These fantastic LEGO optical illusion sculptures come from Marion. Each one is a visual delight. You may recognize a number of these sculptures as mind-benders and thought puzzles, each using fantastic technique to get the shaping just so, and it’s quite effective.
This beautiful LEGO sculpture by Xavier Viloria is both intriguing and unique. The builder was inspired by the works of Mari Shimizu and hakkachan and those influences do show in this lovely build. The central doll-like bust is well shaped and those silent tears are a lovely touch. I also like the tendrils that travel through her neck and open into a flow of flowers within her chest.
Without a doubt, my favourite part are the flowers that are made from minifigure cloaks. What a great use of those cloth LEGO parts — very effective.
This pixilated classic space logo by Jonathan Gale is one of the most impressive LEGO creations I have seen in a long time. If you look closely, you’ll see that his build is made up of thousands of LEGO lightsaber blades (5520 of them to be exact). There is an LED light behind the blades, giving the translucent pieces a glowing effect.
Jonathan said he was inspired to try this building technique after a LUG meeting where he realized that 25 LEGO lightsaber blades fit perfectly into a 2×2 stud square. This build took over 10 hours to complete and, according to the builder, came with a constant and serious risk of collapse. I can’t even imagine the amount of patience it took Jonathan to complete this beast.
Korean builder Haeundaddy has designed and built probably the best LEGO version of Shotaro Kaneda’s bike from Akira that I have seen. This larger scale bike is shapely, detailed and full of the smooth lines that characterise this famous red bike. The specially designed base is a nice touch as a model of this calibre needs something a little special to rest upon.
The details are fantastic, from the sports seat to the handlebar area, and Haeundaddy has taken the time to capture his work with some excellent photography.
Just a couple weeks ago, we featured some lovely minifig artwork that recreated Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam by Ki Young Lee. The builder has been hard at work, though, and I love his latest. With some great minifig choices and deft Photoshopping, we have Eugène Delacroix’s iconic 1830 painting “Liberty Leading the People.”
While my own preferences lean toward revolution over devotion, Ki Young Lee’s recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” is no less excellent — though not brick-building the architectural background elements does seem like a lost opportunity. I do like Simon the Zealot’s neck beard.
If you were at BrickCon this year, you probably saw this colorful creation by Adam Dodge. Adam’s LEGO rainbow island features a collection of monochromatic landscapes, buildings, and minifigs that would impress Roy G. Biv himself. The chunks of bright colors and smooth transitions in this creation are very artistic. And the overall effect is super dynamic. Be sure to zoom in and check out all the details of Adam’s build including one minifig that is up to no good.
The artistic builder who goes by Why not? presents an untitled work depicting a painter creating his own world of tranquility amidst a menacing cityscape. Is this a stark vision of the future or a grim reminder of the past? Either way the message is strong!
This weekend sees The Great Western Brick Show take place in the UK at the STEAM Railway Museum in Swindon. Some of the displays this year will mark the fact that it’s 175 years since Isembard Kingdom Brunel opened his maintenance facility, whose surviving buildings house the museum. Jimmy Clinch has chosen to celebrate the occasion with a brilliant mosaic of the big man himself…
Brunel is something of a hero of mine: the most audacious engineer of the 19th century — a designer of tunnels, bridges, railway lines and enormous steamships. He’s a pinup-boy for any self-respecting steampunk fan and I would love to hang this mosaic on my wall.
I had a crack at building my own tribute to him a few years ago, recreating the famous image taken in front of the SS Great Eastern…
If you get the chance to make it to the show this weekend, show your respect with a doff of the top hat to Jimmy’s mosaic. I’m sure Isembard would appreciate it.
We’ve always known that the LEGO minifigure is awesome, but who’d have guessed it was divinely created? Thanks to Ki Young Lee, who has reinterpreted into LEGO form Michelangelo’s painting The Creation of Adam, which graces the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, we can at last see how the minifigure came into existance.
Joining the ranks of Caravaggio, Paul Cezanne, and van Gogh, birgburg has taken a break from depicting the human (or in our case, minifig) form and instead replicated a still-life basket of fruit with his paint and canvas (ie. LEGO bricks).
The composition of the still life is superb. I especially love how the builder has stacked the LEGO cherries to resemble a flowing bunch of grapes. But what really sells this LEGO painting for me is that gorgeously-gilded, over-the-top, ostentatious frame. I’ve definitely seen this kind of frame in art museums before. Interestingly, a tour guide at the Cleveland Museum of Art once explained to me that some works of art are left in their original frames, while other works at the museum are placed in newer (although still usually ancient) frames for aesthetic reasons. Real art buffs can spot these “frame upgrades” even when the age difference between the artwork and the frame is less than 100 years based on historical frame styles alone.
For this piece though, I’d say this is a frame upgrade. But only because I know the LEGO painting was completed last year and the frame is brand new.
This dragon model by Eero Okkomen has made me question how a LEGO creation can have so much personality. It proves an image can tell a story without an accompanying explanation — you don’t need to be told, you just know to fear and respect the summoned serpent.
I’ve always thought the Ninjago Morro Dragon set is a mine for amazing pieces, but I would have never in a thousand years have used the wings like this — awesome. And that face — so much expression with so few pieces. The smoke coming from the nostrils is just brilliant, and so are the electric moustaches. Overall, this model is an art piece, and I wouldn’t mind displaying it in my living room, like an ukiyo-e style sculpture.
David Hughes is building a series of wonderfully creepy LEGO skulls. They have a definite Mexican Day Of The Dead vibe going on with bold color choices and geometric patterns. Our hobby is generally dominated by minifig-scale models depicting scenes or vehicles — sometimes it makes for a pleasant change when we get these kind of larger-scale art pieces beautifully put together from good old-fashioned bricks.
