Tag Archives: Sculptures

This harp plucks at our heartstrings

Ten minutes ago if you would have told me a LEGO baroque harp would have been the best thing I’ve seen all day, I’d respond with “you must be hitting the nipperkin”, or some other clever 17th-century phrase denoting my disbelief. Now ten minutes have passed and here we are. This is pretty much the best thing I’ve seen all day. It comes from a builder aptly named Vincent’s LEGO Creation. I’m in awe of the intricate detailing, the filigree, which is nearly entirely monochromatic. To see this in person would certainly be a sight to behold. It conjures up images of fancy lords in pantaloons and powdered wigs, ladies in hoop skirts and heaving bosoms, and both with questionable grooming practices. No, it’s true! I’ve read books on the matter. You don’t want to know! Anyway, this is a thing of beauty.

Harp.

If only we had more photos, we’d feature multiple shots of this from every angle. But for now, we have but this one image and the hope that we’ll see more creations from this builder again soon.

Storage just overflowing with bricks

Recently LEGO announced a collaboration with IKEA to produce some new storage solutions. They won’t be available to the masses until October 1st, but Brothers Brick contributor and LEGO Masters US competitor Flynn DeMarco and his partner Richard Board, collectively known as TrickyBricks, had a chance to try them out early. Using the largest box as a base, they’ve built a breathtaking palace of white and transparent light blues. I’m particularly fond of the crests formed from Legends of Chima Wings and Nexo Knight shields, and the repeated use of trophy statues help create a sense of vast scale. Also, check out that “studs to the side” inlaid mosaic in the central archway. The varied shades of blue and clear plate really unify the color choices of the whole creation.

But what really caught my eye was the way they didn’t just use the box lid as a base. By adding waterfalls of blue brick to the lower section,  they created a great visual pun of “overflowing LEGO storage bins” – a common lament in my household. I’m not sure things are actually useful as a storage solution at this point…but I don’t think anyone will be complaining about that.

Part wild cat, part bird of prey, this sculpture is stunning

Some LEGO creations look more like what you traditionally think of as art than others. Large scale sculptures are a good example of this, and Ekow Nimako’s are my favourite LEGO sculptures, and his latest piece is no exception. Part hawk, part Lynx, this Griffyx cub is all beauty.

While this isn’t the first time The Brothers Brick has shared one of Ekow’s creations, this is the first one that I’ve had the pleasure of writing about. And like Lino before me, I’m having a hard time picking my jaw up off the floor and finding the right words. LEGO sculptures are so often made up of the easier-to-acquire-in-mass-quantities bricks, most notably the most basic of all LEGO elements, the 2×4 brick. But Ekow’s palette includes a much more vast array of shapes and sizes of LEGO pieces. In what I can only imagine is a ridiculously thoughtful process, he’s able to craft the best, most organic-looking brick-built shapes I’ve ever seen.

Take the Griffyx. Just by looking at it, you can feel the way it’s stretching its neck as if it just woke up and it’s loosening up its muscles. You can see the flick of its tail, as it whips back and forth. The fur looks soft to the touch and the wings – expertly engineered out of smaller chima wings – look primed and ready to take flight. I don’t get those same strong sensations from other brick-built sculptures, only Ekow’s. Will my editors allow me to go as far as to say he’s the greatest LEGO sculpture of our time? Nothing against all the other brilliant brick artists out there, but Ekow is just rewriting the game.

These Gauls are crazy!

European readers will recognise these busts of two big-nosed cartoon characters named Asterix and Obelix. These Gaulish warriors are from a French comic series with the same name, following their fantastic adventures and fight against the Roman Empire. They sometimes get temporary superhuman strength by drinking a magic potion brewed by their village druid. George Panteleon built the perfect portraits of the titular heroes, each instantly recognisable by their characteristics. Asterix is the small but strong warrior with his signature winged helmet. Obelix is his sidekick, overweight with permanent superhuman strength because he fell into the cauldron of magic potion as a baby. Obelix’s double chin and broad shoulders set him apart from Asterix, all with the clever usage of rounded bricks. Smaller quarter-dome bricks give the shape of the noses, cheeks, and helmets of these cute but fierce characters.

Asterix & Obelix

See more of George Panteleon‘s wonderful builds, including his impressive Joker bust.

So. Very. Fluffy.

I’m always delighted when a bright and colorful build comes across my path, and this latest work by Grant Davis is no exception. Inspired by the 4×4 flower element, this creation seems a lot softer than the underlying plastic construction should allow. In An Unidentified Fluffy Object (UFO), a visitor from the unknown perches atop a very Aardman-esque sheep. The fleece design is brilliant, but for me, the star of the show is that mouth. Flex tubing is used to create a very unusual shape for a LEGO creation, and clever photography gives it the perfect cartoon resolution. And, as an additional plus, that chick is just adorable.

An Unidentified Fluffy Object (UFO)

This isn’t the first build we’ve featured from Grant featuring that 4×4 flower element. Check out our archives for even more seed-part goodness!

Chicago’s hockey legend is padded up in LEGO

Here come the Hawks, the mighty Blackhawks! I am not a sports guy, but I respect athletes who have brought a semblance of glory to their hometowns. Especially when I have lived in that town for over a decade, and exceptional athletes become the local heroes. Teacher and LEGO artist Dave Kaleta has built a large sculpture of a Chicago Blackhawks player Jonathan Toews. Being a Chicago native, Kaleta chose the Blackhawks team captain as the subject to commemorate the new hockey season. This build not only serves as cultural imagery for hockey fans and Chicagoans but as just a realistic and detailed representation of a talented sportsman. In addition to the dynamic posing of the skating Toews, this massive sculpture is packed to the brim with interesting building techniques.

