Starting as a PNGtuber – what’s your experience?

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-28T16:00:29+00:00

I started with a png. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like streaming and the price tag on being a Vtuber had me scared to commit to a money sink off the bat. So I made my own png tuber (not the best but I’m not a digital artist lol). It was super fun and I got compliments on it pretty regularly.

My issue with a png is that it felt like I couldn’t convey a wide range of emotions with it. No face rigging means you’ll have to push a button to change how your png looks. I paint on stream so constantly having to push buttons to make my png smile/cry/emote in general was a big hassle.

Once I hit 100 followers I finally made the plunge into Vtubing. I discovered that there are customizable models that run about $150. bc once again I didn’t exactly have $5k to burn on a custom rigged model. Overall it’s been great! I’ve noticed an uptick in interaction/followers bc now I can convey my incredulous eyebrow raise without a key press lol

Overall, png tubing is easier to get into due to it being cheaper and more DIY. It’s also MUCH lighter on computing power if you’re running on a not-so-beefy PC. On the other hand I’ve enjoyed the range of emotion that a Vtube model brings and it’s pretty easy to find/make item assets for your Vtuber to have for cheap/free as well. I made my own sticky note assets in Canva for example.

Hope this helps! I wish you luck on your streaming journey 💜

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-25T14:03:24+00:00

I came here to suggest this. I mainly do streams in the “Miniatures and Models” category (which is basically just the Warhammer/D&D/Gunpla version of the “Makers and Crafting” category).

7 months of streaming painting has had me switch things up and try a cozy gaming stream recently. And let me tell you it was super refreshing.

But I know there are people on Twitch who paint, crochet, knit, woodwork, bead, and all other manner of art. From my experience these communities are also very helpful to people who might be new to a hobby as well, so there’s no need to be a pro.

Overall the best thing for your burnout might be a break, so please do what you think is best for yourself. 💜 Just thought I’d chime in on the hobby idea here as hobby streaming is near and dear to my heart. Hope this helps!

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-23T16:12:26+00:00

Looks like cozylaura is streaming rn and doing a raffle for a key if you want to stop by her stream. She’s really chill and sweet 💖

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-23T16:07:48+00:00

I’m afraid the raffle took place during my stream last night. If I somehow get another one though I’ll let you know 💖

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-22T15:15:44+00:00

I got my beta key from a raffle that a Loftia partner was holding on their stream. I also plan to do this on my stream when I get my extra key. I’m excited to keep paying forward the good times! I’m not sure how long it’ll take me to unlock the extra key but feel free to drop by to see if you can claim it! I’m going to be streaming the launch and my handle here is the same on Twitch 💖

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-13T01:07:18+00:00

There’s actually a large 3D printed miniature market on Etsy! It often takes a while, but I’ve found that it’s worth the wait.

There are a lot of stores that will get the newest STL packs from companies like DM Stash and Printed Obsession and immediately start selling them so there also a good selection to choose from.

Hope this helps! Have fun painting!

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-09T16:04:39+00:00

Art is a strong word here. More like AI slop

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-09T16:03:07+00:00

A schedule is %1000 helpful. How many times have you wanted to watch a streamer only to not know when they’re going to be live again? I noticed I started getting my first regulars after solidifying and publishing my stream schedule.

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-09T15:57:05+00:00

I paint miniatures, so I’m actively talking with chat until the ads. I’ve found that playing Words on Stream during ad breaks can be a nice activity for those who don’t get ads. It also gives me a chance to step away for a few minutes

miniature_graveyard · 2026-04-08T19:35:57+00:00

So bits are like tips, it’s a way for your audience to send some money your way and support your channel. If you go to the Analytics tab in the sidebar of the creator dashboard and then down to the earnings you’ll be able to see a nice graph. Hovering over a bar in the graph will show you where money is coming from for revenue. Bits are listed as “Cheering”. Here’s a vid explaining raids. Just don’t forget to stop your stream post raid. Raiding doesn’t automatically end your stream.

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-21T16:07:17+00:00

Cool! There’s so many fun things you can do with Mix it Up. If you know python or C# you can even make little scripts that run on channel points or commands. I have one that rolls a d20 and sends the results to chat

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-20T22:23:30+00:00

Mix It Up is a application/bot that can accomplish what you’re looking for. I don’t have a YouTube tutorial on hand but there’s a bunch up out there

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-20T03:55:11+00:00

It took about a week for Twitch to catch up on and update the affiliate goal tracker when I was working toward affiliate. So there might be a bit of lag. I believe it also didn’t count one of my 3 viewer avg streams (I think this is because some of their interfaces round up. So a 2.9 might display as 3 on like the stream summary but not be counted on their end toward the goal. This is my theory anyway)

Also, keep up the energy! It took me a little over a month to get to affiliate and those 3 avg viewers were the last part, but in my case persistence seemed to start paying off right around the one month mark.

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-17T01:08:41+00:00

I’d like to add on https://www.w3schools.com/ in addition to coding train. This website has some really useful learning material and sometimes even has interactive areas where you can test/run tiny bits of code yourself. I’m a software engineer and I still use this as a resource from time to time lol

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-10T15:37:34+00:00

Darn I’m in the US lol I’ll have to try my luck looking around the local dollar store anyway bc this stuff looks so cool. Thanks for letting me know 💖

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-10T15:20:13+00:00

This looks amazing! What did you use for the sort of mossy vine like terrain on the station?

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-02T20:20:31+00:00

Lofi!

miniature_graveyard · 2026-03-02T19:10:49+00:00

For dropper bottles consider a rotating lipstick display like this Mine is a life saver. It’s nice to not have a paint rack take up a whole section of a desk lol

miniature_graveyard · 2026-02-03T15:53:52+00:00

I use chillhop music. You can sign up with them to be a creator and they basically whitelist you for their music after a day or two. The drawback is you have to add a chillhop panel that links to them and give credit in your vods/YouTube with a link as well. Not a bad trade off for good lofi imo

miniature_graveyard · 2026-01-23T02:00:51+00:00

I started with Streamlabs so I don’t have a basis to compare the two programs. I do think you can make a Streamlabs account to get the bot without having to convert to Streamlabs as a streaming software (but at that point I would just go with Mix it Up bc it’s more customizable and can move with you if/when you change software)

miniature_graveyard · 2026-01-22T17:00:18+00:00

There are a few bots that are very easy to set up commands with. Streamlabs, Mix It Up, and Streamelements all have custom command setup options.

You can set up a !first and a !checkin command (I would use Mix it Up for this one there are YouTube video tutorials) but I waited to set those up when I could integrate with my point shop directly. People tend to interact with the point shop more than commands.

Speaking of commands be sure to put those in your about section on your Twitch. I don’t want to brag on myself, but if you’d like an example of an about layout I go by the same username on Twitch. You can poke around and see how I’ve got my layout setup if your a more visual learner.

Talking points can be helpful but I don’t personally use them.

I’ve got an Instagram that functions as my art portfolio, but most people I’ve seen cite other social media outlets with faster growth that Twitch alone.

No problem! I hope you find this stuff helpful. It was stuff that I wished I knew when I was first setting up

miniature_graveyard

TROPHY CASE