Lego minifig artwork

[Brainbox]

Okay, so as you know, Christmas is fast approaching. Now, I've known my friends now for about 12 weeks, since we all started college. We all came from different schools, and didn't know each other before we met, but we seemed to bond really fast. So I thought 'well, since we decided not to buy each other presents, I won't bother. But, I will try something as an experiment, and if it goes well, show them, calling it a sort of pseudo-present."

I've been messing about with Lego art recently (more on that in the future), and I started wondering how easy it would be to draw a minifig version of someone real. Not real as in film or comics character (a la Star Wars or Batman), but a real person.

That's when I thought about combining the two areas. Draw a picture of the five of us, and if it's good, show it off. So, without further wittering ( ;-) ), I present...

The Five Maths-keteers!

The title comes from the fact that the five of us sit together on in maths, and is obviously a pun on The Three Musketeers.

The trick is to seize on a few significant details, and characterise them. So, from the left, we've got "Pilch." That's a nickname, btw, but don't ask me where it's come from. I don't know and neither does he. The distinctive characteristics here are the red hair, and the not-so-much-of-a-smile.

Moving on, we've got Kelsey. I'm particularly pleased with the rendition of the official ponytail piece here. Really, that and the iPod are the distinctive aspects.

Next up, there's me. You've all seen my sigfig, but here I decided to go for a 'more accurate' jacket, perhaps a bit of a trademark. My distinctive features are the rectangular glasses and the long(ish), blonde hair.

Alex now. Again, glasses make him look realistic, but there's also the slightly cheeky grin. Add that to his 'hand on chin' photograph pose, and his man-scarf undereneath his jacket.

Finally, there's Kim. I suppose it's the haistyle (again) and the wide smille that make her accurate to the real thing.

So, all in all, a successful endeavour. I'm aware you don't know these people, so can't draw any comparisons or anything, but I just thought it'd be nice to share.

I've not shown the others yet, but I'll try and show them tomorrow, so I'll let you know what they think.

Thanks for looking (and for reading my very wordy post), and as usual comments, criticisms and questions are most welcome.

[MagPiesRUs]

Very nice *y* They're all very accurate depictions of a minifig. The hairpieces are done especially well.

Perhaps you could even make your friends out of real lego (using decals of course)

Nice job, I think they should be quite pleased with it.

[iamded]

Neat drawing, and a great idea behind it! Do you all wear blue pants? :-P

~Peace

[Batbrick]

A very neat drawing there Brainbox. I tried drawing lego figs once and found out it's actually surprisingly hard! :-$ And I was just drawing cartoony ones and the batman figs, not real people.

You've done an excellent job of the different hairstyles, and the drawing style gives them a sense of being alive, while at the same time keeping the iconic look of a minifig.

Do you plan on giving it to all of them? Or photocopying it?

A great job overall, now if only Lego would release a minifig scale I-Pod 8-| .........

Nothing to Say, but Batbrick Away! >:-)

Edited December 20, 2007 by Batbrick

[Vader]

Excellent work their BB, you have a real talent :-)

[Brainbox]

Thanks guys. I didn't actually see them much yesterday (bar Alex, who loved it), so they've still not seen it. I'll take it in when we start back after Christmas.

Perhaps you could even make your friends out of real lego (using decals of course)

It's certainly a possibility to consider, but for now I think I'll just stick to this.

Do you all wear blue pants? :-P

:-D Strangely, yes.

A very neat drawing there Brainbox. I tried drawing lego figs once and found out it's actually surprisingly hard! :-$ And I was just drawing cartoony ones and the batman figs, not real people.

Oh, I totally agree with you there. You've got to be careful to make them recogniseable as minifigs, but still make them just cartoony enough to look 'soft.'

I took a lot of inspiration from the art on the Batman boxes and in some instruction manuals though.

You've done an excellent job of the different hairstyles, and the drawing style gives them a sense of being alive, while at the same time keeping the iconic look of a minifig.

It's strange you should say that, as only two of the hairstyles are technically real (mine and Kelsey's). The others are all based on real hairpieces, but aren't official themselves.

As for being 'alive' I think it's the 'not so rigid' look of the figs. If you draw them too rigid with all straight lines and angles, they look a bit too minifig-ish. Draw them with curves, they look somewhat organic.

Do you plan on giving it to all of them? Or photocopying it?

For th moment I'll just show them. But when I (eventually) get my laptop, and a new printer/scanner, I may well scan or photocopy it for them.

Excellent work their BB, you have a real talent :-)

:-$

I was thinking of maybe doing this for the EB sigfigs, what do you think?

[Batbrick]

Oh, I totally agree with you there. You've got to be careful to make them recogniseable as minifigs, but still make them just cartoony enough to look 'soft.'

I took a lot of inspiration from the art on the Batman boxes and in some instruction manuals though.

It's strange you should say that, as only two of the hairstyles are technically real (mine and Kelsey's). The others are all based on real hairpieces, but aren't official themselves.

