Organic-looking animal or plant shapes are some of the hardest shapes to achieve in LEGO—but Aurore (Flickr | Instagram) makes it look easy with this beautifully sculpted bird statue set in an autumn-colored landscape.

This isn’t the first time we’ve featured Aurore’s finely detailed medieval creations on BrickNerd, but now it’s time for more than just a MOC spotlight. I asked Aurore a few questions about the Moonbird Mausoleum and she was generous enough to share some WIP pictures with us too!

Geneva: Where did this build start? Did you base it off another piece of art, or real birds, or were you just winging it? (Pardon the pun...)

Aurore: It actually started as something entirely different! I wanted to build some kind of fantasy, mystical shrine as soon as I read about the “Ancient Wonders” category in the Guilds of Historica anniversary contest, but at first it was supposed to feature a tree. I was inspired by a gorgeous digital painting by “Grey Cat” on ArtStation.

The round shape of the shrine, the fountain and the autumnal shades remain in the final build, but the tree somehow morphed into a bird while I was experimenting with slopes…

Geneva: I don't doubt that your gorgeously sculpted bird took a lot of trial and error--how long did the process take? Was it frustrating at any point?

Aurore: I started it in early August, and the whole build was finished by mid-October. I feel like it took me an eternity to finish it, but after all, it was rather quick!

I spent most of the time working on the wings… and getting discouraged by the general fragility of my attempts. The wings collapsed so many times! At some point I thought of building a dragon instead, to try a different kind of wing and avoid those pesky angled feathers. But I have a soft spot for birds… so I went on.

The final design is not the sturdiest and could not withstand a lot of play, but at least it does not fall apart at the mere sight of breeze!

Geneva: This MOC is part of the ongoing Chronicles of Embervale—would you like to tell us a little bit about the story and what is inspiring you to write it?

Aurore: The overall idea of the Chronicles has been lurking in mind for many years, revolving around a stock character of heroic fantasy stories: a sorceress living in an isolated castle. Long before re-discovering LEGO bricks, I envisioned to draw it as a webcomic—but I have not managed to improve my drawing skills to such a level yet!

While I have a general idea of the overarching plot, ongoing contests in the AFOL community are proving an amazing source of inspiration for individual episodes. Brainstorming on the themes they propose spark ideas for both builds and situations that would drive the story forward.

The Guilds of Historica anniversary contest gave me the idea of this mausoleum and of the quest for the heart, while Brickscalibur’s minifig category allowed me to flesh out the main character’s backstory.

More Chronicles of Embervale Scenes

Geneva: Thanks Aurore, it’s been a pleasure to get a closer look at this MOC and we’re looking forward to where your story goes next!

Have you ever tried building a large scale animal out of LEGO bricks? Let us know your story in the comments!

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