What IS a Brick Bahay portrait anyway?
A Brick Bahay portrait blends classic grayscale portraiture with vibrant backgrounds. The face is built from five tones of gray, and the backdrop is filled with colorful bricks arranged into patterns and shapes that reflect personality and heritage.
Can I choose the colors?
Faces are always created in a five-color grayscale to maintain clarity and contrast. Backgrounds, however, can be fully customized with colors and patterns inspired by Filipino textiles, cultural motifs, or your favorite palettes.
LEGO has its own official color system, which I use as the foundation for each design. LEGO-compatible bricks follow the same structure but sometimes include unique shades, adding more variety and depth to each finished piece.
What do “LEGO” and “LEGO-Compatible” mean?
“LEGO” refers to genuine bricks made by the LEGO Group, the original company that invented the interlocking brick system. “LEGO-compatible” means pieces that are made by other brands but fit the same way because they use the same stud and tube dimensions.
At Brick Bahay, we often design using official LEGO colors and sizes, but we may also use high-quality LEGO-compatible bricks to make sure every portrait is complete, cost-efficient, and color-accurate. Both types connect perfectly and look the same once the mosaic is built.
What are the dimensions of a Brick Bahay portrait?
The standard Brick Bahay portrait is built on a LEGO-brand 48×48-stud baseplate, measuring about 15 × 15 inches (38.4 × 38.4 cm) and made up of 2,304 individual studs.
Each brick is hand-laid and precisely positioned on the LEGO baseplate to capture every detail of the portrait.
How long does it take to make a portrait?
Each portrait is a detailed, hand-built process. The digital design and rendering stage usually takes 1 week, depending on the photo and design complexity. Once the layout is approved, the physical build can take another 1 to 2 weeks, since every brick — more than 1,000 pieces on a standard 48×48 portrait — is carefully hand-laid and aligned on the grid.
If certain colors or bricks are not available in my current inventory, a special order may be required, which can add extra time for sourcing and delivery. Every piece is built with care to ensure accuracy, durability, and artistry.
