Tag Archives: gardens

Hibiscus

This is the third of three sculptures commissioned by the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens in Rockford, IL for their Bricktober event. I did a live build of the butterfly Oct 26-27 at the Conservatory.

Like the butterfly and toucan, this has an internal steel frame. It bolts into the base of the stem, and can be mounted from there. The flower is about 31″ in diameter.

My favorite part of this build was detailing the pistil of the hibiscus.

LEGO Hibiscus

Toco Toucan

This is the second of three sculptures commissioned by the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens in Rockford, IL for their Bricktober event. I did a live build of the butterfly Oct 26-27 at the Conservatory.

Like the butterfly, this has an internal steel frame. It bolts into the bottom frame on which the feet rest. The bird is about 31″ from bill to tail.

I really enjoyed working on the legs and feet. Toco toucans have iridescent legs, and I think the mixture of dark grey and sand blue gets the effect across. I don’t get to use sand blue enough, and luckily I was able to build this with the limited palette available.

LEGO Toco Toucan

Monarch Butterfly

This sculpture was one of three commissioned by the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens in Rockford, IL for their Bricktober event. I did a live build of the butterfly Oct 26-27 at the Conservatory.

The butterfly body houses the main steel frame which six steel rods fit through to support the wings. The frame is also threaded for a stand or feet. The wingspan is about 38″.

The proboscis is made from a monkey tail which only appeared in the set 4094 Motor Movers.

LEGO Monarch Butterfly