, because your work is absolute perfection! You are truly an artist. But i wandered into the craft, very non-chalantly, not knowing that this is actually an art form. I am so happy that i found your videos, because instead of being intimidated, i have decided that i want to learn everything i can about this wonderful, fulfilling, and personally satisfying craft.
Such a valuable tool of understanding for this beginner! Thank you! I'm currently working on needle-felted replicas of our family dogs. My scale on this project is 1:6 (I couldn't have articulated this prior to watching your tutorial!) These are meant to be ornaments for our Christmas tree. I feel more confident now, knowing what track I'm on. Thanks again!!
Thank you so much Ara! You made a boring or intimidating topic actually fun to learn. I especially love the Phoebe reference. This is my first time watching you, I have done a few 1/6 scale rooms and recently received 1/12 scale farmhouse! So the research begins, LOL. I definitely subscribed and I look forward to your other videos. Thank you again for sharing. 😊
One possibility would be to think about what kind of things you would like to build and then think about how big theyre in real life and how small you want to have them. Then you can find out your favorite scale
This is a great resource!! I work in model railroad HO scale and have in the past used a figure of that scale as a reference and built my models around that. I want to start making mineratures like your coffee shop and this will be a great reference!! Thanks for sharing.
So glad I found your channel. Wow finally someone who explains scale where it is easy to understand. Having that sheet you made will be a big help on explaining size in imperial and the nice pinned comment with the metric scale. Thank you.😁
Ara, thank u... this makes so much sense however, I'm more of a visual learner so I love the cutout figures. This is the best. I purchased a mini dollhouse and now it all makes more since when ordering
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm horrible at math. I watched 3 other videos before finding yours, the only one that was told in a logical, easy to understand way. I've subscribed and liked. Looking forward to checking out your other videos.
I've built lots of structures in 1/160 scale (N scale) for my train layout. It's not that hard, though larger is definitely easier. Thanks for this in-depth lesson, Ara.
I am not a miniaturist but I do like to make miniatures...I now have a name for it mismatched scale....I called it eyeball scale...lol you have some great info here and I now have a better understanding...Thank you so much! I go for fairy or whimsical pieces, to me its not a scale driven project and I hate to measure and follow patterns....you are amazing in your creations and i enjoy watching you!! xoxo
Thank you so much...it took me awhile to understand. But you made it so easy and gave examples. This is going to make the process of purchasing items so much easier.
Your video is very helpful and I love watching them! Keep doing this amazing job! I'm a miniature collector from Brazil and it's nice to see people with the same passion as me! Regards from Brazil!
This is invaluable!! Thank you so much. I've recently gotten into minitures and I've had a really hard time grasping the scale aspect in my mind. I am so grateful i found this video. Subscribed and i cant wait to explore more of your channel ❤
Thank you for the scale chart! I like to make Scratchbuilt and Kit-Bashing models for my projects and the conversions are sometimes complicated when trying to furnish with manufactured pieces (stairs, ladders, furniture, pottery, etc.) Thank you again!!!
This was very helpful, thank you! I just started working on my first sort of doll house. It's just gonna be a one or two room house, because it would be too big otherwise. I chose the 1/6 scale without much consideration because I've just always loved barbie dolls and to have a unique home for them. So I simply got a new Ken doll and started making an Edwardian era style house for him. So far the scale is already a little wonky but doable, as I just use the doll as my reference. Maybe he's just very tall lol. I find a lot of inspiration from watching your videos, in regards to different techniques and materials you use, and I highly appreciate that your videos are so beginner friendly, but I honestly prefer making my own patterns for the sake of letting my own creativity flow freely. I mostly use cardboard, but also wood, plastic, metal, etc, whatever I have lying around or is cheap. I barely knew anything about scale before watching this video but I figured pretty quickly that you were working in a smaller scale than me, by just looking at the size of your hands in comparison to your crafts.
This was the best video I’ve ever watched about house scale and I actually managed to understand this time lol Thank you so much Can’t wait to start on my new old 18th dolls house 🥰
Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information! Omg you explained this so simple to understand 😊😊😊. I have just begun doing miniatures and I love it, but I needed to make sure all pieces of furniture are in the same scale. I’m so excited now that you have clarified this !!
As soon as I saw BBT, references and you mentioned "Pheobe Buffy scale," I knew I had to subscribe! I'm a newbie mini maker (is that even a term?) and really needed this video before I start hacking out windows and doors of my newly created walls. I'm just starting off with a room for the moment until I get more comfortable with creating 3D things. Thanks so much for sharing!
