Tag Archives: Mosaics

One builder’s weekly exploration of shape and color with Monday mosaics

Since 2021, #MosaicsOnMonday has invited LEGO artists to share mosaic works of any shape and size in a community tradition that starts the week off with a joyful mix of bricks. One regular contributor who specializes in larger-format mosaics is Johanita Kirsten. Each of Jo’s works is an experiment in color and form, ranging from elegant patterns reminiscent of Moorish art to bold modern mosaics like this one, which uses only rectangular tiles in as many colors as possible.

Some of Jo’s mosaics incorporate botanical elements amongst the tiles, which is fitting as they sometimes resemble a garden seen from above with their quadrants and lanes.

Here you can see how two similar color palettes can yield strikingly different patterns – one using curves and textures, the other constrained to almost entirely flat lines.

Or here we see similar geometric patterns with different applications of color. Each weekly mosaic represents hours of work – both the creation and stripping off the elements to a clear baseplate, like sand art. Most LEGO MOCs are ephemeral, but with weekly mosaics, it becomes a ritual – one that builders like Jo share as a community.

If you’re curious about the origins of MosaicsOnMonday, we spoke with the founders of the initiative back in 2022.

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Quoth the raven, MORE GREEBLES!

LEGO might be more commonly associated with three-dimensional models, but in recent years, the medium has seen an explosion of creativity around mosaics. While mosaics can be flat and tile-based, many builders play with texture and layering in ways that add depth. Greeble Mosaics take that to the extreme, adding large vertical elements, or even whole scenes, that dissolve into a painterly texture when seen from a distance. GothGirlBricks, a frequent mosaic builder, created her first greeble mosaic this Halloween and the results are spectacular.

The builder started the project four weeks ago with a flat base layer of the raven and skull. While ravens may be “black,” there’s an iridescence to the feathers that she brings out with color highlights in the pink and blue spectrum.

Up close you can see so many parts that GothGirlBricks brings into the model – especially the animals! I see spiders, kittens, owls, butterflies, and even an octopus in the mix!

For builders who would like to try making a greeble mosaic but with instructions and parts, LEGO’s Milky Way set is a good way to try your hand at this immersive style. You can also check out the breathtaking work of Gerardo Pontierr, an artist whose work is currently on display in LEGO House in Billund.

LEGO Haunted Houses of all sizes to usher in Halloween Week

Builder Kat (klegofan3000) loves celebrating holidays with LEGO creations and challenges, especially Halloween! Over the past three years, she’s built a haunted house or two to ring in Spooky Season. Our favorite is this maniacal mansion brimming with teeth, eyes, and tentacles. The combination of lavenders and greyscale is such a fun Halloween palette and is shared across more of her builds.

Kat’s latest haunted house is a more grounded affair with just a hint of purple. Here, she showcases her talent for mosaics (Kat’s regular star of #mosaicsonmonday) with a cheese slope design under the door and a deft use of tiles and textures throughout. The house is in line with the builder’s other architecture builds, like this modern beauty.

Speaking of mosaics, Kat also also brings her favorite subject and colors to two-dimensions for an all-tile take. Happy haunting,

Finally, we present Kat’s smallest houses of all in this clever forced perspective scene from Hocus Pocus created for the Halloween Habitats challenge.

Stained glass from cheese slopes? Yes, please.

There’s something magical about creating stained glass in LEGO with transparent colors. We see many techniques for creating patterns in “glass,” but one of the most reliable is using a 1x2x3 window frame to hold 8 cheese slopes. GothGirlBricks uses this technique and adds a beautiful spin by including black slopes as negative space to create a picture in the glass.

Each window pane pairs two complementary colors for a gradient. Blue and purple transition to purple and pink, into pink and red. The completed mosaic art suggests a tree at sunset.

A work-in-progress shot shows the artist’s process, using transparent slopes to hold the black mosaic image in place while she figures out the gradient. So much lovely cheese!

LEGO astronaut beholds space oddities

When astronauts in orbit turn away from the pale blue dot of home to gaze upon the vastness of space, there’s not a lot of color for the naked eye to see. But travel far enough or use the right lenses or tune to the right spectrums, and space is full of brilliant displays, perhaps like the one captured here in LEGO by Katja (Palixa and the Bricks). Is the astronaut witnessing the birth of stars in a molecular cloud? Or is is it some new form of life here to make first contact? Katja is a creator who builds in every manner of style, from modulars to mosaics. I love how this Astronaut scene blends mosaics with her talent for expressive characters.

The Astronaut echoes a build that Katja shared last year of a similarly stylized diver. It’s great to see her returning to past successes, like she did recently with more vacationing fruit to join last year’s bumper crop.

SNOT Mosaics are nothing to sneeze at

Mosaics are an amazing entry point into LEGO creativity, but the sky’s the limit for how you can create beautiful patterns with bricks. Every week, dozens of new designs are shared as part of #MosaicsOnMonday. A few weeks back, I was struck by this design from the event’s co-host Dana (virginia_bricks) which uses SNOT bricks to add more depth and negative space.

