From Flat to Fabulous: How an Illustrator Gave Her 2D Characters a Third Dimension

When a Client Asked for Something She'd Never Made

Kelin has been working as a freelance 2D illustrator for more than five years. Most of her work involves cartoon portraits such as profile pictures, gift illustrations, and social media avatars. Clients come to her because they want something personal and unique. It's the kind of work she truly enjoys, while also making a living from it.

Over the years, she built up a steady stream of clients and a style she was confident in. What she didn't expect was for one of them to ask her for something she had never made before.

Some of the artworks by Kelin

The Challenge: "Could You Make This into a Blind Box Figurine?"

A client sent Kelin a photo of her friend wearing a Harry Potter robe, taken at Orlando Disneyland. She wanted to turn it into a birthday gift.

Kelin assumed she wanted a framed illustration, so she recreated the photo as a cute 2D avatar. She was happy with how it turned out. Then the client asked: "Could you also make this into a blind box figurine?"

Kelin had no experience with 3D. But she told the client she'd give it a try.

Kelin downloaded Blender, watched some tutorials on YouTube, and spent a few hours clicking around.

The interface was completely different from anything she was familiar with as a 2D artist. No layers, no brushes, no canvas. It was also hard to get her head around concepts like mesh topology, UV mapping, and render settings. The learning curve felt too steep.

She followed a beginner tutorial step by step and managed to finish a donut model. But when she tried to apply it to her client's character — her friend's portrait in a Hogwarts robe — she still couldn't figure out where to start. Even the donut didn't help.

After struggling with it for a full day, Kelin felt like all the time she had invested was wasted. So she closed the software.

Here's the thing: Kelin didn't mean to become a 3D modeler, and she didn't want to spend three months learning an entirely new craft. She just wanted to take the character designs she was already drawing and give them a third dimension — without going through a complicated workflow.

"Honestly, I thought that was impossible."

The Breakthrough

Kelin mentioned her frustration to a friend who works in game development. After hearing her frustration, the friend sent her a link. It was Triverse AI. Kelin clicked through and saw it had an Image to 3D feature — upload a reference image, generate a 3D model with a single click.

She was skeptical. But the friend mentioned it came with free credits, so Kelin figured: Why not try?

She uploaded the front-view 2D character illustration she had drawn, kept the default settings, and clicked Generate. Surprisingly, within a minute, a high-fidelity 3D model appeared on the screen. The pose, the color of the robe, and the proportions were recreated close to the original design.

What 3D Unlocks in Practice

"There's a huge gap between imagining what a character looks like from behind and actually seeing it.When you draw a portrait, you're making choices for a single angle — usually the front view. You're implying volume. A 3D model makes all of those details explicit."

Kelin rotated the model a few times, zoomed in and out, and looked at the back of the robe. For the first time, she said, the character wasn't just an image — it occupied real space.

She sent the client both the 2D avatar illustration and the 3D model. The client was stunned and extremely satisfied with what she received.

"The drawing was mine. The 3D model came from Triverse AI. Together, they became exactly what she wanted to give her friend: something personal, something meaningful to them."

Kelin posted a short clip of the 3D character on social media — partly just to share the result, partly to see what people would think.

The comments were different from her usual posts. Instead of "nice colors" or "love the linework," people started asking:

• "How did you make this?"
• "Can I buy one?"
• "Can you make it into a keychain?"

The 3D preview turned the illustration into a conversation piece. It stopped being a drawing and started feeling like a product.

Kelin said that her client later printed the model using the STL file she provided, and the final result turned out even better than expected.

Looking Ahead: Blind Box Figurines and Beyond

Now, when clients want a 3D version generated from an illustration, Kelin can offer that herself. It's not a replacement for her 2D work — it's an extra service she can provide.

The best part is this: she doesn't need to learn Blender. She doesn't need to hire a 3D artist either. She just finishes the illustration, uploads a reference image, and the rest is done for her.

Kelin is thinking about small merch items — keychains, desk figures, standees. With Triverse AI, those aren't just ideas anymore. They're things she can actually make.

She's also started experimenting with AI Texturing feature for character variations. Instead of drawing every outfit variant by hand, she describes the change — "same character, wearing shiny diamond robe" — and generates a new model to compare with her illustration. It's faster than redrawing, and she can show clients options in minutes.

Conclusion: The Barrier Was Never the Idea

Kelin's story shows that there are plenty of possibilities for 2D illustrators. A flat character can become a printable figurine, a keychain, or any other collectible item. Most importantly, no professional modeling skills are required.

So if you're new to 3D modeling and want to start creating 3D assets, Triverse AI is a great place to begin. You can upload an original 2D image you created yourself, or simply type a prompt and turn your idea into a 3D model right away.