Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Peg-Legged Legos!

We recently discovered the amazing work of Henning Birkeland, a digital artist in Norway who specializes in 3D visual effects and animation. He also happens to be a wizard with Lego bricks! Henning has built just about everything with them, from a Back To The Future Delorean to this familiar guy based on our Pirate Parrot replica for Disney.

"I had a lot of green and orange bricks that I never use so I thought I would try something different... I found out that a Parrot would be perfect for the colours. When searching for reference I found a great model made by Kevin Kidney & Jody Daily:
I did a quick model in 3D and converted it to Legobricks..."


Wow, Henning, it looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

View more of Henning Birkeland's work on his website, and while you're there, be sure to watch his show reel. Good stuff!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Happy Birthday, Mary Blair!

The Indian Chief from Peter Pan, 1953

Artist Mary Blair would have been 100 years old today, and to join in this week's love-fest for her incredible body of work, I would like to present a few of my personal favorites. Each of these pieces - whether done in pastel chalk, watercolor, or ceramic tile - display the brilliance of her design and color magic. Mary Blair was awesome.

Background study for the "Jesusita en Chihuahua" sequence,
The Three Caballeros, 1945

"You Belong To My Heart" sequence, The Three Caballeros, 1945

"Zandunga" sequence from The Three Caballeros, 1945

"Zandunga" sequence from The Three Caballeros, 1945

Old Saint Nick, Christmas Card

Mermaid Lagoon, Peter Pan, 1953

A nine-tile "test" for the Jules Stein Eye Institute mural, 1966

Mary Blair shares a tandem bicycle ride with her boss in 1941, Rio de Janeiro.

Happy Birthday, Mary Blair, and thanks for all the beauty you gave us.