Christmas Candles

I wasn't sure if I would be able to build a Christmas sculpture this year, as it has been very busy, but thanks be to God I was able to.

Christmas Photo

I Thought I would share my family's Christmas photo with you.
(Notice where "my" hand is)



                                  Dad       Mom    My Sister    Me

Bumblebee Starship

Here is another doodle I did. It is always fun formulating new ways to build things! :)

Piano

 

I gave this to my piano teacher as a Christmas gift before break began.

I was shrinking!

"All this time I thought I was growing, but I was shrinking!" *sniffle sniffle*

Post-Destruction World (and no, it does not destroy blog posts!)

This castle was very enjoyable to build.
It took a very different kind of creativity from just building 3D with bricks.

Holding up the flag.

The windows have broken "glass" and are boarded up.



The gates are broken down.
I added 1x2 street gray tiles to make the floor look like stone.



What's this minifigure hiding from?



Where'd this come from?

 

This tattered flag was made with two skeleton arms.

Gingerbread Man - Merry Christmas!

I am not sure if I will have time to build a Christmas model for this year so I took
a picture of a mifigure series gingerbread man. I hope I will have time
to build something, though, so keep checking back!

Doodles

I just thought I should show you one of my doodles.
This one has 40 pieces.

I used hinges to be able to lift up the  arrows.

The pink transparent gem on the right represents a domed window.

P.S. Doodling is also known as "tablescrapping."



Winnie the Pooh

 

Hey there Winnie the Pooh!

The word "the" is suspended out from the main part of the sign with four 1x2 plates, two on each side.

The top of the "i" is a minifigure series jackpot.

The head swivels.

I let it rest on top of tiles so that it does not topple over.

I used a 4x4 click swivel. I had tried using the 2x2 swivel but it was too loose, so I used this one.

Mosaics - Planning With the Computer

 I want to suggest a few resources for planning out your build. The first one is Leo-cad, not Lego-cad, Leo-cad. This is a free downloadable program that you can "build" your structures on. Another is Windows "Paint" program. To use this for mosaics, zoom in all the way, (the "zoom" tool is on the bottom right corner of the screen. To zoom in all the way, click on the plus symbol until you reach 800) then use the "pencil" tool to create a small square.

Mosaics - Measuring 1

 I have often found, after building a mosaic, that it is off center. To avoid this, measure the object that you are going to try building. Then try to envision where the object is going to end up. If you have a Lego measuring tool, then use that. If you do not, then count out the studs on the surface of the baseplate.

Mosaics - Measuring 2

 You may not think that measuring is that important, but I have found the answer to be very different.
Here is a tip on how to measure lines. On straight lines which are two studs wide, when you switch to diagonal lines use 1x3s to create the same width that you were using when you were building a straight line. Hopefully you find this tip helpful.

Mosaics - Planning Then Building

 Although I haven't so far planned out any of my mosaics, I would recommend getting into the habit. Here's a way you can easily plan out your mosaics. Get out a sheet of graph paper. Use colored pencils or crayons to color it in. Then duplicate it on a Lego baseplate.

Mosaics - A Couple of Suggestions

 I would suggest, for building mosaics, to make the outline in whatever color you wish. If you want it to look cartoon, I would recommend using a thick, black line for the outline. If you want it to look more realistic, use a different color. (See Blog post "Autumn Trees." This is a good reference for more realistic mosaics)

Autumn Trees

The first thing I did when building this was to make the outlining of the trees in red.
Then I began slowly fill in the trees with orange and yellow.
Always try to use a darker color for the outline. This makes it stand out more against a background
(When building a mosaic, always build the outline first. This provides a guideline as you fill the colorful part.)

If you look closely at the sides of the path I have 1x1 round plates to simulate stones.

Chef Landini

It's Chef Landini!

I made his eye using a top-hat and a cone.

For the steam on the cup I used clear 1x1s and 1x2s.

I used 1x4 arches to secure the spoon in place.

His buttons are made out of two headlight bricks and 2x2 cylinders

Side view

Too bad he cannot make actual pizza! ;-)

Piano Bench - Sore Thumbs!

This piano bench gave me two things: a challenge and two very sore thumbs!
It was built over the course of three days. There are 6,000 bricks.



If you hadn't already guessed, I built a shell around our actual piano bench. This way we are actually able to sit on it.

Underneath the bench, on the crossbeam, I built a park.

Landon: May I play?
Minifigure: I believe you are too big.

Mmmm... Ice cream!

Yay! They caught the thief!

It is nice to take a swim on a hot day!

This is a picture of the park. Hey! That must make it a park bench!

I used gray vultures for the corner decorations on the bridge



  Side note: Most of the bricks in this bench were given to me for my birthday.
 So thank you very much to my relations!

(By the way: It will take a long time to take this apart! :) )
 

Kirkland Signature

This is the KIRKLAND SIGNATURE symbol. This is the first handwriting mosaic that I've done so far. =D

(Side note: For the "TM" I used one tooth plate, two 1x1 plates stacked on top of each other, and two 1x3s for the sides)

Legos - From Doodling to Building

Lego doodling is a fun pastime. I have discovered a lot of great things doing it. There are two kinds of doodling:

• The first is just sitting down with a bucket of Legos and "putting two and two together"! It doesn't even matter if it looks good!
• The second is taking just a couple of bricks, and sticking them together, twisting them, turning them, and staring at them!

 After doodling, you are then ready to move on to building. These are the steps I took from doodling to building. One thing I discovered while doodling was how to make a 3D object. Just taking a few 2x4s and making a small pyramid is a good start. Next try to make a ball. It is best to use 2x2s for this. I have found it easiest, while building a ball, is to build one side first, then copy it on the other side. After that, try to make a vase. Try not to make it too fancy right away. When you've finished, make your design a little more intricate. Now that you have built up your skill, you are probably ready to build something like a snake head, or a suspension bridge! Have fun and happy building!

Space Police Commander

A picture I took - the background was deleted and replaced on Photoshop.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!