I'm new to miniature making, but I was inspired by some cool Halloween decorations of made of old dollhouses. I started with a doghouse, painted it black, dry-brushed it, added some tiny green lights and toy dogs. It's a nice first try I think. 😅 Then I saw an old plastic dollhouse school with amazing detailed relief on the outside. I want to turn it into Nevermore Academy, so I'm doing some research about miniatures. Your videos are so helpful, thank you so very much! 👍🏻😘
Hi! So glad I came across your channel. I am new to the miniature world. I purchased my first miniature wood toy house Size:16x15x11 inches. I am having difficulty choosing items anxiously awaiting the home to arrive. I have purchased a few families at different heights hoping they work. Wish I would have seen your video before purchasing. Well, if worse comes to worse I may need another house for them, Right? xx Live and learn, Right?
Good tips for deciding on which scale to choose! If I had done an ounce of planning for the witch's cottage project, I would have made it much smaller! I'm really liking my 1:48 scale project that's in the works and think I'll stay smaller from now on!
But you have so much detail in that cottage! Although you are cramming quite a bit of detail in your 1:48 too haha. I have never worked in 1:48 so it still boggles my mind!
True, it's sooo much easier to get detail in the bigger projects, and I like that I can work on it while the structure is put together. I want so badly to put that tiny cabin together but I'm resisting for a few extra steps. 😵
Thanks. Very helpful. Due to lockdown i have a lot of time on my hands and building a 12 scale dollhouse with plans that i drew up myself. Especially helpful was your reminder that all materials should fit scale .
So nice to meet you! I find this so very interesting even tho I don't yet understand it but intend to. You explain things very well. Thank you so much. I'm new here & fairly new to electronics & wanting to create mini - miniatures. As in making houses in card stock to put in little towns in 3 inch tins or 7.6 cm or smaller...lol, if I understood some of this correctly tonight. I think I'd be working in the 1:44 scale range , ugh, if I have this right!? 64 is not too old to learn something new. I'm intrigued by mini anything & have been collecting tiny re-usable "things" for some time for windows, flower pots, bottles ect. I'm just not I just not fully sure where to start & have so much to learn. Any ideas for making clear water would be helpful. Time to locate & view more videos. Thank you so much for all your knowledge & sharing it.
Thanks I had watched before so I was aware of what you where talking about. Now I have a project I am starting to do and I knew right where to go to get the information I needed. It is always good to learn new things even if you don't think you needed it right now. Thank you again Ara for this resource. I mean I forgot that you talked about the furniture sizing that is one more time saver for me. Woohoo!!!! 😉
THANK YOU!! I was working in 1:16th scale and trying to figure out the math for little people and items in the house and I tore my hair out. Thankfully, the project was in keeping with a 1920s period English country cottage which would have been a bit of a mish-mash anyway. Currently, I'm working on a pre-bulit 1:48 scale project and your little paper dolls will come in very handy, as well as how to scale objects and materials down to scale. This is just what I needed (math makes me break out in a rash) and I'll be referring to this video and the print-outs often. I hope you and yours stay well and safe!
You know its my favorite thing to hear that one of my videos was helpful!! I have been enjoying watching your 1:48th build on my FB page and its your project that is seriously tempting me to try it out....ahhhhh :)
@@BentleyHouseMinis Well, if you do, and build it before you decorate it, (my husband built it for me as a surprise), invest in a lighted dental mirror. You'll be glad you did. LOL
This was so helpful for me, I have done kits dolls houses before but I now want to make my own things, this has helped me immensely. Thank you very much :).
for all the metric masters out there, i'd recommend using scales that are easy to do math with. good example would be 1:10, as you simply take the real life measure and divide by 10. other easy ones are 1:4, 1:20, 1:50, 1:100. its pretty easy with any scale really, as long as you have a calculator and use the metric system, as it is based on power of 10's which are so much more comfortable to convert. ofc you can use the same scales as shown in the video with imperial, as ex. 1:12 would always be "1 real life unit is 12 model units".
the imperial system needs to be exterminated though. its so unecessarily convoluted.
Thank you for sharing this insight into using the metric system! I am going to pin it in case someone wants to read through it ;)
@@BentleyHouseMinis I would caution anyone who doesn't make 100 percent of their miniatures from scratch or hopes to buy or sell stuff with others. The scales that are listed in the video are going to be the ones available from manufacturers and people that sell their crafts online. If you choose a scale because it is just simple math you will make it very difficult to interact with anyone else in the hobby.
