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The story of the LEGO minifigure – Part 3

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the minifigure, LEGO collected and sent out various assets to LEGO fan sites to enjoy and share with their communities. The original date when the first minifig patent was registered in Denmark was August 29th 1977, however, the first minifigures weren’t launched until 1978. So far, we have looked at LEGO minifigure variations and prototypes through the years (see: The Story of the LEGO Minifigure – Part 1), and the moulds used for making LEGO minifigure parts (see: The Story of the LEGO Minifigure – Part 2), and today, we will look at some sketches by LEGO minifig designers. Enjoy! 🙂

LEGO MINIFIG SKETCHES BY ALEXANDRE BOUDON:

LEGO MINIFIG SKETCHES BY AUSTIN CARLSON:

LEGO MINIFIG SKETCHES BY CHRIS BONVEN:

LEGO MINIFIG SKETCHES BY MATTHEW ASHTON:

LEGO MINIFIG SKETCHES BY TARA WIKE:

It’s really wonderful to see how design ideas for LEGO minifigs come to life, isn’t it? What do you think? How do you like these minifig sketches? Did you notice any interesting details? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

{ 17 comments… add one }
  • Legostuff14 September 21, 2018, 11:58 AM

    Right up my ally. I like to draw and create characters. It’s been my hobby way before I got in to Lego. I did take time to look at my figure collections from various themes I have . Two things happens 1) it was like Christmas looking at all of my collections with fresh eyes . And 2) I forgotten how much I loved the monster fighter theme. So, I’m pulling it out and start on a display. I created a couple of characters , one is a grown up little red riding hood but , instead of a sweet little girl she is a sorceress. I didn’t make this up but, it was fun to create Buffy the vampire Slayer. She has two katana swords and a crossbow. So, cool!

    • TomTom September 21, 2018, 12:05 PM

      Ha-ha! Little Red Riding Hood with katanas? I would watch that story! 😀 Seriously, really cool drawings. I wish they made that leaf cape though.

    • admin September 21, 2018, 1:50 PM

      Monster Fighters was awesome! And creative! I also like your katana-carrying Little Red Riding Hood! 😈

    • Håkan September 21, 2018, 4:35 PM

      Drawing and creating characters. It’s a nice hobby, yeah. It could even be a living, but competition is tough, so it’d take a lot of discipline (although fellow artists tend to be quite friendly).

  • Sith015 September 21, 2018, 12:03 PM

    Wow!!! I wish I could draw like that!! Very cool! I see several of the CMF minifigs!

    • Håkan September 21, 2018, 4:31 PM

      As an aspiring/ amateur artist, it’s kinda encouraging that the sketches aren’t ‘that’ astounding. I mean, it’s still sketches, but a lot of them appear to be on a level that I find rather manageable. (I’ve seen other sketches by professionals that leave me in awe, and wonder how they even do that, though…)

      • JasonK September 21, 2018, 5:03 PM

        True that! Some of them look like they were drawn by kids, but they do get all the important details in there. I wonder what qualification you need to be a graphic designer for lego.

        • Håkan September 21, 2018, 5:14 PM

          Yeah, they’re still sketches, though. I guess if they wanted to do work to exhibit professionally, they’d put some more time and effort into it. These are merely semi-doodled means to an end, which is the actual minifig.

          To be a set designer, I think you needed a thorough engineering education to a Ph.D. level, or something. Not sure if graphic designers would need any STEM credits or similar.

          • admin September 24, 2018, 10:05 PM

            LEGO actually doesn’t have a set educational level required for any of their designer positions. I know LEGO designers who were hired right out of high school. They do put candidates through extensive testing to see if they are right for the job and if they can work well with others, but other than that, being a LEGO fan and an experienced LEGO builder is the most important skill. Having some previous related experience and/or education can help though.

      • admin September 24, 2018, 10:00 PM

        Yeah, as long as the designers have good ideas and they can convey the design to others, that’s all that should be needed. Too fancy artwork may even distract from the key features.

  • brickmaster September 21, 2018, 12:19 PM

    That helmet by Tara Wike is one of my favorites. So detailed and futuristic! It’s interesting that they all have different styles for drawing, but they all convey the designs very well. The real minifigs are really close to the drawings, which is super cool.

  • LegoMom September 21, 2018, 1:16 PM

    Nice work by the Lego designers. It sounds like a fun job for someone artistic. Are there any interviews with minifig designers?

    • admin September 21, 2018, 2:01 PM

      There is usually an interview with the graphic designer along with the set designer in the designer-videos for large sets. There was a very interesting video with a minifig sculptor, but for the life of me I can’t find it. I even featured it here, but I can’t remember her name. If I do find it I will link it here. UPDATE: Found it! http://thebrickblogger.com/2013/01/lego-lord-of-the-rings-designer-video/

  • Legostuff14 September 21, 2018, 3:31 PM

    I guess little red riding hood isn’t the only one wearing red. ( just don’t get on you.) Lol. Oops, too gruesome . I’m thinking of making a Hansel and Gretel min figures for the monster fighter team. I know there was a movie . So, I guess you can tell, l’m using fairy tales characters mixed in the monster fighter theme. Any other characters I can create?

    • Håkan September 21, 2018, 4:36 PM

      Well, folklore is a rich source for inspiration. You could even look outside traditional Western storytelling for further examples.

      • admin September 24, 2018, 10:01 PM

        That’s another great idea! So many rich stories from around the world!

    • admin September 24, 2018, 9:59 PM

      Hm… probably lots of the stories from the original Andersen stories would be a great resource (not the Disney versions). They are quite gruesome. 😈

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