My daughter and I built this LEGO DNA sculpture for her school science project.  It took us a lot of trial and error to come up with the design, but I think it turned out great.  This is the first model I’ve ever glued, because without it the sculpture was very fragile and would have never survived the trip to school.  We used Oatey All-Purpose Cement, which was smelly but did a great job of holding the model together.  It actually melts the plastic bricks together, so the sculpture is very sturdy.

More Pictures Below…

The picture above was taken more from the top, which gives a better view of the spiral effect.

Above is a close up of the center connections.  Notice the different jigsaw designs which only allow each colored section to bond with the proper corresponding colored section.  The other LEGO DNA models I’ve seen usually don’t have this feature, which my daughter said was a critical part of the design for the assignment.

Above is another close up showing a series of several steps in the ladder.

Overall, LEGO turned out to be a great tool for modeling DNA.  We had fun coming up with this design, building and gluing the model together.

More pictures…

Shown above is the source picture I had to generate the building plans from.  The small size made this a bit trickier than usual, but in the end I was pretty happy with the result.

Shown above are the building plans we used for construction.  Click on the image for a larger version.  These plans can also be used if anyone is interested in making a hornet like this with other materials, like cross stitch.

Just getting started.  All base plates connected and some of the outline.

Some yellow has been added and the hornet is starting to take shape.

Both wings are outlined and the head is showing progress.

The hornet is complete and ready to hang in the school!  I will add a picture of the mosaic hung up sometime soon.  I really enjoyed this project, especially getting to work with the students from Rosholt Elementary School.

In the image above, the red outline is the shape of the letter ‘A’ to be built as a LEGO mosaic.  The first step is to superimpose the outline over a grid of the desired size.  The smaller the pitch on the grid, the more accurately the ‘A’ can be represented, but the more bricks and effort it will take to complete the project.  For this example the ‘A’ will be positioned inside a 9 high by 11 wide grid.

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To build a mosaic that is black and white only the rule is that if 50% or more of the grid cell is covered, then that brick is black.  Otherwise, it is white.  Following this process will result in a mosaic matching the one below.

To build a mosaic that is black and white, plus anti-aliased with one additional color the rules are as follows:  If less than 33% of the grid cell is covered, then that brick is white.  If between 33% and 67% of the grid cell is covered, then that brick is grey.  If more than %67 of the grid cell is covered, then that brick is black.  Following this process will result in a mosaic matching the one below.

This same process works with other background and foreground colors, as long as bricks roughly halfway between the two colors are utilized.  For Part 1 of this series I built examples of blue on white adding light blue and green on white adding light green.  Obviously a limitation is the colors LEGO bricks are produced.  Plus, odd colored bricks are more expensive, so this will probably factor in also, especially for larger projects.

Some other ways to extend or fine-tune AA include:

• Use even more colors.  For example, if two in-between colors are used, then the rules could be adjusted to create four ranges  (< 25%, between 25% and 50%, between 50% and 75%, > %75).
• Adjust ranges for shades that are not exactly in-between.  For example, if the grey color above was darker than half-way between white and black the percentage of coverage range for grey could be shifted upward to compensate.  Possibly (< 50%, between 50% and %80, > %80)
• Compensate for several nearby bricks that are just over or under the range thresholds by using some bricks from the other side of the threshold.  This will prevent an area from getting too light or dark.
• Use trial-and-error to evaluate the use of AA.  If the range rules call for many brick changes or additions, make the changes incrementally and compare the results.  I recommend doing this type of evaluation on a computer using a graphics program since it is faster than building multiple variations from actual bricks.

These are just a few ideas.  There are books and websites that detail algorithms used for AA in computer graphics.

For this article series I used a shareware program Paint.net as an aid for generating plans for all of the small mosaics.  I also used it to create the image at the top of this article.  Paint.net includes AA, which simpler tools like MS Paint do not.  I usually keep the displayed zoomed to either 800% or 1200% with the pixel grid turned ON.

Shown above is a screenshot of Paint.net that illustrates AA (with many more shades of grey than are available in LEGO bricks.)  Since I only used one in-between color for my mosaics I had to visually map the full grey-scale spectrum to my three colors.  I also did some adjustments for symmetry and some general trial-and-error to achieve results I was happy with.