@@michaellindsey1543 That's what I was thinking too as I was reading that. 1:10 may be close to 1:12 but 1:12 is everywhere as far as being able to get off the shelf items goes, 1:10 not so much.
Jap it confuses me i just dont get it
As is everything imperial...
Using the cutouts and placing them next to things was EXTREMELY helpful in visualizing how your brain can tell something doesn't work. Excellent video!
Oooooh! An Ara celebrity cutout that dolls can take selfies with!
haha Pam! ;) That would awesome and I would love to see those pics!
You could do a Flat Stanley project with Flat Ara!
@@heatherwise8450 I meant to answer this earlier. It would be nice to be able to get out and take pictures of flat Ara around town. I thought about around my doll room but it is too much of a wreck.
Exactly! What my call house needs! A cute little Ara💜
@@Rach1313 I don't do photography because I don't have the equipment but I can see little Aras printed out and snuck into miniature scenes. Maybe something to do after Christmas.
I want to build a small home in a cupboard for my grandkids and Im so greatful for this video. As someone who has dyslexia scale was giving me the blues but all of your examples and the chart you've provided have made me excited to begin my project.
You sound like the BEST grandma alive! But only because mines not alive!! Because OF COURSE she's the best ever hahah
I'm going to make a cutout of you for my dollhouse and pretend you are shouting out encouragement to help me finish my project!
The paper doll scale sheet you made has made a 100-percent difference in my confidence. I think it’s what will push me to make my first project. You are so wonderful and thoughtful. Thank you SO much!
Another suggestion for your Mini Aras - if you haven't decided which scale to work with, but have a set amount of space (for example, a section of bookshelf) to put your dollhouse in, you can use the different scale Aras to figure out which one will look best in the space you have.
Great suggestion!
Thank you for creating this video, you can’t begin to imagine HOW amazing this is for newbies!!! ❤️😭❤️
If it helps anyone 1/16 furniture and houses are the scale used for Calico Critters/Sylvanian Family toys.
I love your scale chart and your video! I needed a refresher so badly, I appreciate it.
This was desperately needed!!! Thank you for making the figures. It will help immensely. My sister bought me an old dollhouse kit from an estate sale that is missing critical structural pieces and I can’t figure out how measure interior walls because I am not sure what scale the house is supposed to be in. This really helps put it into perspective
Glad I could help and that you can continue on with your project!
@@BentleyHouseMinis are the cut outs no longer available? I really wanted it lol. Im new to all this and I'm going to attempt to build a house and all its contents from scratch.☺
@@creationsfrommyheart2445 They should still be available linked in the description box. Let me know if the link is broken for some reason. Happy building!
@@BentleyHouseMinis I was able to get the chart, but your cut out wasn't apart of it. Also thank you for the reply☺ you do beautiful work and I'll definitely be watching all your videos ❤
@@BentleyHouseMinis nvm i see it now 🤦im sorry I over looked it lol I swear I read every word in the box 😆
I'm horrible at math, my best subject has always been English/Writing, and this video made sense to me. Thank you so much for the scale explanation. One day when I have the time, I would love to create a Farmhouse (and or Log Cabin) and Barn miniatures, as I'm a Kentucky country girl. God bless you and your loved ones. ♥
This was brilliant! I really feel confident moving forward with my project (shadow box scene). Thank you so much for the resources!
I'm so glad!
I am grateful to you and your clear explanations of scale with examples. I'm working on resizing a scrapbook album and thought this would be the best option. Thank you from Villa Rica, GA. ☀🌴🏖
This is brilliant, I am refurbishing a Barbie doll house into a witch's house and this will help so much. Thank you.
This video is a life saver. I've been wanting to build my own dollhouse since I was a little girl, now that I have my own home (after 40 yrs old) I am overly excited to begin a replica of my house. Thank you so very much for this amazing information. I absolutely love how you explain EVERYTHING!!
I plan on doing a miniature of Monica's appartment door as a keyholder to hang on the wall, so the reference to Phoebe Buffay was just PERFECT !! I'm french and I'll use the metric system but I still found your video very useful. Merci beaucoup, Ara :D
That will be such an awesome project! I am so glad you found the video useful :)
I'd love to see that!
I really love finding small item's in thrift stores that are just the right scale.
This was really informative as I use the metric system and some of the names eluded me for years. :}
I am glad it helped to at least explain the names ;) It would definitely be easier for everyone if we just worked in 1:10 scale using the metric system!! But I guess 1:12 stuck somewhere along the way.