Jonathan Toews (2020)

One can examine the photo for at length to see how he has assembled the details like the numbers and the Blackhawks logo. Since I don’t have much to say about hockey, I can talk about the build itself!

Read about the details and a little bit of LEGO-related hockey trivia I could conjure up!

In the court of the crimson king

LEGO builder Grant Davis demonstrates quite a few tricks with this massive King of Diamonds playing card. The seed part is a white 4×4 flower. He incorporates twenty-one of those mamma-jammas into the intricate design of this card. Also expertly woven into the design is yellow ribbed hoses and a myriad of parts situated in complex angles. Grant doesn’t provide size dimensions in his write-up but based on the bricks that we can see, we estimate this feat of artistry is nearly three feet high! Now let’s hope he’ll also build fifty-one of his closest friends to complete the deck. Until then, you may want to settle in and check out some of the other stuff Grant has built.

The King of Diamonds

Eshu? Gesundheit!

It’s always a pleasure when a really artistic LEGO build comes along. This sculpture of the Nigerian trickster Eshu by Buttloaf Builds is a really elegant take on the subject matter. Let’s start off by talking about those wire-thin limbs. Those are made from LEGO flex tubing, joined up to larger animal tail elements. Small bits of larger gauge silver flex tube and Technic bushings form jewelry, creating a visual break for those thin lines. I suspect there’s some photographic trickery going on to make this sculpture stand upright…or maybe it’s just divine intervention.

Eshu

But as cool as those limbs are, Eshu’s face is even more impressive. A mix of Bionicle and System parts in sharply contrasting colors draw the viewer in. I’m particularly impressed with the creation of eyes from the negative space between sets of horn elements. And check out that necklace of Technic gears. There’s just enough curve in the construction there to create a very organic feel.

Eshu

And the curves don’t stop there. Seen from the rear, you can really appreciate the work that went into shaping the headpiece. I’m not sure if it reminds me more of a ram’s horn or a xenomorph skull.

Eshu

Questionable name or not, I think we’ll be seeing more creations from Buttloaf Builds in the future.

The other other Michelangelo

One of my biggest gripes with a certain variety of religious art is the portrayal of angels. I know you’ve seen it, too. Angels are cute: either chubby naked kids or else delicate and fairy-ish. How could a super-human cosmic entity be cute? Aren’t there any sculptures or paintings of muscle-bound ones that could be played by Chris Hemsworth in a movie? Sure, I know, angels don’t have bodies, and thus no muscles, but still. When one of them is called Michael the Archangel, a warrior of God who fights Satan and casts that fallen angel into Hell, one would expect more than a mild mannered, almost dainty face and spindly limbs in any portrayal, at very least. Enter Tino Poutiainen.

Archangel Michael

His LEGO version of the archangel might be made of small plastic elements, but there’s some serious power in that torso. And the arms avoid being spindly, too, due to those tires. And that hair! Everyone knows you fight better with serious flow (and play hockey better, too). Coolest of all, though, is that circle of wings that also holds up the halo. Such an elegant touch! The arrows in the shield make good use of the feather element, though who launched them is a mystery; everyone else seems to be cowering away from this mighty protector.

Love LEGO angels? Then check out some more at this link to see ones we’ve featured before!

Let this spirit wolf take you on a journey

What can you build using eleven pounds of Technic beams and wedge plates? If you said a LEGO midi-scale Star Destroyer you might be correct. However, if you said White Spirit Wolf you are likely Michael Kanemoto. Wedge plates and Technic beams are not the first things that come to mind when replicating natural elements but Michael pulls off the look nicely. He tells us this labor of love took about one-hundred hours on and off from April 30th to July 14th.

White Spirit Wolf

I particularly love the eyes; there’s a depth and cunning knowing to them. I’ve only viewed wolves from a safe distance but this LEGO creation possesses the same mesmerizing gaze as a real wolf in the wild. How can you stare into this face and deny it whatever it is that spirit wolves want? I’m smitten!

Spirit Wolf: Eyes

LEGO brick shows its true colors

No matter what color we are on the outside, inside, we are all the same. If you crack us open, we spill our bright and beautiful ABS plastic filling out into endless possibilities of shapes and forms. Andreas Lenander reminds us that many beautiful and amazing things can be created from LEGO elements, which have certainly come a long way since that first 2×4 classic red brick.

The beginning...red

Beauty that burns from within

At first glance, I’m not even sure how this was all put together, but this candelabra sculpture by builder Sergei Rahkmaninoff  is definitely one of the most unique designs of LEGO creation that I’ve seen in a while. It’s made almost entirely of silver elements, which is a very limited palette, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at this beautifully delicate sculpture. And those eyes–oh those eyes–are created so wonderfully with a single 1×2 tile with two minifigure hands clipped to it. It’s not a technique that would typically be considered as a means to create a face, but it instantly lends character to this flowing figure. I also love that while the flames would have been easily represented by a ready-made LEGO flame element, the choice to have it brick-built is certainly the right one here fitting the theme of being extremely creative in bringing something unique to life.

Art Noveau Candelabra