Tag Archives: louis of nutwood

Back to Svalg Keep

With spring around the corner, Louis of Nutwood presents to us the amazing Svalg Keep, a very wintery LEGO build that features a Castle covered in a blanket of snow. Even though the entire castle wall is built with light blueish-grey brick, Louis managed to avoid the dreaded “big grey wall effect.” The highly textured wall creates gaps and casts shadows which makes the walls look intricate and interesting. This is one of those creations that I would love to see on the inside. Is it just impressive on the outside or is it possible to build something that looks this good on the outside and still has enough room on the inside to build a functioning interior?

Back to Svalg Keep

A lookout tower with a proper palisade

Perennial LEGO castle constructor Louis of Nutwood has debuted a glorious watchtower complete with palisade wall. I’m amazed at all the different brick-built textures he’s managed to work into this model. The cobbled stonework utilizes half-plate gaps to great success. The smooth wood of the watchtower’s roof stands in contrast, relying heavily on tile parts to emulate wooden beams. And the wonderful implementation of curved slopes in that tattered red flag evokes a weatherworn age that can be difficult in plastic bricks. But the real highlight for me (pun intended) is the choice of lime for the surrounding grass. This pop of color contrasts the grays and browns of the rest of the build well, further emphasizing all the brilliant textures in the construction.

Tower of Roligsfrakk

Peaceful snowy campfire

I like how LEGO is a vessel for one’s creativity. You can escape into a world designed by your own imagination. Sometimes, however, it is also nice to just go with the seasons. This creation by Louis of Nutwood matches my current surroundings quite well. Although the Netherlands is not covered in snow, it sure is really cold. Louis created a snowy landscape complete with snow covered pine trees and a minifigure trying to keep warm near a cosy campfire. Although the base of this build consists of mostly dark grey and white pieces, there is a thin line of dark tan between the both of them. This small detail makes the scene look more realistic. You can almost hear the fire crackle and the wind rustle through the trees. After seeing this peaceful scene I am ready for a white winter myself.

Winter Winds

An ocean of adventure in four micro modules

If it hasn’t been clear from past articles I’ve written on here, I am a humongous fan of micro LEGO builds. I probably build within an 8×8 stud area more often than not anymore. And I am absolutely gaga for these connected micro scenes by Louis of Nutwood. Depicting some of the classic tropes from high seas adventures, this quartet of vignettes shows the vessel, the fortress, the kraken, and the remote island. Each of the scenes lives in its own black box, reminiscent of those from the succulents LEGO set. But those boxes are then linked via waterfalls, connecting the disparate parts into a whole story. While there is some excellent parts usage throughout, some of my favorites are the cannons on the fortress and the texture-filled tree design.

Land Ho!

Setting sail on a microscale sea

Louis of Nutwood shows us sometimes simple techniques can be the most effective. A sprinkling of 1×1 round plates around this microscale ship does a fantastic job of illustrating the wake of the craft as it cuts through the water in search of adventure. A micro portion of rum for all on board!

Arrr!

Kingdom for a handful of dark bluish gray slopes!

Besides sharing fantastic creations through the front page of the Brothers Brick, I like collecting building ideas to use in my own models sooner or later. No kidding, I have a ton of folders with pictures and links to my favorite ideas in numerous genres. Castle is one of the genres I’m planning to explore, but I’ve been in search of a perfect vision — until today. Kallstark Stronghold by Louis of Nutwood might be exactly what I was looking for. The way the castle merges with the landscape puts this build on par with modelmaking masterpieces; obviously, a LEGO version lacks weathering, but the texture of the walls adds so much character. The towers’ and walls’ proportions may be questionable, but I’m a fan of the current composition. The castle looks a lot bigger than it is. And this is precisely how it gets a little bit of magic — I need to know what is happening inside!

A winter bonsai in isolation

In my experience, bonsai trees are kind of fragile. But this sturdy specimen from Louis of Nutwood isn’t phased by harsh weather.  With a snowy covering on the autumn-hued leaves, this tiny tree is ready for a long winter’s nap. I really like the evocative colors, the twisting trunk, and the tiny lantern on the edge of the pot.

Winter Bonsai

This bonsai started life as part of a larger build, Louis’ Toro Nagashi Temple. It’s a great example of how removing a section of a larger creation can completely transform how its seen; in the temple scene this is “just” a full-sized tree.  But recontextualize it and suddenly you’ve got a desk-sized botanical that could go head-to-head with LEGO’s own 10281 Bonsai Tree. Check out our bonsai tag for even more pint-sized greatness!

Miniature tree inspires an even more miniature LEGO model

Sometimes smaller is better, building with a limited selection of parts can lead to creative outcomes, like this simple but beautiful bonsai tree by Louis of Nutwood built around the curved animal part. The planter sits on a wooden tray just like the official LEGO Bonsai tree set, albeit using a mere fraction of the brown tiles.

Bonsai: Element experimentation (1/6)

Check out another tiny tree by the same builder

There’s something fishy about Skaldar Port

What is better than a nice medieval building made out of LEGO? An entire medieval city! Louis of Nutwood created Skaldar Port. A place that apparently is salty, damp and a bit stinky. It’s supposed to smell like fish. Even though it smells, it’s a place of hope for a lot of people who want a fresh new start in life. What makes this build amazing isn’t just its size. Each little building could perfectly work as a stand-alone creation. The stonework on the little houses is made with great attention to detail. There are a lot of different bricks used to depict the crumbling bricks of the building. From slopes to tiles to bricks to wedges. Using the same technique for the roof and the Tudor style throughout the build creates a uniformity to the creation that is really nice.

A not-quite fortress of solitude

Sometimes we all need a quiet place to rest and recharge from our hectic lives. LEGO builder Louis of Nutwood has imagined and built just such a place. With a cottage by the river and a nearby windmill to help with the chores, I can’t think of a better place to lay down under a tree and read a good book until you drift off to dreamland. Smoke billowing gently from the chimney is a sure sign of a warm hearth, maybe some freshly baked rolls, or a tasty pie are waiting for you. The detailed rock work and the outward-facing transparent tiles and plates round out this lovely little scene.

Quietude

Mitgardia should be beautiful this time of the year, all that snow.

This snow-covered tower from Louis of Nutwood was an entry for a contest on EuroBricks.com. For a scene that could be very typical, there are some fun and creative touches here, like the textured gray walls and archway on the lower right. One detail I didn’t notice right away is the use of green and yellow minifigure arms for the flag on top of the tower.

Build aside, it’s great seeing people who take pride in crafting a story that ties in. Here’s an excerpt from the Flickr description:

Before reaching the arch of stone that divided the two worlds, he looked over his shoulder, beyond the path that brought him thus far. He glared beyond the mountaintops and the grey sky.

The Last Eye

Is this Maleficent again or one of her cousins?

Making LEGO brick built animals is something I always struggle with. Especially when they have to be minifig scale. Louis of Nutwood has no problem with brick built animals. His creation features an amazing brick built dragon. Which has been done before quite a couple of times before. Louis used bricks to build the wings, which I’ve never seen before. Builders quite often make the skin between the fingers of the wings out of a different parts. Fabric, cloth, or plastic with a pattern. The wings look great and are quite poseable. The face looks absolutely divine and the action posing was done exceptionally well. The fire effect looks better than most tv-show CGI fire bursts which makes the water near the dragon ripple.

The Black Dragon, Svart Dyr