DIY Lego Artwork: Silhouette Templates for Lego Mosaics

Lego has been marketing to adults for some time now, but some of their recent additions have been vying for space on our walls as artwork. If you love Lego but aren't artistic enough to make complex pieces of artwork, with shading and fancy techniques like that, you've come to the right place! This simple technique will allow you to design big, bold graphics while still being a custom art piece you can claim is all yours! The key to this technique is that you create a template to follow before you even pick up a brick. 

 
As you may know if you've read my other How To blog posts, I use PowerPoint to do much of my designing. It's super silly in some ways, but it is because I am comfortable with the tools and it is a nearly universal software that most people have. What I'll describe here is a pretty easy process that doesn't require much artistic ability, just a lot of patience and diligence. We'll first create a basic transparent grid of one color, use a silhouette graphic for reference, and then "trace" the reference graphic by filling some of the squares a different color. 

 
 

1. To start, open up a new, blank presentation. Draw a square by using the rectangle tool and holding down Shift to ensure the height and width are equal. Make it relatively small, since you'll be making a lot of these. Mine ended up being 0.26" by 0.26". 

2. Use the Format Shape options to choose the color you want as the background color for your design.

3. Increase the Transparency of the Fill to about 32%. This is really important, so you'll be able to see the reference image later.

4. Add a Solid line that will be visible as well, this well help you see the borders of each shape, both when you're duplicating them and creating the grid, and later when you're drawing your silhouette. I used 1.75 pt Width and a fairly dark color.

5. Now, we get to the tedious copy and paste steps. A word of warning, it is worth spending the time to make sure the lines are very straight and lined up here. Copy the square and paste it. PowerPoint will put the new square slightly offset. 

6. Grab that new square and drag it next to the first one. Automatic guidelines will temporarily appear and help you ensure that it matches the alignment of the first square. When you're satisfied, release the mouse. If you're not happy with the alignment, you can click on it and move it again, or use the arrow keys on your keyboard to adjust slightly.

7. When you're happy with that alignment, copy both squares and paste, to make a 2x2 square. You'll notice the guidelines will disappear if they're not well aligned and will re-appear when they are aligned.

8. Keep copying and pasting bigger and bigger rectangles or squares until you have the desired size (you can keep track of this by making a 2x2, then 4x4, then 8x8, etc). I chose a 32 x 32 grid because that's one of the sizes for the base plates, so that would be easy to mount because it doesn't require additional plates. For reference, the Lego art pieces are 48 x 48. If you plan to purchase one of those sets in order to re-purpose the frames and pieces, then you'll want to make your grid 48 x 48 to match. Another note: when you have the top half, if it looks like you're going to exceed the size of the slide, you may want to slide the whole grid up slightly above the slide so that the bottom portion doesn't try to snap to the edge of the slide. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Now, if you don't have a reference graphic you want to emulate already, use Google Images and search for the topic you're interested in and use the word "silhouette" in search if needed. Ideally, look for a simple graphic with a white or transparent background and a black or very dark graphic.

10. Copy and paste the image into a new slide and enlarge it if needed. Use the 

11. Remove Background feature if needed to remove distracting things in the background. If the silhouette is the wrong color and you can find a good graphic to use that has the right color, you can also utilize the Color and Corrections tools in PowerPoint to make white outlines black, etc.

 

 

 

12. Copy the updated graphic to the slide with your grid. Adjust the size of the reference graphic to fit in the grid but also to take up as much space as possible in the grid.
 

13. If the "shape" containing the graphic isn't extending beyond the grid, it's a good idea to use the Crop tool to actually extend the shape. This will allow you to select the graphic to delete it later.
 

14. It's also a good idea to make a copy of this finished reference graphic to a blank slide just in case.
 

15. Now, go back to the slide with the grid and the reference silhouette graphic. Right-click on the reference graphic and select "Send to Back". Since you made the fill of the squares transparent, you should see the silhouette still coming through but less clear.
 