Dana credits Onibabalego for leading her to the technique, and no wonder. The French builder has pioneered mesmerizing mosaics from SNOT bricks and unconventional pieces. Her kaleidoscopic builds are truly inspiring.

There’s a joy and a magic in finding surprising ways that LEGO elements can jigsaw together into tight patterns. What I love about onibabalego’s mosaics is how they incorporate gaps of negative space into the design. And the colors!

Home is where the DOTS live

LEGO may have phased out the DOTS line of mosaic-focused kits, but Justyna Zakrocka keeps the spirit alive with her innovative 32×32 tile-focused tableaus. Returning after a long hiatus, her latest scene is an exercise in elegance with a window frame that uses subtle depth to bring the scene to life. Justyna breaks up the usual 1×1 dot style with long tiles for a clean look. A few vintage elements from Scala perfectly complement minifig-scale accessories to find lifelike proportions. The builder’s square designs are always a delight, but I especially love this delicious sushi boat tableau.

The next LEGO geographic mosaic set revealed: 42025 Map of Greenland [April Fool’s!]

LEGO has offered a sneak peak of their upcoming mosaic set: 42025 Map of Greenland. Following the success of the 31203 World Map mosaic set from 2021, LEGO seeks to launch other geographic map mosaic sets starting with the sovereign nation of Greenland, which is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. The Map of Greenland set consists of 5422 pieces and measures 53 cm long 74cm high (20.86in x 29.13 in) and will be available from LEGO.com and LEGO Stores globally from June 1, 2025, priced at US $149.99 | CAN $249.99 | UK £129.99. There is no word yet as to when this set will be available globally at other retailers but The LEGO Group anticipates that this set will be of particular interest in the American market segment.

Joy is an infinite spectrum

Being diagnosed with autism as an adult isn’t easy. Maybe, like me, you grew up with a very narrow understanding of what autism meant based on a few harmful stereotypes. Maybe you learn strategies to cope and “mask,” but you can never escape those moments that leave you feeling broken or alien. Thankfully neurodiversity has largely moved from taboo topic to a source of community, empathy, and self acceptance. Understanding that autism is a spectrum and not a box is key, and it’s why the infinite spectrum has become a symbol for Autism awareness and a reminder that with infinite diversity comes infinite potential. It’s what inspired LEGO builder Margit to create this work titled “Autistic Joy.” As Margit says: “I want them to be proud of who they are, joyfully autistic. I love my brain and myself. It’s taken decades to get to this point, and I’m celebrating with this flora and fauna 3D mosaic. I hope you like it.”

Margit recreates the the rainbow spectrum using LEGO bricks, drawing on elements that give her joy to express this hopeful message. Like last year’s Milky Way set or the art of Jiwoo Seon, Margit’s mosaic is full of texture and uses clever connections to draw in a wide range of disparate elements that only reveal themselves up close. Seeing a crab holding up an apple certainly brings me joy!

Considering how neurospicy the LEGO community is, it’s great to see the LEGO Group continue to recognize and support with efforts in schools and the recent Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program.

Taking down the big baddie, brick by brick

What makes for a great RPG boss fight? There’s the boss, preferably huge. You’ll need a party of heroes, their skills honed on the bones of lesser foes. And of course an epic arena with room to maneuver and priceless artifacts to smash. Dan O’Conner doesn’t disappoint with this Boss Fight Arena in LEGO, a scene packed with masterful technique. First, let’s take a moment to appreciate the SNOT mosaics built from hundreds of cheese slopes and other angular elements. The glowing trans blue pentagram under the caster is amazing! Speaking of caster, the brick-built battle effects are quite effective, from the magic shields to the slice of air from the Gith warrior in the background. The heroes seem to have this battle under control. Of course, a truly memorable boss battle will go through at least three phases, so the worst is likely yet to come.

Trick-or-Treating for tiles!

After countless Halloween seasons in the LEGO hobby, I’ve seen pumpkins of every size, shape, and variety. So I certainly take notice when a new bit of “gourd-making tech” hits the scene. Fellow SortLUG member Deborah Higdon has nailed an excellent pumpkin shape in her seasonal mosaic, utilizing curved tiles to create the lobes of the fall fruit. A pair of spooky creatures and some winding vines add to the 3-D elements of the creation. All that’s left is to wish you all a happy Halloween from The Brothers Brick!

No such thing as an ugly duckling

If you need a little extra cuteness in your day, look no further than this LEGO art piece by Bert Van Raemdonck! I’d argue the strength of this build is all the subtle details. From the single stud for the cygnet’s nostril, the two tiny feathery tufts on its head, to the adorable little nub tail, all these things add up to be greater than the sum of their LEGO parts! Special mention needs to be given to the cygnet’s eye, as Bert has found the perfect piece for the job; a bicorne hat! Finally let’s talk colors. Bert has used light aqua for the swanling’s highlights, while on its other side the colors transition through gray and tan into yellow and bright light orange. With that, its time to wrap this up. I hope this cygnet signals a certain upswing in your day!