This vignette by Dark-Alamez features a must-see video showing a minifig manipulating the snowscape. Watch the first 5 seconds of the video and see if you can figure out how the builder did it. It’s a very clever and simple technique.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug_JBQPfwmM
Here is one of my own creations. I have wanted to illuminate a build entirely from below ever since transparent baseplates became readily available. So now I’ve finally got around to it. This scene depicts a lone wizard as he deals with the attack from a rather unwise assassin. The entire “landscape” is built on transparent baseplates. The white tree leaves are built onto black tree trucks so that the trucks would be harder to see and the foliage would appear to float above the scene. Lastly the whole scene is built up above the light-source, which has a sheet of transparent blue plastic covering it, for the diffused blue glow. If you want a challenge, give something like this a try. It definitely required a different approach!
I saw this creation by Mike Nieves (retinence) at BrickFair, and was blown away. The first thing that caught my eye was the paw smashing into the base, it really adds motion to the sculpture. Then I realized that the entire Pokemon (tiger?) was balanced on one paw! Incredibly, this creation was overlooked for nomination for Best Bionicle, but celebrity judge Ed Diment made sure this was recognized in the mecha category.
Here’s a lovely use for a mosaic: use it to build a backdrop to your creation. Bluesecrets did exactly this with her latest build for her local LEGO store community window. (The community window is a small dedicated space in LEGO stores for adult fan clubs to exhibit.) This is a great example of using a mosaic for forced perspective to add depth to a diorama.
Tyler Clites‘ (Legohaulic) wonderfully animated little robot has been busy since last we checked in on him. He’s romanced a fair lady in a wonderful series of images, and now he’s taken to the arts, even growing a mustache for trying his Rembrandt imitation. Be sure to check out what all he’s been up to.
Chris McVeigh (powerpig) is no stranger to The Brothers Brick, having been featured multiple times for his lovely models and photography.
He’s started a new series of brick-based sketches, inspired by markers as an art medium. I love the stylistic design and presentation. This particular one features a comic-book staple, the iconic Batman:
Other sketches include Boba Fett and Wolverine. I’m excited to see whoever is next!
LegoJalex built a scene from a classic American comic and TV series, Dennis The Menace. I read some of the comics as a kid, so it was recognizable to me. Regardless, one should note the slingshot that Dennis is holding; it’s a very eye-catching accessory made out of official Lego elements and a custom sling.
Tyler Clites has embarked on a new project, crafting a friendly little robot with loads of pose-ability. This robot was intentionally made with lots of articulation and the fundamental elements of a face that allow us humans to interpret emotion from facial expressions. Tyler has been updating every day or two with new poses and expressions, and plans to continue for several weeks. Tyler is doing some fantastic work here: taking a relatively simple build and imbuing it with emotion and personality. This sort of creativity is what makes LEGO building amazing. We’ll be featuring the dramatic little robot again as his acting broadens, so be sure to watch TBB to see more of him. In the meantime, check out E-MOTE’s photoset to see all of his poses so far.
Today, E-MOTE discovers the wonder of butterflies.
Kyle Collard (Lazer Blade) displayed this beautifully crafted ruined castle at Brick Fiesta last weekend. This edited photo shows all the details of the decay and lends itself to insta-faves.
It seems like there are new books about LEGO coming out constantly, both from famously “LEGO-friendly” publishing houses like No Starch Press and from many other publishers.
We haven’t been able to feature or review all of them, so here’s a quick roundup of the many LEGO books published so far in 2013, along with links to pre-order a number of future books.
by Joachim Klang and Oliver Albrecht by Warren Elsmore
from DK, with an exclusive toy soldier minifig
by Jeff Boen
by David Robertson with Bill Breen by Joachim Klang by Nathanaël Kuipers and Mattia Zamboni, due out July 29 by Mike Doyle, due out September 10
by Megan Rothrock, due out September 22
by Nathanaël Kuipers and Mattia Zamboni, due out September 22
by Joe Klang, Oliver Albrecht, and Lutz Uhlmann, due out October 16
by Peter Reid and Tim Goddard, due out October 22I’m particularly excited about LEGO Space
Resident mad genius and meme chaser Iain Heath has just put out a crazy video explaining how to dye your bricks. All you purists out there can put your pitchforks down and simply skip over this one, but for everyone else, it’s some pretty cool stuff whether you’re into LEGO mutilation or not. In this video Iain explains how he achieved the flesh tones used in his large-scale Gollum character. And for those of you who haven’t seen it, Iain’s previous video describing his design process for the accompanying Bilbo is also well worth a watch.
LEGO certainly has some small elements, and Carl Merriam has really taken that idea to the next level with this fabulous microscope. I’m impressed with the build, and the presentation, and that’s what originally caught my eye. Then I read the description:
“A little more tinkering and I connected the focus to a magnifying glass and fiber optic light in the eyepiece, so adjusting the focus knobs would actually bring the writing on a LEGO stud in and out of focus.”
So in additon to be a beautifully presented, excellent build, it actually works.
Bravo, Carl. Bravo.
