The short answer: 3D Pokemon work like 3D animals: two body panels, a face panel, and small parts like ears and tails. Iron everything on one side only, bend where needed, and glue the seams. Start with a chubby, round character so the shapes are forgiving.
You do not need to be a designer for this. Pixel-style faces translate straight onto a pegboard, and round bodies hide small mistakes. The hardest part is patience with the glue, not the beading.
The build order
- Pick a simple character and find or draw a front-view grid.
- Make the front panel and a plain back panel in the same silhouette.
- Iron both on one side only and cool flat.
- Bend a base strip into a U shape and attach it to the bottom edge of both panels so the character stands.
- Glue ears, tails, arms, and cheeks onto the front and sides.
- Press and hold each glue point for ten seconds, then leave it to set.
Which characters are easiest
- Round bodies first: characters with big round bodies need almost no bending.
- Few details: faces with simple eyes and cheeks glue on in minutes.
- Short ears and tails: long thin parts snap easily, keep them stubby.
- Skip complex characters until you have done two or three simple ones.
The one-sided melt and panel joining basics are in our 3D patterns guide, and the pattern library has ready grids sorted by difficulty. Everything from beads to glue is in our shop.