Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
GET STARTED!
BUILD AWESOME LEGO BLOCK MOSAICS BRICK BY BRICK! Now you can build the coolest 2D LEGO brick projects with all the bricks you have around your house. For each project, there's a key that shows you exactly how many LEGO blocks you need in each color and shape. Gather those up before you start, and then you're ready to make a LEGO brick masterpiece! Use the project grids to follow along, doing one quadrant at a time. The project grids show you the LEGO block shape you need to use and where it goes to make it look exactly like the photo! They're labeled with codes to show you the color and size of the LEGO piece. A code like "G4" means that it's a Green LEGO piece that has four studs. If you don't have the right shade or color, don't sweat it! Try a different shade and make it all your own.
Quick Guide to Building Your LEGO Mosaics
YOU'LL NEED THESE THINGS:
* 2' x 2' LEGO brick board
* A ton of LEGO bricks!
MAKE YOUR MOSAIC:
* Gather the same LEGO blocks listed in the list of bricks
* Start with the first quadrant
* Start from the side or the corner
* Use the codes to select the correct LEGO piece for each spot
* Complete all four quadrants
* Build a masterpiece!
BURGER
FIRE UP THE GRILL! This burger seems big, but did you know that the largest burger in the whole world was made in Michigan, and it was 134 pounds?! Gather up all your pieces before you start. If cheese on your burger isn't your thing, then just switch those colors out for more brown to make the burger all your own. Build your char-broiled burger the very best way with the most colorful brick toppings!
BUTTERFLY
FLUTTER INTO THIS PROJECT LIKE A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY! There are more than 750 species of butterflies in the world, which means there are countless unique colors and patterns that can be found on all of them. If you don't have all the colors shown here, that's okay. Swap in your own vibrant colors to make this insect fly!
FISH
JUST KEEP SWIMMING through this colorful world of sea life. Clownfish, like the one in this project, are found naturally in many parts of the world — from Northern Australia and Southeast Asia all the way to Japan. Want to know an insider secret? Clownfish take shelter in sea anemones, which can be many different colors (even purple!). Swap out the green in this project for a different color. Let your new fancy fish guide you one brick at a time.
FROG
HOP ALONG WITH THIS AMIABLE AMPHIBIAN. Check out these fun facts! Frogs don't need to drink water like humans. They absorb it through their skin. They can be as tiny as a fingernail, or as big as a cat! Sort out all the bricks you'll need before you get hopping. Electric lime and bright orange colors make this frog a fast friend. Once you've mastered this frog, try on your own with colors from your favorite species.
GIRAFFE
STRETCH YOUR BRICK-BUILDING ABILITIES with a safari animal. Most giraffes' legs are taller than most humans, but did you know that giraffes' necks can't reach the ground? That's why the leaves from tall trees are the perfect food, with all the water and nutrients they need. Special tip: the dark blues in this project are for shading. You can use black, dark gray, or dark brown for these areas, too.
HOT AIR BALLOONS
SOAR INTO THE SKY as high as a bird. This fun mode of transportation is older than cars, planes, and trains. The very first hot air balloon took off in Paris, France, in 1783! The best part of this project is that you can follow the grid to make these super bright balloons, or you can make your very own patterns! So long as you use the same shape of the balloons and the baskets, you can make them unique with different shapes and colors.
OWL
HOOT HOOT. Owls are nocturnal animals, but this brick owl can hang around any time of day! This is a Tawny Owl, also known as a Brown Owl, and it flew all the way to you from Western Europe! Just like the name suggests, it will use up a lot of brown pieces. Carefully separate all the bricks you'll need before getting started, and make sure to look back to this page as you go if you need to see the big picture.
PARROT
IMAGINE WHAT THIS BRICK PARROT MIGHT SAY! Scarlet Macaws are the national bird of Honduras, but they can be found all over Central and South America — from Mexico all the way to the canopies of the Amazon in Brazil. Speckled across his feathers are colorful bricks. Follow these colors, add your own unique flourishes, or stay true to the deep red body and blue, green, and yellow tails of these majestic squawking birds.
PIZZA
CAUTION: TOSSING THIS PIZZA IN THE AIR or putting it in the oven will cause it to break! This project looks easy, but the mix of ingredient colors can be a fun challenge. You can follow it exactly and refer back to this page if you need an extra guide. Not big on the green stuff? Just pick out those green peppers! Replace them with more yellow for a nice cheesy pizza. Make your own favorite pizza pie with colorful brick toppings. Just don't eat it!
PLANE
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS WERE THE FIRST TO FLY a plane through the air in 1903. Now, you'll be the first to make one out of LEGO bricks! The very first flight lasted just 12 seconds and went 120 feet! You can visit that same plane at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., but your propelling plane can stay right at home. Sort out all of the bricks you'll need before you take flight and become your own amazing aviator!
PUPPY
CHECK OUT THIS REGAL BEAGLE! Beagles are known for being friendly and intelligent, but did you know their best skill comes from their nose? Like other hounds, beagles have a great sense of smell and are excellent tracking dogs. Notice this pup is propped up on a picket fence. Paint that fence with different colored LEGO bricks, if you like! This puppy may not be as cuddly as the real thing, but she sure is fun to play with.
ROBOT
THIS ROCKIN' ROBOT IS FULL OF SURPRISES. Pile up all of the bricks you'll need before you get tinkering, and work your way out from the outside corner of each grid. The inside corners will have the most detail, so pay close attention as you bring this bot to life. Keep the yellow border, or switch it out for your favorite color. With buttons, transmitters, and contraptions galore — you can build your own robot right on the spot.
ROCKET
REACH FOR THE STARS! Travel through galaxies in your very own space ship. In order to orbit the earth, rockets need to travel at least 4.9 miles per second. To reach outer space, modern rockets need to go more than twice that speed. Blast off with your project and see if you can catch up! Make your universe shine with all of your favorite colored bricks.
TIGER
FRIENDLY OR FEROCIOUS? Tigers can be fierce and super-fast, capable of sprinting at a top speed of 40 miles per hour! Luckily, this feline is here to play. There is a lot of detail and all sorts of colors that make up this tiger's coat, so find all the bricks you'll need before you get roaring. Refer back to this page when you need to see the big picture. Make this tiger pop with color!
TOUCAN
GO ON A JUNGLE GETAWAY and make friends with a toucan! These birds can be found in the hollow holes of trees in Central and South America. While their beaks are large and impressive, they don't use them to make their homes. They usually find holes made by other birds, like woodpeckers. For each grid, work your way out from the outer corner, paying close attention to the smaller details like blues and blacks. Set yourself up on your perch as you watch this cool bird take flight.
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Excerpted from "Amazing Brick Mosaics"
by .
Copyright © 2018 St. Martin's Press.
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