Medieval done right with Luke Hutchison

The Castle theme has a long history within the LEGO community, and builders all over the world have produced magnificent creations in every size, shape, and color. Luke Hutchinson (Derfel Cadarn) is one of the originators of the now-common “ramshackle” style, characterized by the odd angles and an organic approach to the scene. His beautiful creations inspired me to start building with LEGO and posting my creations online many years ago.

So, naturally I was very excited to see a glimpse of his latest creation in a teaser pic a few months back. He continues to improve his own building style, pushing his creations further and further, influencing many other builders in this theme.

'Where The Wild Things Are...'

We had a chance to talk to Luke more about his creation and his approach.

The Brothers Brick: In regards to your latest creation, what are some of your favorite features or characteristics? What made it special to you?

Luke: This cottage is actually based on a real building known as the Spadena House in Beverly Hills. It has such a unique look that’s so full of character and fits well with my building style. It turned out to be a very enjoyable build process as everything came together exactly how I hoped.

TBB: Did you do anything different from your normal building style technique-wise? Or is it just the next step in your creative process?

Luke: I took a different approach with this cottage and decided to have a good think about where it would be set. I imagined it was sitting at the bottom of a lush low lying valley where heavy rain means the area would regularly flood and everything would be damp. With that in mind, I could then build the cottage to fit in with that setting. I looked deeper into details and took time to look at the stonework and see how the different shapes and positions would affect the route of the creepers and vines growing, just like they would in real life. I even managed to find a use for a broken cart wheel I had which was used to make an old disused cart look like it is slowly sinking away in a boggy area. I was going to add an interior but then decided against it as the whole scene is designed to fire the imagination, I don’t need to show or say what the interior would look like as every person who looks at the creation will each have their own idea and vision of what would lie inside.

TBB: I’ve heard some exciting rumors on your Facebook page about books and building guides. Can you give us a clue about what you’ve got up your sleeve?

Luke: I have just started a new Medieval Village guide exclusively for Bricks magazine. Over the next 12 issues, I will be showing how to build cottages like this and delving deeper into details and techniques. The first part is out now in Issue 8 of Bricks magazine. I am hard at work on my book which will hopefully be out the later half of this year. Expect lots of new, never before seen creations including some built in my older styles, guides, tips and much more. Last but not least, I am getting ready to launch my own LEGO business and taking the Derfel Cadarn show out on the road! Stay tuned.

TBB: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us and share your creative process! We look forward to seeing what this year has in store for you.