 

 

 

16. Select just one box in the grid which is showing inside the silhouette, and change the color to whatever you want to use as your foreground. In the example, I just used white as my foreground color, but because it still has the transparency setting, it looks grey because the reference graphic is black. This is fine for now, you'll see  it more clearly later.
 

 

 

 

17. As much fun as selecting each box and changing the fill each time would be, there is a REALLY helpful tool here that's going to make this a bit faster: the Format Painter. If you've never used the Format Painter before, now's the time to learn. First, click the newly colored square (the white square in my example), then Double-Click on Format Painter. Now, every square you click will turn that color (and take on all formatting) until you either click outside of the shapes or hit Esc on your keyboard. Be sure not to hit your reference graphic (use Undo if you do).
 

18. Using this tool, you can start "coloring" the area that your silhouette shows. Don't worry if you go too far, you can always use the Format Painter to go back over squares you want to change back. Keep "coloring" until your silhouette is mostly traced / covered. If you want to see how it looks or check your technique, you hit Esc on your keyboard and delete the reference silhouette graphic - your art is taking shape! Use Undo to put it back in place.
 

19. If you do other steps before putting it back, use the copy of the graphic you made on the other slide, copy and paste it back on your main working slide and then use the "Send to Back" function again.

20. When you're happy with your "colored" pattern, delete the reference silhouette graphic and then select all of the squares and change the line to "No Line". This will give you a better view of what it will look like. Use Undo or add the solid lines back to use for a template. 

 

Voila! You now have a template for making your own custom Lego art. Time to go to the Lego Store for Pick-a-Brick or order online to get the pieces you need.
 

What are you going to create? Post pictures in the comments!

 

 

 

 

 

My finished product shown here, I added a sun behind my palm tree and used regular white bricks instead of the circles for the palm tree and frame. I needed the purple and yellow dots from two Marilyn Monroe sets and two 32x32 white baseplates to make this.

 

 

Pro-tip: Employ kids or significant others to help you out by defining so-many rows or columns that are one solid color, to lighten your load. Using my palm tree example, I had 9 columns on one side and 4 columns on the other side that were going to be all the same color, as highlighted in darker blue here. You can use painter's tape to tape over the area you don't want them to place bricks on, if needed.

 

 

 Update: I made a second one in different colors!

Here's another example of a simple custom Lego Mosaic piece I created for a giraffe with sunglasses:

I used this AI-generated graphic as the inspiration:

 

 

Here's my design from PowerPoint:

 

Here's the final art:

For more complex graphics, this website is a great, free way to generate instructions: https://lego-art-remix.com/

Note that in Step 1 under Resolution, you can input the size of your canvas. 

How I Work Full Time and Run a (Mostly) Passive-Income Business on the Side

Spoiler Alert: I am not going to tell you a secret that requires no work and makes you millions, because those kinds of things just aren't real. 

It didn't take me long to learn that there are two ways to increase your wealth: cut your expenses and increase your income. Usually, becoming wealthy takes a lot of both. So while some people spend time "saving" money with coupons and scouring the earth for the best deal which may or may not be for something they actually need, or buying in bulk and having to store their goods for months on end, I focus on increasing my income so that I don't have to be a penny-pincher. And truthfully, a lot of my energy goes towards my day job, because I know if I kick butt there, I will be eligible for raises, promotions and bonuses, and I also regularly look at external jobs that I could interview for. All that being said, if you're still with me, I'm more than happy to share with you what I do as a sort of hobby that also earns me a little bit of "fun money," that also serves as a creative outlet for me.

