I think Wii Avatars are really cute, especially if they actually look like you, it's like a little caricature of yourself. It occurred to me that it would be even better if you can have a figurine of your Mii. I noticed that there are a few places online were you can have your own Mii made but they cost around $50. So instead I bought some polymer clay and made my own.

If you know what your friends' Mii look like this can make a fun gift. Or you can make one of yourself and your partner/significant other holding hands for Valentine's Day or even use it as a wedding cake topper.

If you don't have a Wii system and wished you had a Mii there are several online Mii editors you can use to create one.

Step 1: Material and Tools

Polymer clay of various colours or white polymer clay and paint of various colours
Wire - I used floral stem wire and twist ties
Mat and sculpting tools
Needle nose plies
Sharpies/paint and a fine brush
Oven

Step 2: Armature: Legs

When making a figurine this size with polymer clay it helps to use armature. I used some floral stem wire and twist ties to make the armature.

Starting with the legs I made a loop of wire with the length of the legs approximately 3.5cm long with feet about 0.5-1cm long.

Step 3: Armature: Torso and Head

I took a long piece of wire and wrapped it around the loop of the legs forming the spine it should be roughly the same length as the legs (3.5cm). I then wrapped the end around several times in a circle) see image below for the head (diameter roughly 1.5-2cm).

Step 4: Armature: Arms

I twisted a length of wire around the spine a little below the head for the arms. They are approximately 2cm long. Then I took several twist ties, removed the plastic coating and wrap them around where the arms and legs join the spine to secure the appendages.

Step 5: Sculpting the Legs

Now that the armature is done lets start sculpting. We begin with the legs.

I made a dark grey colour by mixing some black and a little white clay (it is better to mix more than you need since it may be hard to match the colour if you need to blend more later).
Knead the two colours together for about two minutes.
Roll out the clay to form a long noodle of about 0.5cm diameter.
Wrap the noodle around the armature of the leg and feet and smooth it out so that it is completely covered (pinch off any excess at the end).

Step 6: Sculpting the Torso

For the torso I used blue clay so I didn't need to mix any colours

Knead the clay for 2 minutes
Roll out a short thick piece that is large enough to fit below the head and legs. It should also be roughly the same thickness as the pelvis.
Cut it in half (see image below) and wrap around the armature.
Smooth it out so that the two halves fit together seamlessly.

Step 7: Sculpting the Arms

For the arms use the same colour as you did for the torso.

Knead the clay for 2 minutes
Roll out a noodle of clay slightly thinner than the legs.
Break a piece off the noodle and wrap around each of the arms covering the armature completely (pinch off any excess at the end).
Blend the clay of the arms with that of the torso where the meet.
Roll out two little balls (also the same colour), the diameter should be larger than the thickness of the arms.
Place the balls at the end of the arms and make sure that they are firmly attached (blend with the clay of the arms)

Step 8: Sculpting the Skirt

If the Mii is female you will need to make a skirt.

Use the same colour that you did for the torso and roll out a noodle that is roughly a centimetre or so in diameter.
Wrap around the upper legs/pelvis and pinch off the excess.
Blend with the torso so that it is seamless.
Try to form a bell shape torso (see image below).

Step 9: Sculpting the Face and Nose

For the head I blended three colours white a bit of brown and a bit of pink, you will need a fairly large piece.

Knead the clay for 2 minutes.
Roll an oval ball about 3cm long and 2.5cm thick (save a small bit for the nose)
Cut in half and form around the armature of the head
Smooth over area where the head meets the neck
For the nose I rolled out a little ball of clay and stuck it in the middle of the face

Optionally you can omit the nose and draw it in later if you want a 2D nose instead of a 3D one.

Step 10: Sculpting the Hair

For the hair I blended a little black with the clay to get the right shade.

Knead the clay for 2 minutes
Roll flat and drape around the back of head.
With small scissors or a knife trim the hair. (The length,shape and colour will of course vary with each Mii)
Make sure the hair is securely attached to the head.

Step 11: Sculpting the Base

I made a base, since Miis have such big heads that the little feet are not sturdy enough for it to stand on it's own so. You can use whatever colour you like.

Take a fairly large piece of clay and knead the clay for 2 minutes
Roll into a ball and press flat (it should be about 0.5-1cm thick)
Press the feet of the Mii into the base. Make sure that it is secure and the Mii stands up straight.

Step 12: Bake

Follow the baking directions on your package(s) of clay. Before you place it in the oven make sure that it is as you want it to look. I found that I had some colours smearing onto others (mostly from the clay sticking to my fingers), to fix this you can use some rubbing alcohol on Q-tip to clean it up. Once it is baked there is little you can do to change it with the exception of sanding. Which is in fact what I did with the nose since it looked a bit too big.(I used a Dremel for this.)

To bake, I place the Mii on some parchment paper and placed it on it's back since I was using a toaster oven so the head would have gotten too close to the element if it was standing up. Once it is done take it out and allow to cool.

Step 13: Face

I found that the face was the hardest part, take you time with this to get it right. To complete the face I used some fine tipped Sharpies and a bit of paint. I first sketched the face with pencil (it took me several tries to get it to look okay. When you are ready to draw the features with the sharpies it is best to add one feature at a time to prevent the ink from smudging. I used a bit of pink paint on a sponge for the blush.