Tag Archives: Sculptures

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.

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!

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

A flight of digital fantasy

At The Brothers Brick, we tend to like LEGO digital models that adhere to some constraints. In general, the build should be something that would be possible in the real world. Oh, the scale can be huge, the parts gleefully recolored, but it needs to be…possible. But every now and again a creation comes along that breaks the rules in just the right ways. Inspired by a real-world build by Patrick Biggs for a Bionicle contest back in 2007, LEGO artist Marko Petrušić (Cezium) has created a digital re-imagining of Temperance that doesn’t rely on legal LEGO connections or that pesky law of gravity. Dragon heads are layered to form majestic wings, and a gold-toned tire serves as a halo. Yeah, this digital build may not be possible in reality, but that’s how it goes with mystical beings sometimes.

Be sure to check out Marko’s other featured LEGO creations for even more fights of fantasy and wonder.

Something to ponder

I’m old enough to remember when things were simpler, and LEGO Tensegrity builds were all the rage. This sculpture from Bendrig evokes the calm and peaceful state of a nearly forgotten age. Arch bricks and curved slopes create an organic trunk, and there’s just the right amount of foliage. I also like the simplicity of the two-tone base where a layer of loose 1×1 round plate makes for a nice zen-garden feel.

It’s nice just to take a break and ponder the natural levitation of this sculpture. Maybe one day more things will be in balance like this.

A pretty pair of parakeets

Ah, love is in the air! In India, it’s the tail end of the breeding season for the ring-necked parakeets. These sweet birds are busy raising this year’s youngsters, and looking good while doing it! Leave it to Felix Jaensch to immortalize a pair in LEGO. Many times over, we’ve seen gorgeous animals from Felix, but they continue to impress us. For me, I think I’m most appreciative of the fact that he can show us the same bird in twenty different poses, and they’ll all look great. The realism is exceptional.

While you’re here, I definitely recommend taking a look at Felix’s other animals. We’ve featured many of his creations, but in the spirit of this avian duo, how about some birds? To list a few, check out a magpie, a blue and gold macaw, a kestrel, and even another parrot with a baby (plus a toucan for good measure).

A new dimension in wing design

I’m not exactly sure what a Guardian Symbiont Ophanim is, but by golly Djokson can sure build an awesome LEGO one. The use of the Dimension game stand disks in the wings gives this ethereal being just the right blend of “Matrix-hovercraft” and “Doctor Strange spell-casting CGI”. Flexible rods are also used to great effect in the head and add some curves to the otherwise delicate arms. And check out the use of a Bionicle Krana Mask for the upper torso.

Those are some tiny little feet, though. I have to wonder how this creation manages to stay upright. Well, I suppose if you can fly on wings like those, you never really have to touch the ground.