___________

Yes, those Batman comics are pretty good, I especially like Bane running toward the viewer. And about the headpeices, I did see that most were not "real", but what i meant was that you have done a brilliant job of portraying them in Lego form.

___________

As for being 'alive' I think it's the 'not so rigid' look of the figs. If you draw them too rigid with all straight lines and angles, they look a bit too minifig-ish. Draw them with curves, they look somewhat organic.

For th moment I'll just show them. But when I (eventually) get my laptop, and a new printer/scanner, I may well scan or photocopy it for them.

:-$

_________

Yeah, thats what you've done perfectly in this drawing of yours, you've given them an organic, living look, but still remaining just rigid and confined enough to cross both worlds, a very tricky thing to accomplish as I've tried. A very good job then *y*

___________

I was thinking of maybe doing this for the EB sigfigs, what do you think?

___________

Mine will be hard X-D

Or will it? Batsy was the only Batman character I could never draw.......

Anyway, a very talented work there Brainbox, I hope to see more from you in the future.

Nothing to Say, but Batbrick Away! >:-)

Edited December 20, 2007 by Batbrick

[Brainbox]

___________

Yes, those Batman comics are pretty good, I especially like Bane running toward the viewer.

Yeah, I liked that too.

Mine will be hard X-D

Or will it? Batsy was the only Batman character I could never draw.......

Ah, now, I've already got a Lego Bats from another art project I'm working on (classic JLA and Legion of Doom rosters), so I could just use that. Maybe alter it a bit to make it different.

[Freddie]

I'm guessing you're doing some art as a second hobby, no? I would guess that you at the very least dabble in drawing, because I think your drawing looks, uhm, not professional, but at least properly done.

Not sure I could draw something like that in less than an hour. And that's excluding coloring.

Very nice. I like it. :)

[Brainbox]

Thanks mate.

I'm guessing you're doing some art as a second hobby, no? I would guess that you at the very least dabble in drawing, because I think your drawing looks, uhm, not professional, but at least properly done.

Oh no, it's not a proper thing. It's more of a personal thing, like you say. I could never get my artwork to the standards of, say, comics art. I'm not very up on inking or colouring. I could try inking and colouring digitally if I had a scanner, but I don't, so tht's not really an option. Pencil crayons, and a simple outlining pen are the best I have at the moment.

I think minifigs are the only thing I can draw reasonably well. I struggle a bit with people, as they never look quite right, and perspective's not really something I can do well either. So this is just something I do because I can. It may not look 'professional' but who cares? It's only going on my wall.

[Batbrick]

Thanks mate.

Oh no, it's not a proper thing. It's more of a personal thing, like you say. I could never get my artwork to the standards of, say, comics art. I'm not very up on inking or colouring. I could try inking and colouring digitally if I had a scanner, but I don't, so tht's not really an option. Pencil crayons, and a simple outlining pen are the best I have at the moment.

I think minifigs are the only thing I can draw reasonably well. I struggle a bit with people, as they never look quite right, and perspective's not really something I can do well either. So this is just something I do because I can. It may not look 'professional' but who cares? It's only going on my wall.

____________

I'm a bit the same, but the opposite. I can't draw cartoons or such, but am pretty good at drawing realistic looking settings. That said, I think the crayon (or pencil?) use here works much better than ink, gives it a nice texture I think.

And perspective is something that is REALLY hard, I tried drawing the joker once, holding a joker card to the screen, made it just look like he had giant hands :-$ But I think its a lot better than you make it out to be, minigfigs are hell to draw, for me anyway.

Nothing to Say, but Batbrick Away! >:-)

Edited December 20, 2007 by Batbrick

[UniqueBuilder]

Ooooh! *wub* That's magnificent! :-$ I envy how you can make them look so...Alive. :-)

All in all, very nice work, keep it up! *y* And make sure to tell us what your friends think!

I was thinking of maybe doing this for the EB sigfigs, what do you think?

Yes, please do! *wub*

[Corvus]

You're good at this! They look great, and I think they really look lego-ized. :-)

Do your friends like lego too?

I'm a bit the same, but the opposite. I can't draw cartoons or such, but am pretty good at drawing realistic looking settings. That said, I think the crayon (or pencil?) use here works much better than ink, gives it a nice texture I think.

Better than me- I can't color to save my life. I dabble a bit in drawing, but I'm a novice, really. I draw on standard notebook paper during my free time in school, so my only tools are a pencil and eraser. Also, it takes me a bit to get used to drawing certain things- first, it was eagles, specifically the Harpy Eagle of South America. Then, it was sci-fi- Star Wars ARC troopers, or similar. Maybe I'll figure how to use my family's scanner... :-$

Will

[Brainbox]

Thanks UB and Mandalorian. ;-)

Yes, please do! *wub*

Okay then. Maybe when it all settles down after Christmas, I can start on a few.

Do your friends like lego too?

No, but they respect my love for the brick, and take an interest in what I'm doing.