Tag Archives: Mosaic

Magical LEGO Mario Mosaic

Interactive LEGO experiences aren’t the norm for the average set builder but public events can often feature large mosaics such as this. Builder Hans Demol designed this awesome Mario & Friends mosaic for LEGO fans to build as a group during an event. Each person would get a 16×16 plate to fill in and add to the picture, filling it in frame by frame until all 49 plates were done. LEGO has made bank on their Mosaic sets and it’s easy to emulate their method in stud or brick form. After all, you’re basically just working with pixel art, which is wildly popular on its own thanks to the Minecraft and classic gaming fanbase. As such, there are pixelating programs you can use to roughly design models like this but it’s also fun to try to freehand your own. It’s great to blend with regular models too. For example, I once used it to make a screen for drive-in theater!

LEGO mosaic: Mario & Friends

Speaking from personal experience, I can say pieces like this can be wildly popular with builders of all levels and ages. Little hands might struggle with 1×1 plates but bricks look the same from above and those are a lot easier for them to handle. Hans did an awesome job shaping and shading each character which means there are definitely going to be people searching for certain sections to complete. Those super colorful sections are super fun but can also be super confusing for little ones. It’d be awesome to see this completed in real life though!

The lug wrench marks the spot

Jan Woznica has engaged in a little bit of meta-LEGO building with this mosaic style recreation of a classic treasure map tile. All the major details are perfectly captured, from the compass to the latitude and longitude lines. I think mosaics of classic prints could spark a new MOC trend thanks to the near-endless possibilities…computer screens, instrument panels, license plates, wanted posters. What printed tile mosaic would you want hanging on your wall?

It’s a colorful world, even when it isn’t.

The world of LEGO mosaics continues to expand, and Dutch artist Ernesto Lemke is helping to lead the way. This LEGO Masters contestant (Dutch-Belgian edition) has developed a style he calls “Brickpainting”. In this recent work of a portrait of painter David Hockney, layers of brick serve as a foundation for more “paint” – various small elements applied at interesting angles to mimic the brush strokes of an oil-based work. I particularly like how he pulled off the rims on the glasses – always a tricky subject to translate into a more pixelized image.

Ernesto has shared a bit about his technique. I had to run this through Google Translate, but I think the gist comes across:

“…I had designed a simple (but not simple) working method for visitors: placing different colors of Lego blocks in order from dark to light. You can check whether it is correct via a black and white photo: if so, you will see an ascending ‘scale’ of different gray values. Each color has its own ‘tone’. The sublime use of ‘tones’ is one of the fascinating aspects of David Hockney’s work. The intensity of color is not only overwhelming but also convincing, even when using colors that seem illogical.”

It’s always cool to learn about new LEGO artists. Who have we missed featuring in our archives? Share your favorites in the comments!

The next generation of mosaic builders

There were a whole lot of amazing LEGO mosaic artworks at Brickworld Chicago in 2022, and one in particular that seemed extra special to me. Say hello to Carmen, a crowd favorite build by Lydia. Beyond being an adorable image of the family pet, what makes this art impressive is the age of the builder. She was nine. (Well, 11 now, but pandemic-related show delays are a thing.) It’s good to know that the future of the LEGO art world is already in capable hands.

Would you like to meow more?

Miles “Mosaic” Morales

The Brothers Brick contributor Chris Doyle has conspired with  Alyse Middleton  on another large-scale LEGO mosaic. Visiting the Spider-Verse, they created a mosaic tribute to Miles Morales.

If you’re like me (and I know I am), then you probably love the Into the Spider-Verse movie. Miles Morales quickly became my favorite take on the Spider-Man character, and I’d started (and abandoned) more than a few attempts to pay tribute to the character in LEGO form. Still, when I wanted to challenge myself and try a mosaic style that varied from the LEGO Art format I’d been working in, I decided Miles had to be the focus. Then I teamed up again with Alyse to make this new challenge a bit easier. Built on a 96×64 base of Technic brick, this images uses layers of plate and other elements to create an image in line with the animation style from the movie.

