For that special someone who has everything: Custom Lego portraits

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Stumped by what to give that person on your list who has everything? Here’s an idea. San Diego artist Nathan Sawaya makes custom portraits out of Lego bricks -- those tiny, multi-colored, modular bits of plastic every parent has stepped on and cursed on their way to the bathroom at night.

The portraits aren’t cheap -- they start at $2,500. But compared to the 3-D sculptures he creates, they are a bargain.

Sawaya, whose work as been displayed in museums, was selected as this year’s Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog ‘His and Her’ gift, which in the past has included outrageous, one-of-a-kind items such as mini-submarines and live miniature donkeys. The price tag for a life-sized sculpture of your loved one: $60,000.

For the rest of us who don’t have that kind of cash, there are portraits made from the 1.5 million or so Lego bricks Sawaya keeps on hand at his San Diego and New York studios. Sawaya’s website displays sample portraits as well as a gallery of his many quirky, thought-provoking sculptures. It also has contact information for ordering a custom portrait.

And, if $2,500 is out of your price range, try building your own Lego portrait or sculpture, with the help of special graph paper Sawaya uses to help plan his models. That’s on his website too, and it’s only $4.99.

-- Alex Pham