Minifigure design sketches
Posted by Huw,
Today is the minifigure's 40th birthday. We've already published a couple of articles about their evolution and manufacture, now we turn our attention to their design.
Among the material LEGO sent us to help celebrate the occasion are some fantastic pictures from minifig designer's sketchbooks, which is where their life begins, of course.
Take a look at the treasure trove below: be in awe at the designers' sketching skills and have fun identifying those that made it to manufacture.
If you're viewing on a PC, once you've enlarged one you can use the left/right arrows to quickly browse through them all.
Alexandre Boudon
Austin Carlson
Chris Bonven
Matthew Ashton
I wish I could draw like that!
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35 comments on this article
Wow! That is a very neat insight to the CMF design process! I wish that leaf cape had made it onto the Rogue. Kinda cool that his hood is based on Assassin's Creed.
I also wish that the leaf cape had made it. That hood is one of the coolest pieces I own. Man, those guys can draw WAY better that me.
I NEED PIDGEON MAN
OH this is too cool! I love this!
There was originally a boy scout in Series 13?
All the artists are pretty good!
They should have made Pigeon Man, I know loads of people who'd have loved that fig.
Very interesting to have a look behind the scenes again. I wish I had such a talent at drawing! It must be delightful to know that if your ideas are good, they will turn into a genuine and real toy, enjoyed by so many... Sometimes not as expected maybe, but one cannot reach perfection with each try. This 40th anniversary gives us good opportunities to have a different look on our beloved minifigs and sets. Thank you for all this.
Very insightful. LEGO should come out with a book specifically with all this stuff like video games that have their art and creative process books.
I don't see a pigeon? it also looks like they were thinking of doing an islander in series 12. lots of cool drawings and ideas!
Curious that they design the figures in poses that an actual minifigure could never attain. I would have expected that artistic licence to come in more when it got as far as the marketing people. Interesting article!
@ Jrsmiley Pigeon guy is on the same Matthew Ashton sketch as Banana guy.
Looks like a penguin to me :)
I love these sketches! Great finds Huw!
They should do a book on Lego art.
I love this kind of stuff! It's great seeing concept to product! :)
@Bricklunch
The posing will actually help somewhat with the design process. Sometimes you can get stuck with a certain part of it and the pose will help tell part of the characters story. You can then use that to add small details or even a stronger expression! ^^
I guess they dropped the wings on the Alien trooper so it wouldn't be so Lovecraftian
@Catanas: That seems like a good explanation. Seems the bending of reality isn't just a marketing tool after all but more a sensible element of the design process.
Matthew Ashton, first image, bottom right corner.
IS THAT A ZUCKUSS!?
I'd love to see older minifigure design sketches. There's some wonderful concept art for the LEGO Studios monsters out there and I have to assume more stuff like that exist somewhere within their archives.
Interesting that the Chicken Suit Guy and the Cat Suit Girl were originally going to be children, and that they were on the same design sheet. I bet that a lot of time Minifig designs are rejected for their proposed project but are recycled for a future one.
Most of these made it to a CMF line albeit with a few changes (size and accessory inclusion).
@lordofdragonss I'm pretty sure that you are seeing Penguin Boy.
I started drawing recently and this article is inspiring! Thanks!
@CCC It only makes sense to refer to other works as when say modeling the rogues headpiece looking at Assassins Creed gives them more of an idea of what it is like as there's a ton more reference material there to work with.
Shame we didn't get that custom jester rattle piece
Glad to know which designs are from Bourdon, I always love his designs... But ultimately really eager to see the next regular CMF series (yes not counting series 18).
The pigeon is on Austin Carlson’s sketches.
Love this... wish I could sketch this well!
This looks very cool, I need to pick up my drawing skills again.
By the way "If you're viewing on a PC, once you've enlarged one you can use the left/right arrows to quickly browse through them all." doesn't work for me, don't see any arrows.
@CreativeTim.
He meant the arrows on your keyboard. Just click on the first image and then press the right arrow on your keyboard to scroll.
Works on mac too btw :-)
Thanks brisket. A wonderful set of articles to celebrate the anniversary of the minifig.
Interesting how the unused Elf hood was eventually repurposed for Ninjago.
@Ender37: That's not unused, that's the Rogue from Series 16. The Ninjago hood pieces are different.
I suspect that "islander" character from the sketches might well be what became the Island Warrior from Series 11 (or maybe it was intended to be a followup matching character)
@CCC:
I'm pretty sure that's the Chicken, with its head tilted back so the comb isn't quite as visible. It just _looks_ pigeonish because the dark lines showing the texture on the wings evoke the stripes on a pigeon's wings.
Love seeing the creative process when it come to these designs, esp. Alexandre Boudon's work/s. Heck, it's fun just to play 'Boudon Bingo' when new minifigs come out; and it's just plain fun that he realized the potentials of both 'Ghost Busters' and 'Scooby Doo' in Lego before TLG did. Although called 'Ghost Hunters'...Hmmm, did that become 'Monster Fighters'? Oh, and...well..."Scooby" was a monkey:
http://lego-minifigures.tumblr.com/post/61418539301/alexandre-boudon-when-alexandre-boudon-applied-as
WOW!!!!