Doin’ the things a spider can

LEGO Art 31206: The Rolling Stones – You can’t always get what you want, but this might be what you need [Review]

LEGO is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of The Rolling Stones with a 3D rendition of their classic “Lips and Tongue” logo. LEGO Art 31206 The Rolling Stones is a 1998 piece set that will release in the UK on June 1st, followed by North America on August 1st, and will retail for US $149.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £129.99. It’s a big departure from the other Rock and Roll Icons we’ve seen in the Art theme…and there are surprises in store for the curious builder. Come along as we take an early look at this unusual entry into the world of wall art!

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full hands-on review

Look of a Warhol, texture of a Van Gogh

When LEGO launched their Art theme it included a tile-based mosaic take on the iconic Marilyn Monroe panel-art by Andy Warhol.  And that was pretty cool…back then. But now artist Michelle Krüger has placed her own unique spin on this classic image, adding texture that introduces an entirely new depth to things.

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Does this LEGO mosaic fill you with a sense of Euphoria?

When it comes to building huge real-world mosaics, Jonathan Farrell is among the pros. His latest offering is a picture perfect rendition of Rue from Euphoria, as portrayed by Zendaya. Jonathan found building her hair particularly tedious, and that slog almost led to him abandoning this mosaic altogether. But he pushed through, and now we can enjoy the results. Good thing he took pictures…as he’s since reclaimed all this brick to use in his next project!

If you’re curious about how the artist goes about creating (and demolishing) these images, check out our interview with LEGO mosaic artist Jonathan Farrell!

LEGO 41950 Lots of DOTS: Lettering – Just your type(face) [Review]

We’ve been taking a look at the new sets from the DOTS theme for Spring 2022, and found some serious ups and downs in the 41951 and 41952 Bulletin Board offerings. Now we turn our collective eyes towards a set designed to bring those two sets up a notch. LEGO 41950 Lots of DOTS: Lettering is available now for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99 | EUR €19.99. Making legible text out of LEGO is a bit of a challenge – will this new DOTS accessory pack help put the “fun” into “font”? (If so, how would you even pronounce that?)

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full hands-on review

Batman needs his Robin: Rebuilding LEGO Art 30125 into the Boy Wonder [Instructions]

We recently shared an early look at the LEGO Art 31205: Jim Lee Batman collection, one of the new additions to the LEGO Art theme. The set comes with three main images to choose from: Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, all based on iconic Jim Lee art. There are also “ultimate builds” that feature a larger look at the Bat, and a showcasing a quiet moment between Batman and Catwoman. But we were left wondering…where’s Robin? Well,  The Brothers Brick contributor Chris Doyle decided to see if it was possible to build a Jim Lee-style Robin out of only the parts in the 31205 kit. Spoiler alert: Yes, you can. And we provide the instructions if you want to give it a try yourself!

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A mosaic that’s 487,080 pieces of Mmm-mmm good

Photo-realism is something that many builders strive for in their LEGO mosaics, but the limitations of the real-life scale of even the smallest LEGO tile makes pixelization and grain just a fact of life. While that’s (Usually!) the case for physical LEGO creations, this digital work by Jim James shows just how  far you can take things in the realm of pure imagination. But Jim has done more than build big (81,180 pieces in each label!) – he’s built clever – curling a flat mosaic into a tube to create a truly stunning rendition of the mundane world. Then, because why not, he went the extra mile and replicated the first can into a Warhol-eque display of truly grand scale. 81,180 x 6 = 487,080 elements!

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LEGO DOTS 41951 Message board and 41952 Big Message Board – Signs, signs, everywhere signs [Review]

Have you been waiting for a sign to buy more LEGO? If so, are several new DOTS offerings that let you create your own custom message boards. LEGO DOTS 41951 Message Board (US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99) and 41952 Big Message Board (US $39.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £34.99) will be available March 1st. While they seem like an interesting expansion to the DOTS theme, are they worth picking up? Come along as we see just what sort of message these sets are sending.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full hands-on review