Sometime in the future I plan to create a large mosaic (between 100 & 200 bricks square) using AA, which of course, I will share here.

Starting today, there is another category, which is solid area, anti-aliased mosaics.

In real life I am a business software developer. However, for fun I’ve recently started playing around with iPhone development. This hobby has introduced me to the concept of anti-aliased graphics. Generally speaking, anti-aliasing (AA) is the use of lighter (or darker) colors at region transitions to smooth out jagged transitions. LEGO bricks are a great way to demonstrate this technique.

Shown above are a couple LEGO mosaic examples with and without AA.  Hopefully the middle blue line seems less jaggedy and the right green circle and letter ‘A’ also appear smoother than those to the left.  I’ve purposely shown these images small, because in order for the advantage of AA to be realized visual blending of the pixels must occur.

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LEGO bricks are available in many different colors, so most colors have at least two shades, which is needed for AA.  By using a lighter shade of the color in the proper places, the jagged appearance is visually smoothed when viewed from a distance.

Shown above is an enlargement of a section of the blue line.  The right image has been anti-aliased with the addition of the light blue bricks.  If the background behind the blue line was another color, the added bricks would need to be a different color.  These bricks should be between the color of each side of the transition.

Shown above is an enlargement of the green ball and ‘A’ examples.  Similar to the first example, light green and grey bricks were added (and in some places used in replacement of the darker bricks).

This technique could be used throughout a large mosaic to produce a smoother appearance, especially when viewed from a longer distance.

In Part 2 of this post I will explore more about AA including how to determine which bricks should be lighter or darker colors and tools you can use to help with AA.

The box even has a removable cover, so it could be used as a small jewelry or treasure box.

This isn’t the first time I’ve posted a project with a love theme. I have featured a Legend of Zelda mosaic with an ‘I Love You’ message as well as a love sign language sculpture.

The first mosaic is a close up of Mario Brothers Toad. Click on the thumbnail image below for a larger image. I used this picture as a building guide.

The second mosaic is the green dinosaur from Bubble Bobble. I found this article and adapted it to LEGO.

On this mosaic, I decided to cut the LEGO baseplate to the shape of the mosaic. I’ve used this technique before on several mosaics including my Starbucks Coffee Mosaic.

Here is a picture of the back so you can see how I’ve cut the baseplate. I wrote a post a while back detailing my technique for cutting LEGO base plates.

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More pictures and information on how to build…

The key part of these stands is the factory-glued 10 inch square base plates that are sold as chess boards. I’ve managed to find quite a few interesting uses for these unloved parts, which is good since I still have over 30 of them. I’ve been using them as mosaic backing for studs-up mosaics, and I also modified them for use as a LEGO Picture Frame for a Children’s Museum activity.

For this project, I cut the base plate in half and them cut one half into 4 strips. One chess board is enough to build a stand with one strip of baseplate left over. For more information on how I cut these check out my LEGO Picture Frame. I also posted an earlier article on Cutting LEGO Base Plates.

Here is a picture of the stand without minifigs.

The strips of cut base plate are just resting in the brick channel and can be removed without taking apart any bricks.

Here is a picture of the stand with the base plate strips removed. This diagram should show enough detail to allow anyone interested to reproduce a stand.

After building the larger stand, which can hold 32 minifigs I decided to also build a smaller one with a capacity of 9 minifigs. Here is a picture of the smaller stand, which also gave me a project to use the cut out centers from the LEGO Picture Frame base plates.

Smaller Stand without minifigs.

Smaller Stand with strips removed to expose construction detail.

The event was free and the number of visitors were not counted.  The consensus was that we had at least a few hundred visitors and there was steady stream of people at my tables all day.  It was mostly families and it was great to see so many kids pulling parents between items saying, ‘Wow, look at this!’

I only learned about TCBX about one week before the event from the Fascinating LEGO Model of the Day, and was very gracious that event organizer Stein Settergren was able to accommodate me with such short notice.  I met members from TwinLUG and the Greater Midwest LEGO Train Club on Saturday for the first time and everyone was very friendly and welcoming.