I've found a little corner of the interwebs where I can design patterns, primarily for fabrics, but also for wallpaper, wrapping paper and decals. I create the designs in the

crude but effective PowerPoint, upload them, proof them (this costs a little bit of money) and then mark them for sale and earn commissions. When a customer orders one of my patterns, they select what fabric or format they want it on, then the website handles the order processing, printing the pattern onto the selected fabric to the specified size the customer ordered, and shipping it. And even before the product is shipped, the commission has dropped into my account, where it accumulates until I either spend it (usually on more proofs) or it gets paid out on a bi-weekly basis into my PayPal account. What's nice is that by using the site I use, my job is "mostly" done once a pattern is for sale. So essentially, there is some basic setup, and then money starts trickling in.
 
The caveat is that the infamous myth of "if you build it, they will come," is rarely true in our hyperconnected, attention-sucking world. I find there is a strong correlation between "driving traffic" through the use of social media posts and word of mouth, and my commissions. In other words, I make more money when I actively drive traffic to my designs, rather than relying on people to seek my designs out. So again, I could call it quits when I complete a design and get it up for sale. But I choose to take a more active approach to drive sales. The good news is that this also requires just a little bit of setup, and then is super simple and quick after that. So let's talk about the actual mechanics and routine of my little fabric design business.

Friday evenings I often have down time, and am exhausted from my work week. If I have noted some ideas for designs, I usually turn on the TV mostly for background noise and start idly playing with the shapes and colors of my design ideas. If I don't have any ideas queued up, I might seek out inspiration via TV, movies, YouTube, design sites and/or by reaching out. Inspiration can come from anywhere! I will often collect several ideas on a Pinterest board before getting started. The creative juices start flowing, and I often feel the sensation of getting a second wind despite being mentally tired from the workweek.

I put all my new designs in a collection, and unless I have an urgent request or feel the need to get out on the market within a week or two, I usually wait until I have at least 12 designs to proof, to reduce the cost of each proof. I usually have some recent income in my account, so the cost of proofing comes out of my income, which I don't consider in my personal budgeting anyways so it's like it's free. Once I receive my proofs, barring any issues with the way they look printed, I put them up for sale and move them into their permanent collections (just a few clicks). Then I arrange the physical fabrics and take a few pictures, crop the pictures and create social media posts with the pictures and links to the designs. I also add the pictures to the design pages. These social media posts then become part of my rotation of posts. Most weekends, usually on Sunday, while watching TV or riding as a passenger somewhere, getting a pedicure, etc, I will use Hootsuite to schedule posts for the next week or two, to continue driving traffic. The big secret here is that I scroll through my previous posts, select the retweet option, and then remove the part in the message that makes it a retweet, so then it looks like a fresh, new tweet even if I haven't changed up the wording at all. I use the Autoschedule function which makes it super quick to schedule many posts in one sitting. I can do it in bed, while in the bathroom, while waiting for someone, while riding as a passenger, whenever I have internet and a few idle moments. About a week's worth of messages can be scheduled in about 20 or 30 minutes, and then I'm done for the week!

About once a month or so, usually on the weekends, I will respond to customer purchases (I usually wait at least two weeks to give the customer time to receive the fabric and start their project so I'm top of mind when they're working on it, not when they're waiting for it to arrive) and any messages from customers. Every time I get a purchase from a user, (there are guest purchases whom I can't contact) I make sure to do four things: (1) Thank the customer for their purchase, (2) Invite her to share a picture of the finished product with me so I can show off her work, (3) Provide a link to designs they may also be interested in (within my portfolio) based on what they've bought, and (4) Ask the customer to reach out to me if they have requests for similar designs with different colors, or any other ideas we can work on together. When customers send me pictures of their creations (which are way better than what I could make on my own), I get great free marketing material!  Of course, I only share with permission, but using my customers' feedback and pictures is much more fruitful and easier than coming up with my own graphics and content. 

That's it. That's all I do, and it's not really every weekend that I attend to my business other than scheduling social media posts from Hootsuite. It may be once a month, or maybe six weeks go by before I return to design work or responding to customers. I primarily make sure to have social media messages scheduled, and I make money daily. Again, it's not a lot of money, but it's real money I can use for charity or travel, and the little bit of effort it takes is also relaxing, fun and inspiring, so it's good for my soul!

