When we first encountered the LEGO castle creations from Luke, who posts on Instagram as cathedralofbricks, we were immediately struck by the builder’s skill with medieval architecture and dramatic landscaping. Since we last spoke with Luke, he has gone on to win two top awards in the Summer Joust competition and sailed from castle territory into pirate-infested seas with a stunning tall ship. This month, Luke debuted his biggest model yet, a tribute to Tolkien called “The Fellowship.” It’s such a magnificent build, we had to follow up with Luke about its creation.
TBB: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us again. Congratulations on your latest large-scale MOC, “The Fellowship.”
Luke: My pleasure! And thanks so much!
TBB: Up until now, your builds have been original settings but this time you’re recreating a beloved location from a book and film. How did this change your approach to building?
Luke: From the outset of my Lego journey I’ve always found creative inspiration in the books and films I’ve grown up enjoying, especially the world of Tolkien. But up until my latest build it’s true that I’ve really only focused on creating original settings for MOCs based loosely on ideas from medieval or fantasy stories and architecture. So when I decided to emulate a specific scene from The Fellowship Of The Ring, I found I had a lot clearer vision of what I wanted to build before starting construction. The scene is one of my personal favorites from the Lord Of The Rings story – when the central characters come together to form the Fellowship and are just setting out from the Elven haven of Rivendell on their quest to destroy the One Ring.
Many artists have interpreted this scene visually over the years which all served as inspiration when approaching this project. And while I took all this into account and aimed to emulate a scene with many visual influences and specifics, I certainly also wanted to include my own take on the setting of Rivendell as I imagined it when first reading the book.
TBB: I don’t think I’m alone in calling LEGO 10316 Rivendell one of the all-time great sets. How did the visual design of that set influence your model and how do you make sure to keep this version of Rivendell your own?
Luke: I agree, it is a great set. The first time I saw it I was immediately drawn to it… probably due to my strong affinity for the books and films of LOTR. It was clear that the design of the set was based on the visuals in the film and I really liked what Lego had created for it.
But as someone who had decided early on not to be a “collector” of sets and to rather focus on using Lego as a medium to build my own creations I never splurged on it. That being said, I really wanted to visit Middle Earth with my own builds and for a long time I’ve imagined how I might create my own version of Rivendell. There are of course some elements from the official set that I referenced as they are also based on the visuals found in the films, such as the patterned roof tiles which I included a version of in the elven architecture, but in order to make the build my own the primary focus was on the surrounding environment of Rivendell rather than just the buildings.
The forested wilderness and the steep valley walls and the waterfalls are what I really loved about this location in the stories, and what I think make the place feel so beautiful and magical. So I really wanted to highlight these aspects in my version, centering the design on the Fellowship crossing an arched bridge over cascading waterfalls.
TBB: How do you plan a build of this scale? Do you sketch out your idea in full before building, or does the full scope emerge as you go? Did you start building from the foundation and work your way up, or did you begin with the more architectural portion at the top?
Luke: I really didn’t know how big this project was going to end up and it really did emerge as I went. I had an initial vision of what I wanted to do, but I didn’t do any pre sketches. I started with the bridge itself, wanting to achieve a long mellow arch that could accommodate 9 minifigs and a horse the way the Fellowship is depicted traveling in the films. Once I had the scale of the bridge finalized I knew roughly how wide the gorge needed to be, and set out creating the lowest waterfall and rock walls beneath it. It was really a piece by piece journey after that, adding in details as the build climbed upward.
TBB: The model is impressively vertical. Can you provide a peek or describe what’s underneath and holding up the build?
Luke: Yeah, its definitely a taller build. From the base to the highest point it’s 42” high. I recognized early on that to achieve the kind of waterfalls and depth of environment I wanted to make I’d need a substantial base of bricks. Thankfully I discovered the remarkably useful LEGO storage boxes made exclusively for IKEA ( known as BYGGLEK in the IKEA system ) that work seamlessly with the Lego system and have studded tops that helped build up a significant portion of the height required for this project. They definitely spared me a lot of bricks and plates I would have used otherwise.
TBB: Your two previous large builds, Isle of Solace and Maiden’s Secret, each prominently feature water. This time, with the cascading waterfall, water is an even more complex part of the build. What draws you to water as a subject in builds? How did you land on solid blues and white as opposed to transparent elements that are often used for water?
Luke: I love water. I live on the west coast of Canada and it’s honestly a huge part of my world here. I suppose spending a lot of my time being by the ocean, the many lakes, rivers and waterfalls here has undoubtedly found its way into my creativity. It’s a big part of my life. So when approaching waterfalls in Lego I wanted to really capture the movement of cascading water. The way it curves as it falls over an edge. The way it splashes and foams when it lands. The way the clarity of water disappears when it’s full of air bubbles. And then looking at available Lego parts and colors to see what would capture these aspects the best and make the water pop visually within the scene as I wanted it to be the focus.