You explain things beautifully and simply. Thank you for this marvelous tutorial.
This is soooo helpful. Thank you. I hate math and measuring. This was just the best ever and I know this took a lot of work. I really appreciate it.
My granddaughter and I started a candy store in 1/12.
This was FANTASTIC!!! I have always known that there were different scales but never understood it all! I am hopeless at maths, so this helped enormously!! I would love to hide your mini-self in people's houses... but I imagine the joy (or weirdness) would be lost on them! Thank you for being such a warm and enthusiastic teacher and for sharing your passion for miniatures in such a fun and joyful way!
I am so glad this video was helpful! I have seen lot of charts out there that I think make it over complicated so I wanted to address multiple ways to approach scale😉 I think its more fun that way!
I have never understood
scale until now... THANK
YOU, ARA... sincerely 💚
I am so glad it helped!
@@BentleyHouseMinis
More than you know. I'm
terribly dyslexic and often
can't comprehend words.
This is such a lovely resource you made. I wanted to add, that people in days gone by were quite a bit smaller. Thus people were not usually 6' (aka 6" in 1/12 scale). They were often only 5'-5'6" tall-even men. Although this does not affect furniture much, it does affect doorways. AND doors were often even shorter because they were made such that people had to duck down to get in them. So doors on my Tudor house are only 5.5" tall which is historically accurate. BUT it was almost impossible to find a male doll who was under 6' (aka 6') so doors look a bit too short if you compare them to the dolls. So you have to decide what sort of accuracy you are looking for--scale accuracy or historical accuracy or what. Just some added thoughts. Thank you for you help and work always.
This is very very true! If you are going for historical accuracy there is a lot more measuring and research involved! Nothing is every completly standard in history... not even people! ;)
Love this!!! Just the info I need to start building my miniature dream home.
This is such a detailed and incredibly helpful resource. As someone with a learning disability involving math, this has been one of the biggest things preventing me from pursuing miniature projects because I couldn't wrap my brain around these concepts. Thank you so much for this!
OMG! The scale picture of you is so very helpful. Thank you! I have only been working in 1:144 scale for a while and am trying to move up a scale to 1:48 and maybe 1:12. So this was very helpful.😀
There is also 1/56 and 1/58 a lot of tabletop modelers use for board games (like d&d) or dioramas that include dollhouse-like buildings. Some also use that scale for stop motion. :) Thank you for the video and breaking all of this down!
Thanks for the info! There are definitely more scales I have yet to experience... I need to deep dive more into table top scale and model train scale at some point for sure!
@@BentleyHouseMinis there is also an N train model scale where objects are smaller than in O scale. Sadly, according to Wikipedia, the actual scale varies according to country or manufacturer! The true scale is 9mm = 1,435mm (standard railway gauge). Bleh.
Hi Ara, I didn’t find that boring at all. It’s was great having you explain the different sizes, especially the really smaller ones. Not to mention the mini Ara cut outs. I am definitely printing those off. Thank you for sharing the size chart and information. Cheers Robyn ❤😊
Ok, I am not finished watching this, but I just had to say thank you for the laughs. I love Phoebe scale, and I lost it when you popped on Mr. Bean. Perfect!! 💗💗💗
A Mr. Bean clip is perfect for every occasion😄😄
N scale model railway stuff may also be of interest if you model in 1:144 scale as it’s only very slightly smaller. A great range of buildings and accessories are available in N scale. Great video.
Dear Ara, you have no idea how I needed some help about scales. I was totally lost, and then you came to rescue me (and a lot of other people like me, I believe! hahaha). I truely thank you. I can tell you're a great teacher, and a super nice person. Thank you! :D
Glad I could help!💖💖
Thank you! I've got a doll house that's a hand me down, we've had it for around 20-25 years, and it has never once been away from little hands. I asked my mother about fixing it, only to learn the maker has passed. Fixing it is now in my hands, and I hope things will go well considering I'm modelling/3D printing the parts
Edit: I'm between 1/16 and 1/24 scale. I think I'll go on the bigger end of 1/16 because again, this is a dollhouse that has had many little hands grab at it
I know I am a bit late on this video, but this really do helps a lot. Thank you for sharing and teaching! In my country we use cm and mm, and I struggle to go from inches to cm or mm. I am currently working on a display cabinet for my father, he collects rocks and crystals and have a big display unit. Now I'm busy making him a miniature display unit for his tiny crystals. Can't wait to print out your scale model and have you in my crafting space as referance and to keep my company. Thank you so much!
