Hockey Player
When I received an email for another wedding cake (not sure why they're so popular, but hey they're fun and if they make someone's day, they're worth it :-), I also received a request to make something "hockey" out of LEGO. Mosiacs are not very challenging for me, so I suggested a hockey player sculpture to the client.
Originally, I was going to construct him in a face-off position, but since hockey players stand on the edge of their blades during a face-off, the balance was going to be difficult to figure out, especially with a short building time frame. Since the husband is a Colorado Avalance fan, I had to make it in the correct colors.
I found a few toy figures of hockey players, and they made good models for correct body positioning and proportioning. I started with the skates (had to rocker them, where a figure skater's blade is flat, the hockey player's blade is rocked so they can change direction quickly), and moved up from there.
Like the Maneki Neko, I made the arms modular. This is really helpful, especially since he had to be shipped across the country. It also helps with the stability because the arms are not built into the model. You can also see that LEGO used a similar technquie for their Minifigure sculpture.
Another important thing the player needed was the likeness of the husband's favorite Avalanache player, Joe Sakic. I created his helmet and face shield so it would look very simliar to the one he wears in his white uniform.
The most difficult part about constructing him was the hands. I had to make them the hockey gloves, but not let them become too huge, and still allow the player to grip the hockey stick. I ended up using regular plates for the hands, and giving the thumb some rotation so you can have him give a thumbs up, or actually grip the hockey stick.
He is definitely an original. I was thinking of making a second one to have around for a prototype, but I'm going to retire him. :-) Working on people is much harder for me than working on creatures, but it's nice to extend past your comfort level to see what you can do.
Some stats: about a foot tall, lots of dark red, white, and blue plates and bricks, and my best guessimate is around 800 yellow pieces.
More pictures are available at my Brickshelf folder, including the progress.