The Medium Azure color has always been a personal favorite for building water as it offers a great contrast to the many other earth tone bricks often used in an environment build. And in the case of waterfalls, the medium Azure coupled with white and dark Azure parts offered a wide range of curved pieces available that worked great to simulate flowing water falling off an edge which are not widely available in other transparent blues. ( Part no. 6060, 6091, 7126, 49307, 11477, 65734… to name a few )
TBB: What was the most technically challenging part of this build and how did you overcome it?
Luke: The most challenging part of the build was the waterfalls for sure. The bricks that form the water at the base of the build begin on their side to create a smooth surface free of studs. The subsequent need to continue the sideways direction of the water up the falls with smooth tiles and plates to line up with the sideways curved parts where they connect to the next elevated water surface at the top of each falls was a real challenge design wise. Because all the water parts are built on this sideways axis, each water plateau had to line up with the height of the rest of the build which uses standard right side up bricks throughout the cliffs, while also being supported underneath by laying the sideways water bricks on support platforms of right side up bricks. It was a bit of math… but I figured it out. ????
TBB: Will you be displaying the model at any events where people can see it in person? Or perhaps you’ve already started disassembling the model for parts? How long do you keep your completed models?
Luke: I’m not sure this one will be disassembled any time soon… and yes, I’d love to exhibit it publicly if an opportunity arises. It’s certainly feels much larger in person and the details and depth of it are far better viewed in real life. Not sure where yet, but most likely something in the Vancouver BC area. Ive had a lot of people reach out who are interested in the possibility of instructions for it, which would be a daunting task to create. But im open to it. Other than that, I’ll probably just continue enjoying it until I sell it as a completed MOC.
TBB: Are there other locations from Middle Earth that you would like to capture in LEGO?
Definitely. There’s a wide array of scenes I’d love to create from LOTR. Some that I’ve seen visited by other Lego builders but loads that I haven’t seen done at all. I can certainly see myself returning to Tolkien for inspiration again.
TBB: Do you read much fantasy now or in the past? Outside of Tolkien, what fantasy worlds do you think would translate well into LEGO?
I love to read, and from a young age started reading fantasy such as the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, and of course Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings. I think all of these fantasy worlds could translate well into Lego builds as they all play off the core themes of castles, knights, mythical creatures, dragons, and a host of other subjects that could all lend themselves well to brick built creations.
TBB: Between your castle builds, you created an incredible sailing ship. Do you think you’ll return to the age of piracy? Are there any other themes or settings you plan to explore with bricks? (I’d love to see you apply your craft to Middle Eastern architecture!)
Luke: Thanks! The Maidens Secret tallship build was a project I really wanted to try out and thoroughly enjoyed making. I may be fixated on castles but the high seas was an itch I had to scratch. ???? I’m sure in time I’ll head out to sea again, but yes, I’d like to explore other design avenues as well. Funnily enough I’ve also been thinking a lot about applying myself to builds featuring Middle Eastern architecture! I’ve actually travelled to the Middle East multiple times and would love to try my hand at building some of the fabulous historical buildings I’ve seen there.
TBB: You made quite a splash during the Summer Joust this year, winning the Grand Architect and Island Bound titles. What was it like to participate in your first community contest?
Luke: The summer Joust was a blast! And I was really honored to receive those accolades. As my first ever participation in a Lego contest, I went into it both a bit intimidated and excited. Creating builds to prompts was a great way to find creative energy and I’m really glad I chose to enter! I’d encourage anyone else out there interested to do so to enter next yea! It’s a great way to push yourself and to fuel your building time.
TBB: Brickscalibur starts next week. Will you be participating?
Luke: Yes! Im really excited to join that contest, especially as it’s based on the kind of castle themes I’m interested in! Im looking forward to seeing what the category prompts will be and to not only developing my own builds but to see what creativity comes out of all the great builders involved!
TBB: Do you have any final thoughts about your buiding journey this year that you’d like to share?
Luke: Thank you again for your interest in my work! This Fellowship MOC has been my favorite project to date, and it feels like a culmination of a lot of ideas I’ve wanted to build and techniques I’ve learned over the past year coming together into a realized piece that I’m really proud of and thrilled to share with your audience. I’m not sure yet what my next build will be but I’m really excited to continue pushing myself in the art of bricks! And thank you for your great work showcasing the wonderful world of Lego at the brothers brick!
