Behind the Build: Facing the Dragon

Behind the Build

Facing the Dragon started as a sketch in my project planning journal. I highly recommend making a sketch like this when planning a large build. While I often like to freestyle my projects, having a set direction helped keep my goal clear as I built. 

Next I built the dragon. As one of the focal points of the build, it was important to nail the design early. I wanted the head, mouth, and neck to be fully articulated to allow for the best pose. While I initially planned to build the entire body, wings and all, I decided to use darkness to suggest a much larger creature, which both makes the scene grander and reduces the amount of building and sculpting required.

From there, I began to construct the stone walls for the outside of the cave, producing a mockup by laying out where the existing pieces would be placed. The walls were designed in modular sections, which I expected to use to make transportation easier. However, as the build grew, I realized that keeping them in place would make for a more stable build. In future projects, I will plan ahead to make sure that both stability and easy transport will be viable.

At this point of the build, I had to figure out how to build on a diagonal, since I wanted the stone wall to be as long as possible. I found an online Pythagorean aid, and modified it slightly to allow for better support and extra connections underneath the diagonal plates. The first part of the inside of the cave was assembled, as was the prototype for the back of the build. The dragon was mounted, and the path to the cave was set in place.

Here, the left side of the cave was completed, and the advanced darkness put in place.  Both sides of the cave were connected, to each and to the ground. The left was still missing its final panel.

Enter the wizard! The walls connect in a more stable fashion and extend higher than before. Roots were added to the roof of the cave to introduce a bit of life. I left a little room for the final panel to connect to the rest.

The wall was finally completed, just in time for my vacation to attend my brother's wedding. All that remained was the detailing of the outside, as well as fitting the back to the new height.

On the edge of completion! Trees, plants, and a few critters are added. Between this photo and the final shots in my gallery, I added the magic fire, the floating spellbook, and the cushions. More on those below.

The Story of the Build 

Up until about three months ago, I was struggling with motivation and executive dysfunction. My hobbies, interests, and even important tasks took exorbitant amounts of energy to engage with. Then I received my Hero Journal, from a Kickstarter project my wife had backed. It helped me to reframe my goal, my dream of someday working for LEGO, as a quest. I immediately became more active, and re-engaged with my passions and work. 

In this build, I am the wizard. The dragon represents inaction, which is why its treasure is not gold, but pillows, cushions, and blankets; things that kept me comfortable and in place, but prevented me from acting on my dream. And the spellbook is my Hero Journal, helping the wizard to overcome his foe. I had experimented with adding smoke, electricity, or some other effect to the dragon, but decided against it. The wizard is prepared and knows what he needs to do. The dragon is taken by surprise and has no time to ready an attack. Its defeat is certain. 

I may build more scenes featuring the wizard in the future, chronicling my journey as I work towards my quest. I hope you've enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at Facing the Dragon. Until we meet again! 

Creativity is Magic

Seth Crino