Back in the spring, Veronica Watson, Lego master model builder, answered questions on Reddit about her craft. Most of them helped people understand what she does, but maybe not this one:
Q: Do you date Batman?
A: Um, no. I did not know he was available.
Or this one:
Q: How many Legos can you step on barefoot?
A: Oh god ... 2. One for each foot. I mean, after that, I would look down and realize I was stepping on them.
Those answers may not tell much about her craft, but they speak volumes about Watson’s creativity and quick, dry wit. Kind of a natural for someone who’s found a fascinating niche in a place that reminds people of childhood. This 23-year-old is actually used to hearing questions that go more like this:
Veronica, we have to do something for Game of Thrones night – what can you make?
Because, yes, it’s her job to create things out of Lego bricks at the Legoland Discovery Center in Yonkers, N.Y. Cool things. Sometimes complex things. Things that take time. Things done on the fly. She rises to all those challenges, in part because the hiring process puts potential candidates through some exercises that test their abilities to be master model builders.
“I don’t think I ever thought Lego could be a professional job,” Watson says.
But when her part-time work there gave way to graduation from New York University with a degree in urban design and architecture studies (and a minor in studio art) and the revelation that a full-time job was available, the Mount Vernon, N.Y. resident jumped at the chance. There was a building competition as part of the application process.
“There were different rounds,” Watson says. “The first round was animals. I did a duck pond and birds in a tree. The second round was musical instruments and I did an acoustic guitar. The third round had to be something that represents me. It was open-ended. I did a self-portrait – my head. They had kids who judged. I won it. I got the job.”
It’s worth mentioning that Watson grew up in a home with creative parents – mom is a painter who attended art school and dad is a writer. She was into anything that required building, drawing, painting, or “making stuff” and her parents were very encouraging of that. When playing with Legos with her two younger brothers, it was very much about the setup.
“It might be Hogwarts if you were into Harry Potter,” Watson says. “Or Lord of the Rings. We’d start with an idea, story, or theme. At some point we realized it was not so much about playing with it afterwards as it was about setting it up. We’d be in the basement for hours and hours.”
Now, that kind of focus earns her a living. For some projects, she sketches ideas on what they at Lego call ‘brick paper’ and it’s a bit of trial and error. That’s how she came to recreate the U.S. Open trophy for the women’s singles category when asked.
“I looked online for pictures of people holding it,” Watson says. “I used brick paper and did a basic outline to establish what it would look like in Lego bricks. Then I had to make it 3D.”
She also made a figure of Serena Williams – about eight inches tall -- by looking at a bunch of photos and noting details like how she might hold a tennis racket. A Nike swoosh was added to her white outfit to make it more authentic.
When I ask if Serena’s muscle was a factor in creating the model, Watson explains it is more the overall person she is trying to capture for such a small figure.
“One of the really fun parts of this is knowing you can’t reproduce everything in Lego and looking at the most essential parts of what you’re creating,” Watson says.
Her favorite work to date is the Lego creation she did of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, a mural-sized oil painting on canvas done in hues of gray, black and white. It was to celebrate his upcoming birthday.
“It was fun to do,” Watson says. “I had a lot of extra time. I put it together for myself. I recreated all the shapes and forms in the painting. It was a Sunday and most of my projects were done. I thought the black and gray tones would look good in Lego. I like art and studied art history. I’m a fan of the Picasso piece and wanted to do something Cubist in Lego.”
If that sounds wonderful but a little high-brow for kids, keep in mind that part of Watson’s job is to teach workshops for AFOL; in Lego parlance that means Adult Fans of Lego.
“Looking at any other art form is going to inspire you,” she says. “It’s really interesting to analyze how that artist broke down that section. It inspires you. You look at things differently.”
Is this like work?
“Not so much,” Watson says.
She tells me she likes to take one day at a time and let opportunities present themselves. When she’s not building things from Lego bricks, she likes to read (“a lot”), draw, watch movies, and play guitar. At her recent five-year high school reunion, she was conscious of one sure thing.
“I definitely had the weirdest job,” she says with a laugh.
Even without a caped crusader at her side.
by Nancy Colasurdo
