The art of LEGO design : creative ways to build amazing models

The most impressive LEGO models often take careful planning (and lots of pieces), but with some inspiration, a little imagination, and a number of tried-and-true techniques, you too can turn bricks into a masterpiece.In __The Art of LEGO® Design__, author Jordan Schwartz explores LEGO as an artistic medium. This wide-ranging collection of creative techniques will help you craft your own amazing models as you learn to see the world through the eyes of some of the greatest LEGO builders. Each concept is presented with a collection of impressive models to spark your imagination—like fantastic dragons, futuristic spaceships, expressive characters, and elaborate dioramas. You’ll discover some of the inventive techniques that LEGO artists use to:–Create lifelike creatures from unusual elements like inside-out tires and minifigure capes–Design sleek cars without showing a single stud–Add ambience to dioramas with light bricks or LEDs–Craft eye-catching textures to create cobblestone roads and brick walls–Build sturdy, detailed, posable mechs and other figures–Add depth with forced perspective and interesting silhouettes Interviews with the talented builders behind many of the book’s models reveal their thoughts on the design process and what inspires them most. Even if you’ve been building with LEGO since you could crawl, you’ll find new inspiration in __The Art of LEGO® Design__. Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Preface......Page 13 Introduction......Page 17 Information and Inspiration......Page 18 Overview......Page 19 Chapter 1: Inspiration & Preparation......Page 21 The Plastic Perspective......Page 22 Colors......Page 23 Size and Scale......Page 24 Reference and Research......Page 26 Your Work Environment......Page 27 Indispensable Building Tools......Page 28 Fighting Builder’s Block......Page 30 318 Bars......Page 31 Pneumatic Ts......Page 32 Flexible Hoses......Page 33 Cheese Slopes......Page 34 Pistols......Page 35 Half Pins......Page 36 Chapter 2: Minifigure & Company......Page 37 Anatomy of a Minifigure......Page 40 Skin Tones......Page 42 Strike a Pose......Page 43 FABULAND Figures......Page 46 Belville Figures......Page 48 Technic Figures......Page 49 A Minifigure Rogues Gallery......Page 50 Chapter 3: Bricks, Slopes, & Studs......Page 57 Bricks......Page 58 SNOT......Page 60 Expansive Structures......Page 63 Scattering Bricks......Page 64 Slopes......Page 66 Roofing......Page 67 Rockwork......Page 69 Studs......Page 71 Chapter 4: Patterns & Motifs......Page 73 Introducing Cheese-Slope Mosaics......Page 74 Measurements and Shapes......Page 76 Arranging Cheese Slopes......Page 78 Other Shapes......Page 79 More Complicated Mosaics......Page 80 Eliminating Gaps......Page 81 Planning a Mosaic......Page 82 Orientation......Page 84 Shape......Page 86 Special Frames......Page 87 Mosaic or Frame First?......Page 88 Other Helpful Hints......Page 89 Katie Walker on Mosaics......Page 90 Chapter 5: Texture......Page 95 Fabric Elements......Page 96 Building with Fabric Elements......Page 99 Creating Texture with Fabric Elements......Page 100 Sculpting with Fabric Elements......Page 102 Rubber Elements......Page 104 Building with Rubber Tires......Page 105 Building with Rubber Bands......Page 107 Creating Texture with Plastic Elements......Page 108 Chapter 6: Dynamic Sculpting......Page 113 Organic Models......Page 114 Bows, Slopes, and Wedges......Page 115 Flexible Elements......Page 119 Bruce Lowell on the Lowell Sphere......Page 121 Stylized Models......Page 124 Tyler Clites on Creating a Style......Page 127 Chapter 7: Composition......Page 131 Lighting......Page 132 Hiding the Battery Box......Page 136 Unofficial Lighting Solutions......Page 139 Silhouettes......Page 143 Perspective......Page 146 Color......Page 149 Basic Rules......Page 150 Mixing Shades......Page 151 Advanced Designs......Page 152 Chapter 8: Wildlife & Foliage......Page 157 Animals......Page 158 Articulation......Page 159 Achieving Realism......Page 160 Creating Small Animals......Page 163 Prefabricated Creatures......Page 164 Fantastical Creatures......Page 165 Ken Ito on Dinosaurs and Dragons......Page 169 Trees and Foliage......Page 173 Chapter 9: Large-Scale Figures......Page 177 Scale......Page 178 Proportion......Page 180 Articulation......Page 182 Expression......Page 183 Iain Heath on Characters......Page 186 Chapter 10: Cars, Wagons, & Watercraft......Page 195 Automobiles......Page 196 General Advice......Page 197 Common Pitfalls......Page 200 The Garage......Page 202 Adam Grabowski on Cars......Page 206 Wagons......Page 208 Shaping the Cabin......Page 209 Wheels and Horses......Page 210 Building the Hull......Page 211 Final Details......Page 213 Tom Jacobs on Watercraft......Page 214 Chapter 11: Buildings......Page 217 A Texture Medley......Page 218 Historical Buildings......Page 220 Luke Hutchinson on Medieval Buildings......Page 222 Interiors......Page 227 Modular