This is helpful I'm doing my first abandonded doll house for my dissertation piece.. I'm very dyslexic and number and measuring is confusing for me so this helped alot thank you x
Glad it was helpful!
So helpful! After 30 years I am sorting everything in my unused/unfinished dollhouse and sticking to the intended 1/12, but planning a cabin in 1/16 to use my mom's 50's items and a box room for the odd pieces that were given to me that match each other, but fall between 1/6 and 1/12.
I am a lazy crafter - I may have zoned out, possibly drooled a bit during the arithmetic aspect of this video however, perked up during the no- calculating portion. You have made lazy-crafting infinitely better. I will promptly be downloading mini-yous. Thank you for the time and effort.
I've sold a bunch of 3/4 scale (also used for 1:16 and 1:18 scales) furniture to folks in the US on Etsy. Initially, I was surprised at the number of people that use this scale for Brinca Dada, Petite Princess, Lundby, and occasionally 1:12 dollhouses. You can also find 3/4 plastic/resin figurines which help with the scaling of hand made creations. Now I have a G-scale or garden scale train set for an outdoor display. I've seen the scale listed between 1:20 to 1:32 scales. I finally found G-scale figures that matched my particular train (1:30) and I can create goodies to match. The scales may differ between manufacturers and countries. So scale can get very complicated and your video really helps to put it into perspective (pun intended ;-) . Thanks, Ara!
I have never heard of Brinca Dada... I will have to look that up! It's crazy how many scales there are out there you're right! And that's why I had to put the disclaimer that I knew I wasn't discussing them all... the video would have been 3 hrs long lol!
@@BentleyHouseMinis , LOL so true, maybe even longer than 3 hours!
I recently started on a cardboard western saloon cuckoo clock and decided to put in an interior. I had no real plan for it other than I wanted it to be a bit wonky. I laughed when you said Phoebe scale because I believe that is exactly what that clock/saloon is lol. I plan on making more of them and plan on making a barbie house for my daughter. I fear doing the math and this video really helped me feel differently about it. Thank you!
I want to make a Pheobe scale project someday too... in some ways I think it can be harder to work in that scale because you have to allow yourself to be whimsical! I have seen some really awesome 'Pheobe scale' projects recently and they always look so magical in my opinion :) Have fun creating your Western Saloon😁 how fun!!
Well done explaining scale! Another example of mixed scale would be like my moms Halloween and Christmas villages...the people are always much larger than the houses lol. I prefer miniatures on the 1:12 and the inside of a dollhouse and she prefers whole villages from the outside. But the people are always larger probably so that from a distance looking down you can still see their detailed features. Thank you for this video! Love your channel!
For people who would like to be able to use a ruler in their scale work, "architectural scales" can be read directly in common scales like dollhouse, half, quarter and a few others. They are read just a little different than ordinary rulers, searching on the internet for how to read one gets instructions.
I'm afraid people using fashion model scale are left out though, mine at least does not have a 2 inch scale.
THANK YOU. I have issues with measurements and while I feel more comfortable in winging and eyeing my builds, it's always better to have things in uniformity.
This has been so helpful. I have 4 1:12 scale dolls houses, but have found that all the dolls house dolls I have look too big, just like Morticia,. Thankyou for taking the time to explain all this in terms that those of us without a mathematical brain can understand.
I completely get what you're saying when you say larger scales take up SO much space. I'm making the set for a book I'm working on (I can't draw but love to make things, and had a bit of a falling out with my illustrator) and I'm doing it mainly in 1/6 scale. I'm using enormous shipping crates and my garage is full!
I love your video and great to see you again ! My problem still is I don’t have a computer plus printer .Not that I am a computer smart person,lol. I do see many reasons why a computer plus printer would let me do many things I want to do now . It is not high on the must get list because of money .I wish I had basic pattern for multi use part that I could use . Like a bed pattern for the head and footboard , side rails . Then you can take those parts them together to make something else.Or a page with pattern printed on it that you could lay paper over it and trace it .Have the page laminated so it can be used a lot .Pattern in scale of choice .It could be part of a Miniature Planner !The possibilities are endless ! I can see you designing this . Thank you for sharing,teaching always inspiring me . Much thanks, Elisabeth
I have known some miniaturists that don't have printers to trace patterns straight on their computer screen. It gets the job done ;) Thanks Elisabeth!!
Thank you for a most interesting video and the idea of a "paper doll" is wonderful. Please everyone stay safe.
Thank you! You too!
