We have talked about making circles and other rounded shapes out of LEGO bricks before (see: Round Shapes with Square Bricks!), and today I would like to introduce you to a LEGO artist who takes Brick Bending (as he calls it) to a whole new level. 🙂
Jeff Sanders bends square LEGO bricks in all kinds of shapes that you might have not thought of, taking advantage of the little bit of space that’s in between LEGO bricks. I also really like his use of color; the more muted blacks and whites with an occasional splash of color gives his geometric LEGO shapes an artistic form.
Here I will show you just a few of Jeff’s LEGO circles and other shapes so you get an idea of what’s possible, then if you are interested you can check out more on Jeff’s website at BrickBending.com
Jeff is also in the process of creating a series of videos where he goes into the details of Brick Bending. Here is an introductory tutorial of how to make a simple LEGO circle, using Brick Bending techniques:
And here is video about the safety of Brick Bending in regards to your LEGO bricks as well as you. Yes, LEGO circles can and will explode if you are not careful, so never over-stress your LEGO bricks!
Find it interesting? As I mentioned, you can check out more on Jeff’s website at BrickBending.com, and also his YouTube Channel. Brick Bending is actually quite easy; all you need is standard LEGO bricks, an eye for geometry and a good dose of patience. So see if any of the shapes Jeff made inspire you to try your own designs! And let me know what you come up with! Would love to see your Brick Bending skills! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
I would love to make my Gravatar using this technique!
WOW!!! 😯 that is amazing! 😀 I never would have come up with that! 😉 I love the way they connect without a space! I need to do this some time. 😀
That’s pretty cool! But I don’t have the money to buy bricks just for bending 🙁 It would be fun, but I just can’t do that to “My Precious!”
That is a very creative use of bricks.
YOU’LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT!
Lol, that’s what i thought of shen i saw this…..looks dangerous….
It shouldn’t be dangerous, just remember 72 1 by 2’s for a circle.
This is a good point and although I mentioned it in the first article I wrote some time back, I should have repeated it here; 72 1x2s create a perfect circle that would not shatter and won’t damage your bricks. 😉
Neat 🙂 I would love to apply shapes like these to my own creations. I think I have enough bricks, this post came at the right time, I was just thinking about this a couple days ago. It’s really amazing how you can make such beautiful shapes from just the basic bricks. I want to try this right now, i’ll let you know how it works.
Strider, the techniques are actually really fun. I have built some of my own. Mine are more rainbow colored as I didn’t have just one color bricks, but they are still awesome. As you say; these are great techniques just using basic bricks. And once you get the basic concept the possibilities are unlimited. 🙂
Mine are probably going to be rainbow as well, LOL. But I do have one question, do you lay the bricks out in a circle and then add layers, or just make a long strip and then go back and connect the ends?
Finished. It turned out a lot bigger then I had expected. My mind is swarming with possibilities. I’m thinking a gladiator ring. The good thing is that I stilk have all my bigger bricks left. And I didn’t have to wreck Bag End 🙂
Strider, yes the circle is quite large. It would be GREAT for a gladiator arena! You could also easily make the circle smaller by adding 1×1 round bricks in between each square bricks. 😉
I learned about his initially from the Round LEGO shapes with square bricks! post back in 2011. One thing that I found is that, though less common, you can make tighter circles with the 1X2 palisade bricks (often used for woodwork) as there is a larger gap. Nice to see some of the more intricate designs.
Thanks for the nice write up! Brick Bending is crazy fun. : )
You are welcome, Jeff. Keep Brick Bending! 😉
This reminds me of the Spirograph of my childhood… except in 3D! I’ll have to try this
Wow, I just finished messing around with this technique. Now I’m going to have to go back to it and experiment a lot more. There’s so much more possible.
Oops, didn’t mean to put that there.
Thanks, maybe I’ll try that.
Neat, I never thought of using bricks that way!