Brickwork

[JimBee]

Hello,

I am looking for some suggestions on brickwork techniques. By brickwork, I mean using Lego pieces to create an image that looks like the stone brick walls you find on houses, castles, etc., with the cement in between. Like this:

I know there are some great creations out there that use this effect, but I need some help deciding which technique is the best (after seeing more than one technique). I was thinking of simply attaching 1x2 tiles to 1x2 bricks (modified with studs on side), but I'm not sure that it will suit what I have in mind.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

[Brickdoctor]

Most everyone uses the technique you described, but to make it look good I think you have to use 1 x 1 bricks to allow the tiles to slide and create the spaces in-between.

[prateek]

There are many examples on Brickshelf

Good luck.

[Big Cam]

There are many examples on Brickshelf

Good luck.

All of your examples are what Jimbutcher already acknowledged that he knew about and wasn't sure he wanted to use it.

Except this one, which looks pretty good. Although it appears to be bricks on their side, which may not be very structurally sound.

[davee123]

As usual, it comes down to how much LEGO you have, how much more you want to spend, and how much time you feel like taking on your model.

Using the 1-half-plate offset surrounding your bricks looks AMAZING, but it means you have to design around it. For instance, what do you do when you have a 3-wide section of wall? And, what do you do when you have a 2-wide wall corner? There are always various solutions, but it will take planning and innovation to tackle them. Also, most of your "bricks" will be attached with only a single stud, making them re-angle themselves with a slight touch. You'll constantly be finagling your bricks to get it just right. Finally, you'll need lots of bricks with studs on the side, small technic beams (1 and 2 long), headlight bricks, etc. Depending on your collection, you may need to invest in more.

Using 1x2 tiles with NO offset between them is also occasionally used. It looks pretty good, and takes planning of a different nature, since it requires you to build ON something, making corners more challenging. On the plus side, it's less fragile and less special-piece-intensive.

Anyway, it comes down to what's best suited to you.

DaveE

[JimBee]

Most everyone uses the technique you described, but to make it look good I think you have to use 1 x 1 bricks to allow the tiles to slide and create the spaces in-between.

Right, I did play around with jumper plates a bit, so that may work.

There are many examples on Brickshelf

Good luck.

Thanks prateek, I did already know of that technique, but there are some differences between these sets. So far using modified bricks with studs on side with jumper plates seems like the most promising solution.

Except this one, which looks pretty good. Although it appears to be bricks on their side, which may not be very structurally sound.

Thanks Cam, but this one looks pretty hard to build and keep together, and doesn't have the same texture as the "classic" solution. Thanks anyway, it still looks pretty neat.

As usual, it comes down to how much LEGO you have, how much more you want to spend, and how much time you feel like taking on your model.

I actually just made an order to build a brick wall.

Using the 1-half-plate offset surrounding your bricks looks AMAZING, but it means you have to design around it. For instance, what do you do when you have a 3-wide section of wall? And, what do you do when you have a 2-wide wall corner? There are always various solutions, but it will take planning and innovation to tackle them.

I did consider that, and it's unfortunate that the color I'm using doesn't come in 1x1 tile form. I will try to come up with a solution when I actually start building.

And thanks for all the tips everyone, I've started experimenting with these in mind. I'll let you know when these techniques are incorporated into my most recent MOC.