The site I use is called Spoonflower, but before you jump immediately to that site and create your profile, keeping reading, because fabric patterns are not the only way to do this, and there is also a little bit more to think about. 

Find something you enjoy doing and happen to be good at. This may be easier said than done (trust me, I have a ton of passions and have been called unfocused more than once), but it's generally free or cheap to experiment, and failure can teach us as much as success. If you can't think of anything interesting and extraordinary to do, consider (1) taking a class at your local community college, library or arts center, (2) browsing Twitter for trends/topics that interest you, and then do more research to become an expert, (3) perusing fiverr.com for examples of things people do and get inspired, and/or (4) practicing a variety of arts and skills until you find a niche that stands out to you.

Don't quit your dayjob, or endanger it. Seriously, this is not a blog about how to start a business that will make you millions. But just as important, don't start a side business that competes, or can be perceived as competing, with your dayjob. Conflict of interest is a serious issue that can lead to getting a person fired, or at least in trouble, and isn't worth it. Besides, who wants to do more of the same? Variety is the spice of life; I find my work on the side liberates different parts of my brain and personality. My dayjob is somewhat analytical, so my side business is creative, fun and relaxing. Also, it's important not to use company resources, work time or work connections for your side business, to avoid conflict of interest issues again.

List your wares. We live in a global marketplace where the most niche products can find customers and novel ideas and content can go viral with millions of viewers. The first step to getting out there is finding your corner of this marketplace. Etsy is perhaps one of the most well-known marketplaces for crafts and art forms, but there are many other platforms on which you can express yourself. CafePress is another one that comes to mind, but do a Google search for "personalized gifts" and you'll find sites where you can upload designs and sell them pretty readily. I like the Spoonflower model because there's no fee for uploading or listing them for sale. Again, Spoonflower handles the order processing, production and shipment, so for that they get the bulk of the revenue, but I get a little percentage-based commission for every purchase of my fabric.

Promote and drive traffic. Coming back to perhaps the biggest myth of entrepreneurship, the, "If you build it, they will come," mantra. If you make a great product people are looking for, and you do your SEO (keywords & tags) right, you will get some traffic and maybe some sales that way. But for the most part, your work has only begun when you've posted your design. In many ways, people need to know a product is out there before they know they want it. I try to inspire the crafty-minded people with my messaging, and also use hash tags that help non-followers find my posts. I usually post new designs to facebook only once, but I will repeat posts on Twitter.

Here I would advise you to be sensitive to your social networks - many people are turned of by soliciting on facebook, and you may find yourself unfriended if you persist. So for facebook, I tend to make it more about, "Look at this cool thing I did," and less about, "Buy my new design." Customer pictures are a great example of something I feel I can share on facebook, because I give them a shoutout instead of making it about selling my product. Save the hard sales for Twitter, where you can post regularly and many of your posts will get lost in the shuffle until the right people come across the right ones. Hootsuite is an invaluable tool for scheduling posts across multiple social media platforms and accounts, and it's free for a limited number of accounts, but well worth the upgraded account. At a minimum, try the free version when you are working on starting your business.  I won't get into keywords and SEO here, because that's a huge topic, but if you are unfamiliar with these topics, Google them to understand a little bit better about how to use the right language to get picked up in search in the best way possible. 

One other point on promoting through social media: make sure it's "social" and not just free advertising. Think about trying to inspire people, including creating content such as a how-to or a catalog of inspiration. A good rule of thumb is that you should have at least 3 "soft sell" or helpful content posts for every "hard sell" post (i.e. "Buy my product"). 

Use pictures. This is a no-brainer in social media these days, but for the novice, it must be said. Posts with graphics get way better visibility than plain text or text with links. Make great graphics, drive more traffic. I like to use pictures my customers send me (more on this later) to help inspire new customers and show my admiration of my customers' skill.

