“The Conversation Piece” is a monthly BrickNerd series about creativity and building with LEGO authored by our friends over at the Builder Improvement Initiative (BII), a Discord-based community that helps LEGO builders of all levels get better at their craft through knowledge-sharing and constructive feedback.
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Building LEGO Characters
Character building is one of the surprisingly odder genres you can build in. Just like any other niche of building, it has its own set of challenges. Proportions, faces, hands, and even stability are all tricky things to get right on their own, let alone all in the same build. A good character builder can be proficient in all of these skills, yet be left with a build that feels more like a mannequin than a true character.
To truly make a character convincing, character builders need to have a deeper understanding of character design. Masters of character building are able to create iconic builds by convincing the viewer that the character exists as more than a moment in time, is part of a larger world, and/or has motives, desires, or feelings. While you don’t need to incorporate all of these ideas into every character build, leveraging one or two can go a long way to breathe life into your characters.
Strike a Pose!
In illustration, emotion and facial expressions are some of the most powerful tools an artist has at their disposal to evoke character. Depending on the scale and type of character build, however, building a detailed face may or may not be possible. Because of this, posing carries the burden of conveying emotion and personality. Returning to the mannequin comparison: the wooden figures are rather stiff and lifeless in the iconic position, but by simply bending the limbs, you can introduce character into the otherwise lifeless frame.
This ties into dynamism, which is also an important part of character design. Dynamic movement is what makes animation, such as K-Pop Demon Hunters and the Spider-Verse films, visually appealing. Posing is critical to achieving this, making it a crucial factor in storyboarding. In motion media, storyboards consist of a series of key shots that make up the outline for a scene. These key shots should evoke the same feeling that the final animated scene intends to. Animator James W. Chiang puts it this way: “The key pose is not so much a static ‘pose’ (for example, like what’s commonly glorified in fashion photography), but a moment in time that defines an idea.”
Storyboards use poses to convey the emotions of characters in key shots of a scene (example from Into the Spider-Verse).
Similarly, when we build a character, we build it frozen in a moment in time; or at least, it should look as such. Think of your character’s profession, story, or emotion. If you were to take a photo in a moment that represents the core identity of the character, how would they be posed?
Markus Rollbuhler’s Trophy series is a prime example of this concept. “The Ranger,” “The Winners,” “The Bard,” and “Juggling Jester” all portray a dynamic moment that exemplifies the characters in their prime, whether it be mid-juggle, mid-aim, or mid-drunkenly-singing. Note how in each build, not a single character’s torso or legs are completely vertical; all have subtle angles to them. If we try to imagine these characters a second earlier or later in time, we not only know they would be in a different position, but we can see the leaps of the Ranger, the drunken stumbling of The Winners, the jig of The Bard, and the balanced yet frenetic movements of The Juggler.
This doesn’t mean every character build has to be incredibly dynamic, either. Markus’ “The Student,” “The Healer,” “The King,” and “The Farmhand” are much less dynamic builds. This is by no means a fault: for these characters, quiet moments of reflection and comfort are much more suitable! This doesn’t mean that they show no personality; they just put more emphasis on other methods of characterization, which we will discuss in the next section.
Take the Scenic Route
In our previous article, “How to Balance Detail in a MOC,” we discussed using set pieces as a way to add detail to MOC and introduce elements of story. As briefly mentioned in the article, this can be used as a way to add life and identity to a character build, too! Setting the scene can add more context to a character by showing the environment they exist in.
Defining the “world” your character is set in can be an effective way to make them feel more alive. Substantial side builds can give your character something from their environment to interact with; plus, they can act as neat physical supports for poses that would have been otherwise unstable. Sadie’s build “Long Season” is a great example of how you can build a character that feels part of a larger world. While the lazy dog in itself is a clever build, it isn’t immediately apparent where exactly this canine belongs. The fishing rod, dilapidated hovercraft, and sandy landscape however help contextualize the character as a wasteland fisher or scavenger.
Character builds often are large, so it’s unreasonable to expect everyone to even have the parts to build entire immersive scenes for them. Sadie, however, shows that you don’t need to build giant environments to give your characters a story! “Runaway” is an author-favorite of their work. While the dog alone is a great build, the inclusion of the tears (made of Barraki Squid!), the snow patches, and the distant house tell the story. Without them, the build would just be a dog running, but with these details, we see an emotional scene of a dog running away from home on a winter’s night.
Accessories and clothing can tell a story, too! Level Bell’s “Revolting Riding Hood” puts a spin on the classic character Little Red. The dress on its own is a great recreation of iconic portrayals of the character, but the wolfskin cloak and the pistol invoke a sense of lethality. This interpretation of the character has clearly learned her lesson and is no longer a naïve little girl, but someone you do not want to cross. The pigskin basket hints that she may have gone farther than simple revenge, though…
It Takes Two
In storytelling, characterization is at its strongest when showing character interactions. In that vein, including multiple characters in the same “build” can often strengthen the visual story much better than any single one could.
CareCreation’s “Because the Night” is a great example of this concept. While each character on their own doesn’t have a strong sense of unique character, together they create a powerful scene. By themselves, they are simply faceless, mechanical beings. Posed against one another, the build tells the story of the love between an angel and a mortal as they soar through the stars. Simply by building two characters—and with some solid posing, too—the builder is able to fill the scene with emotion.
Tino Poutianinen’s “Detour” is an example of how you can also use additional characters to reinforce the context of the main character. With the rockwork, it is obvious enough that the mysterious figure is some sort of traveler on top of a mountain peak. The goat-like creature reinforces this idea. Additionally, the supplies on the mount give us a bit more insight on the character; this isn’t a wanderer, but rather a traveler. Where he is heading, however, is left up to the viewer’s imagination—or you could read the tagline, which would tell you he’s looking for the next station.
Characterization in Practice
While the suggestions above are not exhaustive, they are a good foundation to build upon (pun intended). Designing a character with one or more of these principles can convince the viewer that they aren’t just looking at a photo of plastic, but rather a character with its own story to tell. If you are struggling to apply these, here are some questions that might get the creative juices flowing:
What does a typical day look like for your character? Is this even a typical day for them?
What was your character doing 15 minutes ago? How about 15 minutes from now?
How does your character typically interact with others? Are they a tyrant? A lover? A mentor?
What is the state of their environment? Do they live in fancy buildings, or do they roam desolate wastelands and harsh climates?
Once you’ve answered a couple of questions, think of how you can portray this to the viewer. Whether it’s through posing, environmental elements, or additional characters, giving the viewer subtle hints about what is really going on can make your builds more engaging, interesting, and unique.
Written by Eann McCurdy.
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