When I was a kid, I tried to imagine what the different chess pieces would look like as people, and drew up a few sketches of what I envisioned. I’ve reproduced an image of how I envisioned the pawn — looking like a peasant, below:

If I had the time, I’d like to make a complete chess set looking like this. But there doesn’t seem to be much of a point, if I can’t 3D-print my pieces.