The event was in Bloomington, Minnesota, which was about a 3 hour drive for me.  After arriving and setting up my stuff, I took pictures of the other exhibits before the event opened to the public at 10am.

See Full Article for Pictures and More Details…

All pictures below link to larger versions.

I was particularly impressed with the collaborative project by TwinLUG titled Micropolis.  I had seen a portion of this on display a month or two ago at the Mall of America LEGO Store, but it has grown larger since then, with 5 or 6 members contributing sections to this modular city. The micro-scale display is made up of 16×16 stud panels connected by technic pegs, using the same technique as the back of my LEGO Cat Birdhouse.

You can find more pictures and information about Micropolis on this Flickr Page.

Another display I enjoyed was a wonderful scale home model constructed by Dave Savage. Well, actually it is two models, both of Dave’s childhood home in Iowa built from his memories and family photos.  He had a smaller 1 foot per stud version and a huge 2 studs per foot version on display. Both are designed to come apart in sections to expose the interior walls and other construction details.

The Micropolis display highlighted above included a micro-scale version of the Hall of Justice, but this wasn’t the only model of this building at TCBX.  Also on display was an awesome minifig-scale version built by Roy Cook.   Some of my favorite features of this model are the smooth stud-free look and the beautiful reflecting pool mosaic in front of the building.  The mosaic pool  is constructed of colored plates covered with clear plates which diffuse and blend the colors.  This technique creates very convincing water reflection.

Another large model on display was beautiful minifig-scale gray cathedral built by Brian Kasprzyk.  I was particularly impressed with the use of colored transparent bricks and plates as stained-glass windows. The cathedral also has gorgeous layered door and window archways and corner decorations.

You can find more pictures and information on Brian’s MOCPages.

Another item I wanted to highlight was the large lighthouse within The Greater Midwest LEGO Train Club layout. This model uses the same brick sculpting style I use in many of my models to achieve the round, tapered shape.  It also has a wonderful balcony around the top and a working, rotating light.

You can find more pictures of the train layout in this Brickshelf Galery.

In addition to his contributions to Micropolis, TwinLUG member Garth Danielson also brought a large collection of diorama scenes. These creative models span a wide variety of different types of scenes and many tell a story with their intricate details.

Garth has a website where he features many of his LEGO creations, including many recent entries on his dioramas and Micropolis contributions. Check out the LEGO Category on his website to see more pictures and information on his work.

Also on display was huge battleship on a massive LEGO stand and many smaller military vehicles built by Daniel Siskind.

You can find more pictures and information on Dave’s creations on his website, Brickmainia.

Max Braun, who is also a contributor to Micropolis project, brought along a unique model of a large cretaceous ship.  It was a very creative model that used the flexibility of large 2×1 brick walls (positioned flat) to create an protected inside cavity.  Kids were definitely drawn to this model.

You can find more pictures of Max’s work on his MOCPages page.

Another huge layout at TCBX was the colonial port town built by Brian Kasprzyk. This project included tons of houses and hundreds (maybe thousands?) of minifigs.  It was the kind of layout you could keep making laps around all day and still find new details each time. One of the details I really enjoyed was the boat being tossed by the water spout.

There was also a large DUPLO train on display by Judy and Bill Payne.  I never realized there were DUPLO sets available in so many varied themes. This was a very unique and impressive setup.

Overall TBCX was a great day and I’m really glad I made the trip. Since I didn’t stay over night it was a long day (5am-10pm), but well worth it. Happily, my dad joined me for the trip to help set up, tear down, and keep me company. Thanks Dad! My only disappointment is that I live too far away to attend TwinLUG meetings, but I look forward to attending next year, hopefully to display again.

I created these sculptures for a LEGO building workshop on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at the Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum. I did a LEGO Discovery Days Workshop in June, and the museum asked me back for another project. There are 16 kids signed up to build and I’m looking forward to this event.

Building Instructions and Part Lists…

Here is a larger image of each sculpture with both individual parts lists and a combined parts list.  Step-by-step instructions are not included (or needed) to build these models.  The only non-obvious construction detail is the inside of the bat body, and for this model I have included one additional image to expose this.