Lego rules, OK
We recently stumbled across the flickr photos of Halifax-based photographer Chris McVeigh. And, as it turns out, he’s into Lego, Star Wars and chipmunks. FTW. We emailed him some questions and he kindly answered them. The internet’s pretty cool like that.
Above: Halifax Townhouse 1
Hey Chris, thanks for chatting with us. Let’s talk Lego. We’ve had a snoop around flickr and, must say, love your Lego set. Particular favourites are the Halifax Townhouses you’ve built. Are these modelled on actual homes in Halifax? Did you work from photographs?
I took inspiration from multiple sources for my Halifax townhouses, but the first one (pictured above) was modeled on a building right around the corner from here. I kept the scale small and loosely interpreted the design, but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to replicate the house as best I could (taking some artistic license, of course).
Above: Halifax Townhouse 2
You created the townhouses first using Lego’s online Digital Designer. Did you then purchase the specific bricks used? How much did the Townhouses cost to build?
I put together the first two houses in Lego Digital Designer, but I actually built them with a combination of bricks I already had and a custom order from Lego’s Pick A Brick store. It was purely a cost-saving measure; given the choice, I would just have clicked Buy! The most annoying part of the process was creating an inventory of parts I needed. Lego Digital Designer, perhaps intentionally, doesn’t show you a list of bricks in your building. So I had to use the application’s selection tools to choose all identical bricks, move them out of the model, and count them by hand. It was VERY tiresome. So, for the third townhouse (the one I actually posted to flickr first), I just ordered directly through Lego Digital Designer. The cost was $210CDN for that one, or about $198US.
Is there a third townhouse still under construction? How many do you intend to build in total?
There is a third townhouse, yes. It’s actually the second one I designed (hah, confused yet!?). It’s assembled and set up next to the other two. You’ll see an upcoming photo, though I don’t know when I’ll actually post a full photo of it on its own. It’s nice, but I think it skews a little too “girly” for my liking. I’m thinking about making some edits. :D
Above: A screen grab of Halifax Townhouse 3, taken from Lego’s Digital Designer software
A while back we re-created Gym Class Magazine’s HQ using Lego’s Digital Designer. Wanna have a look?
Above: Gym Class Magazine HQ, re-created using Lego’s Digital Designer
Hah, that’s a pretty big building! It might be fun to build.
As well as being a Lego enthusiast, you’re also quite the Star Wars fan. Your photographs with Star Wars Lego characters interacting with real, live chipmunks are genius. Surely there’s some Photoshop magic being worked here?
Only for color edits and nitpicky details. I assure you, the chipmunks are doing whatever it is they seem to be doing, though mutated interpretation is really what makes these photos work. Now what I mean by that is that the camera catches the chipmunks in some odd poses that seem relevant to the scenario; for example, in Oh Noes! the chipmunk appears to be gasping. But he’s not. He’s actually just shoved an almond into his mouth and is pushing it into his left cheek pouch. This is why his tongue is partially visible; normally, you wouldn’t see it.
Above, from top: Space Cowboy and It’s a Trap!
To wrap up, what’s it like living in Halifax? We’ve been to a few cities in Canada, but haven’t yet made it to Halifax. You make it look real cool, is it?
I think it’s like any other city; it is both good and bad. It’s nice living so close to the sea where there is a nicely developed waterfront. And in this part of town, the townhouses are old and colorful and there’s no end to the inspiration for the Lego builder. But there are seedy parts of town, worn out industrial areas, etc.
Thanks for your time, Chris. You rock!
You are very welcome!
For more, check out Chris McVeigh’s website and his flickr. Chris is also on Twitter, you should follow him. Yay!