Monday, September 22, 2014

Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead Altar in Lego



I have soooo many plans for Lego builds or MOCs (Model of Choice), probably too many to ever realize in my lifetime. But I was looking at some Day of the Dead artworks and felt quite inspired and decided, "That's it! I'm finally making my little shrine I've been meaning to assemble for almost four years now!"


I knew I wanted a bride (Catrina?) and groom in some sort of chapel. That was clear from the beginning. I also knew I would use the Lego scorpion, spider and bats. Bats were iconic symbols used not just by the ancient Mayans but by the Aztecs as well!


The little werewolf at the top of my altar is the one part I suddenly stumbled on last minute. And it's my favorite little detail, though he's already pre-made and an official Lego figure. He's tiny!


I could have gone the easy, very modern route and used a simple red-black-white color scheme. Those colors are striking and can be elegant at times. But traditional Dia de los Muertos art uses many vibrant colors, which I find can be almost creepier in some cases.


The bride's torso and skirt are from the Hollywood Starlet figure from Collectible Minifigures series #9. The groom's torso is from a much older minifigure.


The werewolf. My favorite!


Flowers and skulls. Life and death.


The hole in the middle of the backside makes it easy to hang. I actually have the "shrine" hanging in my living room.


I've made many Lego MOC's not available in any store, usually a spaceship or sci fi environment. This was a fun departure from my usual.








3 comments:

  1. Hiya, what pieces did you use for the eyes?... totally love this idea... great work!!!

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    1. Wow! Thank you. Sorry, I had abandoned this blog for quite some time and I missed this comment. The eyes are a combination of some kind of tan colored technic gear parts, red dish parts and pink flower parts.

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  2. Thank you for the awesome idea... i finally managed to complete my own version...
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155575779565700&set=a.10152346564685700.1073741860.587770699&type=3&theater

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