Buildings......Page 229 Viewing from the Side......Page 230 Furniture and Other Details......Page 232 Michael Jasper on Furniture......Page 234 Chapter 12: Science Fiction......Page 237 Robots and Mechs......Page 238 Style......Page 239 Size......Page 241 Articulation......Page 242 Brian Kescenovitz on Mechs......Page 244 Spacecraft......Page 250 Small Vessels......Page 253 Large Vessels......Page 257 Peter Morris on Starfighters......Page 255 Pierre E. Fieschi on Freighters......Page 258 A Universe of Possibilities......Page 262 Keith Goldman on Dioramas......Page 265 Chapter 13: Final Steps......Page 271 Photography......Page 272 Postediting......Page 274 Critiques......Page 276 Closing Thoughts......Page 279 Index......Page 280 Photograph Credits......Page 0 Updates......Page 289 The most impressive LEGO models often take careful planning (and lots of pieces), but with some inspiration, a little imagination, and a number of tried-and-true techniques, you too can turn bricks into a masterpiece. In The Art of LEGO® Design, author Jordan Schwartz explores LEGO as an artistic medium. This wide-ranging collection of creative techniques will help you craft your own amazing models as you learn to see the world through the eyes of some of the greatest LEGO builders. Each concept is presented with a collection of impressive models to spark your imagination—like fantastic dragons, futuristic spaceships, expressive characters, and elaborate dioramas. You'll discover some of the inventive techniques that LEGO artists use to: Create lifelike creatures from unusual elements like inside-out tires and minifigure capes Design sleek cars without showing a single stud Add ambience to dioramas with light bricks or LEDs Craft eye-catching textures to create cobblestone roads and brick walls Build sturdy, detailed, posable mechs and other figures Add depth with forced perspective and interesting silhouettes Interviews with the talented builders behind many of the book's models reveal their thoughts on the design process and what inspires them most. Even if you've been building with LEGO since you could crawl, you'll find new inspiration in The Art of LEGO® Design. The most impressive LEGO models often take careful planning (and lots of pieces), but with some inspiration, a little imagination, and a number of tried-and-true techniques, you too can turn bricks into a masterpiece.In The Art of LEGO Design , author Jordan Schwartz explores LEGO as an artistic medium. This wide-ranging collection of creative techniques will help you craft your own amazing models as you learn to see the world through the eyes of some of the greatest LEGO builders. Each concept is presented with a collection of impressive models to spark your imaginationlike fantastic dragons, futuristic spaceships, expressive characters, and elaborate dioramas. Youll discover some of the inventive techniques that LEGO artists use Create lifelike creatures from unusual elements like inside-out tires and minifigure capes Design sleek cars without showing a single stud Add ambience to dioramas with light bricks or LEDs Craft eye-catching textures to create cobblestone roads and brick walls Build sturdy, detailed, posable mechs and other figures Add depth with forced perspective and interesting silhouettes Interviews with the talented builders behind many of the books models reveal their thoughts on the design process and what inspires them most. Even if youve been building with LEGO since you could crawl, youll find new inspiration in The Art of LEGO Design . In The Art of LEGO® Design , former LEGO Group designer Jordan Schwartz explores LEGO as an artistic medium, revealing rarely-known and creative ways to build impressive models with LEGO. From effective composition to intricate texture design, Schwartz shares a variety of creative insights into crafting both realistic and stylized models. You'll learn tricks like how to turn rubber pieces into an octopus, use light bricks to build a roaring LEGO fire, and create an owl face out of minifigure capes. He also shows unconventional uses for parts like arms and accessories and describes unusual ways to incorporate non-plastic parts like tires and tubes. Full color images of inspiring models stand alongside interviews with talented builders, empowering you to build your own LEGO masterpieces. This book explores LEGO as an artistic medium. This wide-ranging collection of creative techniques will help you craft your own amazing models as you learn to see the world through the eyes of some of the greatest LEGO builders. Each concept is presented with a collection of impressive models to spark your imagination. Discover inventive techniques such as: creating lifelike creatures from unusual elements; designing sleek cars without showing a single stud; using light bricks or LEDs to add ambience to dioramas; crafting textures to create cobblestone roads and brick walls; building sturdy, detailed figures; and adding depth with forced perspective