Make what customers want. This is another point that may seem easier said than done, but I think you'll find its actually easier than you think. Anyone familiar with the lean startup methodology understands that asking customers upfront can save you time and effort down the road. The trick, I've found, is asking the right questions. If you ask questions that are too generic, you're putting the burden of the creative process on the customer, and I think you'll find, as I have, that most people are not all that creative. If, on the other hand, you ask questions that are too specific, you'll get false positives - that is, you'll get reassurances like "yeah, that's a great idea," but the income won't follow because it's not necessarily what people want. Here's an example from my business: I have found that recreating fabric patterns from popular characters has been profitable, so I will ask facebook friends, fellow nerds, and previous customers, "What is your favorite cartoon character?" Or, "What movie are you looking forward to most this year?" Not all characters have a distinctive fabric pattern associated with them, but the answers to these questions can at least give me leads to look into and get inspired.

Engage your customers. It may be obvious to some people, but it was a major revelation for me when I realized that people who have bought my fabric are the people most likely to buy my fabric in the future. My customers (a) either have some disposable income to spend on fabrics or are using the fabrics for their own business, (b) are obviously interested in fabric crafts, and (c) have access to my fabric store. From a target market perspective it doesn't get much more targeted than that! While some of my best-selling designs were original ideas, many of my top sellers originated with a request from a customer that had bought something else first. Probably my biggest success story was a request from a previous customer that, once completed and listed for sale, she shared with all her friends, and within a week, I had about 5x my normal income, and it quickly became popular among strangers too. When you do something your customer wants and loves, the reciprocity of word of mouth is powerful!

Make a routine. What I've tried to describe here so far are some general guidelines and specific examples of getting your (mostly) passive income business set up. Once you have found something you either have confidence in or are committed to experimenting with, get a routine down. As alluded to before, there may be some truly passive income of people searching for your exact product, but I consider my business less passive than that. 


It's not a lot of work, but with a steady routine of just a little bit of effort, I keep a steady stream of extra "fun money" coming in.  And who doesn't want a little more money every two weeks?  

Want to bring Disney into your home? Check out my book on Amazon Kindle! 

Design Hacks for Disney Themed Rooms

Phoenix Frank Lloyd Wright Tour - Taliesen West and Beyond

Exit the 101 on Cactus and head east far enough and you'll stumble upon a working architecture school founded and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built by the labor of his apprentices.  Taliesin West served as summer home for the elderly Wright and his last wife, who was not so elderly when they were wed.  An experimental playground for Wright's architecture ideas and the basis for many of his greatest creations, Taliesin West is teeming with interesting history and is still a working school at the same time.  Tours run daily, but to make the most of your visit, I recommend you make a day (or weekend) of it. 

Start by acquiring or borrowing a copy of PBS's "Frank Lloyd Wright" documentary and watching it together.  Warning, it is a bit long, so grab some snacks and drinks and settle in.  You'll learn of his scandalous life, including a tale of cold-blooded murder, his either cocky or genius opinions, and about his career which really didn't accelerate until he was well past the age of 80 and had founded Taliesin West. 
Book your tour of Taliesin West online and early - this saves money and ensures you will get the tour time you want, as they do sell out quickly (we arrived at 10:35 and they were selling tickets for the 12:30 tour at that time, by the time our tour had concluded around 1, they were sold out for the rest of the day).  Before you do your tour, if you haven't seen or paid much attention to the Frank Lloyd Wright Spire, take a quick detour to Scottsdale and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd to see it, then proceed to Taliesin West.  Plan to get there at least 15 minutes prior to your tour - you may want even more time because the giftshop/bookstore had a lot of neat things and books in it.  The tour allows pictures, so bring your camera and don't forget to take a few selfies - you can find pictures (that are probably better than yours) online or in the giftshop, but

selfies are cool because they are part of your experience.  Bonus points if you know how to play the piano - you'll get an opportunity to entertain guests just like they did when Wright was running the school.  If you have little ones, try engaging them with this scavenger hunt I put together. 

