What do you like to use these patterns for in the context of models?

Patterns (made from cheese slopes or otherwise) are great for use as tiled floors in all sorts of dif-ferent models. They can also be used to decorate walls, and transparent pieces make great stained-glass windows.

The Blue Room at Mayo Manor

by Katie Walker

74 Chapter 4

Flipping balloon tires inside out creates an unusually textured and shaped element. The smooth round shape that results works beautifully for creature models because it’s so organic and unusual. For example, in my octopus, the main section of the body is made from a large, inside-out balloon tire and the eyes from smaller balloon tires. The tentacles are made from hard rubber DUPLO monkey tails. The tires shape the body accurately and lend an elastic texture like a real octopus.

An octopus made from inside-out

balloon tires. The texture the rub-

ber creates seems almost lifelike.

86 Chapter 5

What kind of models did you build with it?

I didn’t really incorporate the sphere into many MOCs at first, although I had a lot of ideas. But builders around the world started using it, even at LEGO and in LEGOLAND parks. Bram Lambrecht also created a sphere-gen-erator program based off the idea, and the design took on the “Lowell sphere” name. In 2010, I decided to revisit the sphere, but not just as a sphere; I wanted to expand upon the original idea and create new shapes using the 6.8-stud diameter.

To start, I extended the largest diameter of the sphere (6.8 studs) into a cylinder and added a soft curve to it by elevating “slices” of the cylinder. An example of both the cylin-der and soft curve can be seen in my Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Next, I designed a T-intersection and a 90-degree curve, which are both visible in my cactus. I then used four 90-degree curves to make a torus (doughnut) shape, which naturally became a confection-ery doughnut! I’ve continued to build other MOCs using the original sphere as well as the shapes based on it.

(TOP LEFT) The Oscar Mayer

Wienermobile by Bruce Lowell (BOTTOM

LEFT) Cactus by Bruce Lowell

103Dynamic Sculpting