Thank you so much for this Video Ara! I'm getting back into my miniatures 1:6th scale. I really appreciate the easy explanation on how to scale up & down. It was so easy to understand! Also thanks for including those of us who work in 1:6 scale. I can now make use of your free patterns and scale them up! 😊❤
Wow!! You read my mind! 1:24 means nothing to me looking at a ruler but seeing the mini you is perfect!! Thank you so much!! This is so helpful!!
Very helpful! I’m just starting book books, and scale can vary wildly depending on the scene. Very helpful way to visualize what size to make things.
You are so kind. What if I hate measuring? I would have said, suck it up, buttercup, but you made an adorable, helpful, cheat sheet. Love and light. 💕
I just realized the two doll houses I just ordered are 1:48! And I paid a good price for it.
My God, it’s way too small :))
The Video is clear and helpful. Thank you!
This was actually super helpful. I recently 3d printed my first bjd in 1/3 scale and was trying to figure out the best way to properly scale props and possibly a 1/3 scale room for her
Thank you so much for this video! We are building a 150'x150' 4 story castle for my Castle Dreams non profit for autistics. Being autistic myself, I am very interested in accurate representation. I will be building a model and thanks to your info, it will be half scale. I can't tell you how happy I am to run into this channel. I will be sharing the project on a youtube channel I am starting to help demonstrate the process as we build the real castle. I have ordered a 3D resin printer, which I think will be absolutely vital for making things for the model. Thank you so much!!!
Madam this content was so well put together!...thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. 💚
This is the most complete video I could find, thank you very much I understood everything perfectly 🙌
Hahaha! That Mr. Bean scene is totally me! I'm 5' tall, and surely have been seen walking around with my arms out trying to measure a room or furniture😁😁😁
I loved this video! It was very informative and entertaining (I loved the skits)!! I love your videos because you explain every subject in great detail. My preferred scale is 1:6 and this video will help me with the patterns in 1:12 scale as I find most dollhouse items and patterns in this scale. You took a difficult subject and made it easy to understand! I'm so glad I found your channel!! Many blessings to you!
Just come upon this video….THANK YOU…..SOOOOO needed this info!!!!!
I am planning to build Dioramas for my bjds so this was really helpful:)
This has been probably the most helpful video I've ever watched on any topic in my life!! Lol I'm new to miniatures and found it difficult to get a real life comparison so this really helped me figure out what I need to search for. Thanks Ara! This video was so well explained and clear, you rock!
Super helpful! I am a mega newbie, so i really appreciate this, since I've been trying to find accessories for my Fisher Price Grand Hotel (which i converted to a haunted house). So, i learned from this video, that my house is a 1:24 scale! I've had to make candles and some very simple furniture with polymer clay and other flotsom and jetsom i have floating around the house, and that sort of worked for my first project, but i'm hooked on the whole miniature thing now, so i want to hunt for pieces that will match my next 1:24 Fisher Price doll house.
Thank you for taking the time to post this exceedingly helpful video! I am awed by your talent and your work. To be honest, had i watched your video before i motivated myself to do this haunted doll house project, i don't know if i would have had the hubris to even start, because your work is absolute perfection! You are truly an artist.
But i wandered into the craft, very non-chalantly, not knowing that this is actually an art form. I am so happy that i found your videos, because instead of being intimidated, i have decided that i want to learn everything i can about this wonderful, fulfilling, and personally satisfying craft.
Such a valuable tool of understanding for this beginner! Thank you! I'm currently working on needle-felted replicas of our family dogs. My scale on this project is 1:6 (I couldn't have articulated this prior to watching your tutorial!) These are meant to be ornaments for our Christmas tree. I feel more confident now, knowing what track I'm on. Thanks again!!
Thank you so much Ara! You made a boring or intimidating topic actually fun to learn. I especially love the Phoebe reference. This is my first time watching you, I have done a few 1/6 scale rooms and recently received 1/12 scale farmhouse! So the research begins, LOL. I definitely subscribed and I look forward to your other videos. Thank you again for sharing. 😊
I am so glad the video was helpful for you and welcome to the channel!!
One possibility would be to think about what kind of things you would like to build and then think about how big theyre in real life and how small you want to have them. Then you can find out your favorite scale
Definitely a good idea! ;)
This is a great resource!! I work in model railroad HO scale and have in the past used a figure of that scale as a reference and built my models around that. I want to start making mineratures like your coffee shop and this will be a great reference!! Thanks for sharing.
