Meet Keiichi, a.k.a. COFFEE PANDA and his divinely serene JAPANESE COURTYARD GARDEN 坪庭. This is a beautiful recreation of a Japanese tsuboniwa garden which you will almost immediately fall in love with. Show your support with a like!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Keiichi.
- Where are you from?
I am from Hokkaido, Japan. Hokkaido has cold winters and has hosted the Winter Olympics.
- How old are you?
43-years-old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I teach math to middle and high school students at a small tutoring school. I am in the process of pursuing an ideal education.
- What hobbies do you have?
I love history, especially Chinese history, so I like to read novels, comic books, art books, and technical books about history. My latest hobby is, of course, building works of art with LEGO bricks.So I would like to eventually make a work of art with a Chinese theme.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
The production process is uploaded on Instagram.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud of it and do you have a photo of it?
I am most confident in the work I have created so far, 'Hina Doll' which I submitted to LEGO Ideas.I have been wanting to make a real Japanese-style design with LEGO bricks for a long time. And since my mother loves Hina Dolls, I decided to make this Hina Doll as my first work. I think it is the most time-consuming and the most complete of all my works, and of course, I like the finished product the best.
Please support it if you like!
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I was too young to remember the first time I played with LEGO bricks. I was playing with my sister, building all kinds of things. From then on, we were doing our own original designs or MOCs. Later, when I became an adult, I started giving LEGO bricks to my friends' children, and my own passion for LEGO building was revived.
- What is the LEGO hobby to you? What does it mean to you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
I have always enjoyed drawing and designing, but LEGO building has expanded my enjoyment of it. I think that LEGO fans can respect each other's work because they can understand how highly skilled the other's work is and how new the ideas are. It is a very enriching experience to see the work of people from all over the world and to have your work seen by people from all over the world.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
It is very difficult to choose. If I dare to choose, it would be the LEGO City series. I was very excited as a child because all I had were a few buildings and cars, but the product brochures showed a huge city spread out. I remember looking at the brochure for a long time without getting bored.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
This is another tough question, but if I had to choose, it would be 6685 Fire Copter. The reason is that I had one, and I still think it is the coolest-shaped helicopter in LEGO form. I really love it!
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
This is it.
Being able to mount parts sideways was very special to me as a child. Of course, I still use it a lot. I love it because I can use it to make steps half the thickness of a LEGO board.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
Just like the first Idea, 'Hina Dolls', I thought that expressing Asian, especially Japanese, things was my speciality, so I wanted to reproduce my favourite scenery with LEGO bricks and have LEGO fans around the world see it.
- How long was the process of making the project, and what did you have to research as well? What kind of prep, research and design phases did you go through to produce your creation?
It took about 50 days. The progress is uploaded on Instagram.
I have always loved Japanese tsuboniwa gardens, but when it came time to create one, it was impossible to do so just from imagination, so first I collected many images of Japanese tsuboniwa gardens. Next, I gathered elements of those gardens that I particularly liked and reconstructed them, which was a difficult and very enjoyable process. Even if each element is well done, if it is not placed properly, it will not be a beautiful garden. I really felt like a gardener. - What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
In addition to placement, colour scheme was also important to create a beautiful garden. I tried different colour schemes and compared them to show the discolouration of the buildings over time and the growth of moss through colour changes.This was only possible because of the software, not the actual blocks, so I think this work would never have been possible in my childhood.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took 4 months and 10 days to get 10,000 votes. Of course, I was happy, but I think it was thanks to being selected for staff pick, so I guess I was lucky.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
I used 2997 pieces. I am just under the 3000-piece limit.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used STUDIO 2.0.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
I would love some advice too!
Anyway, I make what I like! Make things you want to give to others! That is my stance.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
Here are a few of the works currently submitted to LEGO Ideas that I wish would be appreciated by more people.
First is Kmkinglai's LUNAR NEW YEAR FAI CHUN CALLIGRAPHY. I respect his skill in reproducing Chinese characters so beautifully in LEGO. Next is SWORDFISH II by jasontmaynard and VENETIAN GONDOLA by Sebabricks.
One thing I struggle with in LEGO building is the expression of curved surfaces. I think these works are outstanding in their technique of making a ship look like it is composed of smooth curved surfaces.
- Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint of what that might be?
'Traditional Chinese Garden'. I would like to make a work filled with my favourite scenery.
