Lego convention taking place this weekend in Dayton

Portraits, national monuments and popular children’s books characters are being brought to life with Legos this weekend in Dayton.

The Brick Universe Lego Fan Convention takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Dayton Convention Center, located at 22 E. Fifth St.

News Center 7 Reporter Malik Perkins spoke with one of the artists at the convention to learn exactly what goes into making the Lego displays.

“I’ll sketch it out on paper. I will build a rough mock-up of it out of square standard Lego pieces. That will help me determine where I can introduce details and get certain affects,” said Artist Jonathan Lopes.

The largest piece he has created was a replica of New York City’s Wool Worth building. It took 12 months to build and more than 120,000 Lego pieces.

Justin Gad, 8, told Perkins he likes to build trucks, towers and houses.

Lopes said he likes to see the joy his art brings people, but he also wants people to learn how to use their creativity.

“You feel good when you’re getting compliments, but it is also nice to be able to share the fact that you can be an artist. You can turn a Lego hobby into a business,” said Lopes.

The Convention hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. and Sunday, 2 until 5 p.m.