I am so glad it will be helpful for your future projects! I also really want to learn more about model train scale too ;)
Thank you for breaking those scales down for us. You are awesome❤🎉
So glad I found your channel. Wow finally someone who explains scale where it is easy to understand. Having that sheet you made will be a big help on explaining size in imperial and the nice pinned comment with the metric scale. Thank you.😁
I am so glad it was helpful to you!!
Ara, thank u... this makes so much sense however, I'm more of a visual learner so I love the cutout figures. This is the best. I purchased a mini dollhouse and now it all makes more since when ordering
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm horrible at math. I watched 3 other videos before finding yours, the only one that was told in a logical, easy to understand way. I've subscribed and liked. Looking forward to checking out your other videos.
This was extremely helpful for a newbie like me. Thank you so much!!!
I've built lots of structures in 1/160 scale (N scale) for my train layout. It's not that hard, though larger is definitely easier. Thanks for this in-depth lesson, Ara.
Do you have any video suggestions for train scale? I would love to learn more about it. Thanks!
I am not a miniaturist but I do like to make miniatures...I now have a name for it mismatched scale....I called it eyeball scale...lol you have some great info here and I now have a better understanding...Thank you so much! I go for fairy or whimsical pieces, to me its not a scale driven project and I hate to measure and follow patterns....you are amazing in your creations and i enjoy watching you!! xoxo
I love the name "Eyeball Scale"! That's another perfect explanation for it too!
Thank you so much...it took me awhile to understand. But you made it so easy and gave examples. This is going to make the process of purchasing items so much easier.
Glad it was helpful!
I’ve found your charts so valuable. I’ve got the sheet of little you’s on my studio wall as a reminder 👍🏻
Thank you. Your video has helped me so much. Keep up the great work. I couldn't have done my room without your help.
Your video is very helpful and I love watching them! Keep doing this amazing job! I'm a miniature collector from Brazil and it's nice to see people with the same passion as me! Regards from Brazil!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoy the videos ;) The miniatures hobby is definitely growing world wide which is so fun!
Thank you for the scales. Just starting out and am confused on what equals what. This will help a little bit 😊
This is invaluable!! Thank you so much. I've recently gotten into minitures and I've had a really hard time grasping the scale aspect in my mind. I am so grateful i found this video. Subscribed and i cant wait to explore more of your channel ❤
Thank you for the scale chart! I like to make Scratchbuilt and Kit-Bashing models for my projects and the conversions are sometimes complicated when trying to furnish with manufactured pieces (stairs, ladders, furniture, pottery, etc.) Thank you again!!!
This was very helpful, thank you! I just started working on my first sort of doll house. It's just gonna be a one or two room house, because it would be too big otherwise. I chose the 1/6 scale without much consideration because I've just always loved barbie dolls and to have a unique home for them. So I simply got a new Ken doll and started making an Edwardian era style house for him. So far the scale is already a little wonky but doable, as I just use the doll as my reference. Maybe he's just very tall lol.
I find a lot of inspiration from watching your videos, in regards to different techniques and materials you use, and I highly appreciate that your videos are so beginner friendly, but I honestly prefer making my own patterns for the sake of letting my own creativity flow freely. I mostly use cardboard, but also wood, plastic, metal, etc, whatever I have lying around or is cheap. I barely knew anything about scale before watching this video but I figured pretty quickly that you were working in a smaller scale than me, by just looking at the size of your hands in comparison to your crafts.
This was the best video I’ve ever watched about house scale and I actually managed to understand this time lol
Thank you so much
Can’t wait to start on my new old 18th dolls house 🥰
Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information! Omg you explained this so simple to understand 😊😊😊. I have just begun doing miniatures and I love it, but I needed to make sure all pieces of furniture are in the same scale. I’m so excited now that you have clarified this !!
Thank you thank you thank you! I am not a math person and this made it easy to follow!
As soon as I saw BBT, references and you mentioned "Pheobe Buffy scale," I knew I had to subscribe! I'm a newbie mini maker (is that even a term?) and really needed this video before I start hacking out windows and doors of my newly created walls. I'm just starting off with a room for the moment until I get more comfortable with creating 3D things. Thanks so much for sharing!
Welcome to the channel! I am so glad this video could be helpful ;) I try my best to make things as dry as 'scale' just a little more interesting lol!
You seem like such a genuinely nice person!
I'm new to miniature making, but I was inspired by some cool Halloween decorations of made of old dollhouses. I started with a doghouse, painted it black, dry-brushed it, added some tiny green lights and toy dogs. It's a nice first try I think. 😅
Then I saw an old plastic dollhouse school with amazing detailed relief on the outside. I want to turn it into Nevermore Academy, so I'm doing some research about miniatures.
