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It’s no secret that LEGO has taken over the world! The LEGO phenomenon has been growing right before our eyes more and more each year. More than likely you found HappyThumbsGaming from some of our LEGO Trophy/Achievement Playlists that we offer on our YouTube channel. So we have been trying to expand our overall LEGO presence and recently we had the honor of meeting up with a real life LEGO artist who creates various pieces for companies all over. Mariann from Model Building Secrets was kind enough to sit down and answer a few question regarding her very unique and amazing career. If we missed some questions that you might have, please comment down below and we will get the answers!
How long have you been building LEGOs?
I’ve been building professionally for almost 12 years, but I’ve been playing with LEGO for over 30.
Is it true you the world’s first “Female Freelance Lego Artist”?
Yes, as far as I know. There’s not really that many freelance LEGO builders out there to begin with though — less than 20 in the world.
What can you tell us about Model Building Secrets?
Model Building Secrets is a company dedicated to inspiring children and adults alike through LEGO building. I want to show that anything is possible, even becoming a professional LEGO Artist, if you work hard and want to do it badly enough.
Can anyone hire you?? What is the best way of getting in touch with you if so?
Yes, anyone can hire me. I can build pretty much anything, the only limitation is budget and time. And the only stipulation is that I won’t build anything that isn’t appropriate for children. The best way to get in contact with me is through my website Contact page or through my Facebook page.
How often are you traveling to shows? Do you have a favorite LEGO convention?
I usually go to 5 LEGO Conventions a year. One of my favorites is BrickCon in Seattle the first weekend of October.
Do you have a schedule that fans could follow to meet and greet with you?
Yes, I will be at BrickFair Virginia in Chantilly, VA, August 2nd-3rd at the BrickShirts booth — http://www.brickfair.com/
Bricks by the Bay August 10th in Santa Clara, California at the Model Building Secrets booth — http://www.bricksbythebay.com/
And BrickCon October 4-5th in Seattle, WA at the Model Building Secrets booth — https://brickcon.org/
At the shows I sell my key chains and jewelry made from LEGO bricks that you can see on my Etsy website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FoldedFancy
What are some of the projects you have worked on?
My most recent project was the WildStar Online RocketShip House for Carbine Studios
I’ve built a 5 foot square Google Chrome logo I designed for the Chrome 4th Anniversary
A 4 foot long McDonald’s building for the McDonald Worldwide Convention
A 6 foot long Scripps Hospital wing
As for personal projects I created this Matt Smith Doctor Who mosaic:
As well as this Remembering 9/11 mosaic for the 10th anniversary
What is your largest project so far? How many bricks did it take to build?
My largest project so far was the 4 foot long WildStar RocketShip. It took 50,000 bricks to build and weighed 50 pounds.
Do you play any LEGO video games? If so do you have a favorite game or moment you would want to share?
I love the LEGO video games. I think my favorites would be either the LEGO Marvel or the LEGO Batman 2, both were a lot of fun playing and I loved being able to travel around the whole city. I am really looking forward to LEGO Batman 3 when it comes out.
I actually built the cover art for the first LEGO Batman video game for Warner Brother’s launch of the game
Speaking of favorites, do you have a favorite LEGO kit past, present.. or perhaps future?
I don’t have a favorite kit, or more precisely I have too many favorite kits. I really loved the Forestman Castle theme in the 80s, the original Egyptian Adventurers theme in the 90s and I love the Modular Buildings.
The Simpsons LEGO kit is coming out soon, is it on your list of must have kits?
I have it and its almost built. It certainly is one of my must have kits. The main reason I got started with LEGO as a kid was that I loved miniature houses so I would build architectural model houses (like floor plans) that I could furnish and play with then when I got bored I would build something different. The Simpsons House is basically a dollhouse. And if you don’t like the Simpsons, just change out the minifigures.
Is there anything you want tell us about your books? Can we expect more in the future?
My books — “How to Build a Round Ball with Square Bricks” and “Beyond the Ball” both teach how a Master Builder designs a LEGO model. The first one shows how to build a ball, the first essential shape to learn for all sculpture designing. “Beyond the Ball” teaches you how to build an Easter Egg, hot air balloon, and watermelon. Teaching you how to go from a simple round shape and alter it to other organic shapes as well as teaching about color and pattern design.
Anything coming up that LEGO fans should be aware of?
I do have a very exciting project coming up in the very near future — a couple of weeks or so — that I will be announcing soon. As soon as it is up an running I will let you know so you can pass it on to your readers.
We of course will look forward to the announcement and will pass it on to you guys as soon as we know. We also want to give a special thanks to Mariann for taking the time to answer all of our pesky questions. We also have made plans to attend BrickCon up in Seattle in October and will most likely track down Mariann for an official video interview.
If you have any questions or comments about this interview, or anything in general, feel free to ask them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, or in the comments below and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. While you’re on the above pages be sure to like us, follow us, and subscribe to us to stay up to date on the latest news and information that we have for you guys. Also be sure to follow us on Twitch so you will know when we live stream and on Instagram so you can see all our awesome pictures. We hope you find this interview informative and entertaining!