After your tour, pick up whatever mementos you wish at the gift shop (I mean really, there's a sticker for $0.75, cool bookmarks, ornaments, fun books - it's worth bringing something home).  Head over to Butterfield's for brunch.  This has nothing to do with Frank Lloyd Wright, but it's in the perfect location between Taliesin and the Biltmore area where many of the houses he designed are, and it's amazing food.  Next up, plug the following addresses into your GPS and let it guide you past the private residences just long enough for you to peak in.  More info can be found here: http://franklloydwrightsites.com/arizona/

• 6442 E Cheney Dr, Paradise Valley - This is called the Pieper House and was constructed in 1952.
• 5802 N 30th St, Phoenix - This is called the Benjamin Adelman House and was constructed in 1950. The next location is just next door...
• 5808 N 30th St, Phoenix - This is called Boomer Cottage and was constructed in 1953.
• 6636 N 36th St, Phoenix - This is the Norman Lykes House, constructed in 1959.  There are other really neat houses in the area, but if you're familiar with Gammage, you'll recognize the earth-toned curves of Frank Lloyd Wright. 
• 2701 E Arizona Biltmore Cir, Phoenix - Optional stop if you aren't familiar with the Arizona Biltmore Hotel - this was another one of Wright's works and also makes for a pretty drive with impressive non-Wright houses. 
• 1123 W Palo Verde Dr, Phoenix - This is called the Raymond Carlson House and was constructed in 1950. 
• 6750 N 7th Ave, Phoenix - This is a church Wright designed, and you'll probably recognize the style of the spire and the sprawling roof. 
• 5212 Exeter Blvd, Phoenix - I saved this one for last intentionally.  This is the David and Gladys Wright House, designed for Frank Lloyd Wright's son, David, and has an impressive Gammage-like structure you can see well from the street.  Tours are currently closed, but watch the website as they may open back up for public tours, which would make a great finale for your Frank Lloyd Wright Extravaganza. 

I've somehow managed to live in the Phoenix area for 13+ years without

realizing the substantial presence of Frank Lloyd Wright's works until very recently.  Of course, I knew Gammage was his design, and maybe I had realized at one time that the Biltmore was also his, and we have that street I pass every day called Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.  To my amazement, he had this whole school that he planted out in the desert in the Scottsdale area, as well as a number of private houses he had designed.  I came upon this discovery just two months before I moved away, and totally by happenstance and curiosity.  I was reading an article in some travel magazine I got subscribed to for free and usually ignore, and the article was about a midwestern roadtrip one could take to see some of the many sites of Frank Lloyd Wright.  I really couldn't even say what made me wonder if there were such sites in Arizona, but I googled it, and found a full page of sites credited to the great architect.  A few were familiar, but most were totally new to me.  Anyways, I took on a minor obsession, looking for documentaries on Frank Lloyd Wright and resorted to YouTube videos, including tours of Taliesin West and David Wright's house.  I borrowed the above-mentioned documentary from the library, and convinced Jaiman to watch it with me so we could go tour Taliesin West afterward.  Without really a lot of planning, after the tour, we landed at a great brunch place we've been meaning to check out, and then I realized we were very near some of the houses Wright had designed and thought it might be worthwhile to round off our little trip with a few drive-bys.  Ironically, when we got home, we popped in Bye Bye Birdie (because Jaiman hopes to meet Dick Van Dyke at the upcoming Phoenix Comicon, so that's been his minor obsession lately) and the opening seen shows the Guggenheim, which we will be visiting soon after move to CT in June.  Again, I hadn't really planned this, but it worked out magically, and I wanted to share because we really made a nice day of it. 

Whether you live in Arizona or are planning a visit, if you want some other day-trip excursion ideas, check out my Arizona Bucket List.