Your videos are so helpful, thank you so very much! 👍🏻😘
Hi! So glad I came across your channel. I am new to the miniature world. I purchased my first miniature wood toy house Size:16x15x11 inches. I am having difficulty choosing items anxiously awaiting the home to arrive. I have purchased a few families at different heights hoping they work. Wish I would have seen your video before purchasing. Well, if worse comes to worse I may need another house for them, Right? xx Live and learn, Right?
Oh my gosh. I so connect with your humor. I “speak” in gifs and movie/tv quotes and scenes. Bahahahaaaa! Helpful and awesome! Mini Aras!!!!
Haha! I figured it would spice up a rather bland topic ;) So glad you enjoyed it!
I, being a beginner, appreciated this helpful information 😉👍
Scale is something that is so confusing to me but this has been really informative and helpful.
You have been my life saver as I am a newbie in Miniatures. Thank you ♥
Good tips for deciding on which scale to choose! If I had done an ounce of planning for the witch's cottage project, I would have made it much smaller! I'm really liking my 1:48 scale project that's in the works and think I'll stay smaller from now on!
But you have so much detail in that cottage! Although you are cramming quite a bit of detail in your 1:48 too haha. I have never worked in 1:48 so it still boggles my mind!
True, it's sooo much easier to get detail in the bigger projects, and I like that I can work on it while the structure is put together. I want so badly to put that tiny cabin together but I'm resisting for a few extra steps. 😵
Super great video of how scale works! Love it
Awesome, thank you!
That door at 15:00 is awesome!
Thanks. Very helpful. Due to lockdown i have a lot of time on my hands and building a 12 scale dollhouse with plans that i drew up myself. Especially helpful was your reminder that all materials should fit scale .
Glad it was helpful!
So nice to meet you! I find this so very interesting even tho I don't yet understand it but intend to. You explain things very well. Thank you so much.
I'm new here & fairly new to electronics & wanting to create mini - miniatures. As in making houses in card stock to put in little towns in 3 inch tins or 7.6 cm or smaller...lol, if I understood some of this correctly tonight. I think I'd be working in the 1:44 scale range , ugh, if I have this right!? 64 is not too old to learn something new. I'm intrigued by mini anything & have been collecting tiny re-usable "things" for some time for windows, flower pots, bottles ect. I'm just not I just not fully sure where to start & have so much to learn. Any ideas for making clear water would be helpful. Time to locate & view more videos. Thank you so much for all your knowledge & sharing it.
Thanks I had watched before so I was aware of what you where talking about. Now I have a project I am starting to do and I knew right where to go to get the information I needed. It is always good to learn new things even if you don't think you needed it right now. Thank you again Ara for this resource. I mean I forgot that you talked about the furniture sizing that is one more time saver for me. Woohoo!!!! 😉
Yay! I am always glad to hear this was helpful!
Thanks so much for this, I find it difficult to understand until you put this video out. I’ve printed out the guides...brilliant 😁
So glad it was helpful!
Thank you, this is very helpful! Love, love, LOVE that door you used for an example!
Thank you! I made it back in my laser cutter video ;)
Awesome video, especially for beginners! Another popular railroad scale is 1:87 or "HO" scale. Thanks Ara!
Thank you! I hope to learn more about railroad scale in the future too ;) I always love walking down the train isle at the hobby store!
THANK YOU!! I was working in 1:16th scale and trying to figure out the math for little people and items in the house and I tore my hair out. Thankfully, the project was in keeping with a 1920s period English country cottage which would have been a bit of a mish-mash anyway. Currently, I'm working on a pre-bulit 1:48 scale project and your little paper dolls will come in very handy, as well as how to scale objects and materials down to scale. This is just what I needed (math makes me break out in a rash) and I'll be referring to this video and the print-outs often. I hope you and yours stay well and safe!
You know its my favorite thing to hear that one of my videos was helpful!! I have been enjoying watching your 1:48th build on my FB page and its your project that is seriously tempting me to try it out....ahhhhh :)
@@BentleyHouseMinis Well, if you do, and build it before you decorate it, (my husband built it for me as a surprise), invest in a lighted dental mirror. You'll be glad you did. LOL
This was so helpful for me, I have done kits dolls houses before but I now want to make my own things, this has helped me immensely. Thank you very much :).
I am so glad to hear that! I am so excited for your new custom build!