There's a special kind of satisfaction to completing a LEGO set. Even more so when you go off grid and make your own creations without a 52-page booklet for guidance.
Artist Nathan Sawaya has taken it one step further though - using more than one million bricks to create almost 100 pieces of art, for an exhibition that has toured the world.
Over the last 12 years, The Art of The Brick has exhibited in over 80 cities in 24 countries from Paris to Shanghai, Moscow to Sydney, at a number of distinguished galleries and museums internationally,
It has currently just opened its doors in Manchester, where it will be on show until April.
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It's been on tour for five years, and Sawaya is the first contemporary artist to use the iconic LEGO brick as a medium.
"My goal with this exhibition, when it first debuted in 2007, was to elevate this simple plaything to a place it had never been before," he says.
"I use LEGO bricks as my medium because I enjoy seeing people's reactions to artwork created from something with which they are familiar. Everyone can relate to it since it is a toy that many children have at home."
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The exhibition sees Sawaya creating pieces of art that he says are 'everything from beautiful, to poignant and thought provoking.'
The Art of the Brick features 3D sculptures and oversized portraits from Sawaya's collection, which are built from standard LEGO bricks.
Popular pieces include My Boy, Dinosaur and captivating recreations of iconic art, including the Mona Lisa. Never-before-seen pieces, in the UK, will also debut at the exhibition.
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Sawaya was also commissioned by DC Comics for a special set of superhero-pieces, which first showed in London two years ago.
"I appreciate the cleanliness of the medium," Sawaya says. "The right angles. The distinct lines. As so often in life, it is a matter of perspective. Up close, the shape of the brick is distinctive. But from a distance, those right angles and distinct lines change to curves.
The museum exhibition is accessible because it engages the child in all of us while simultaneously illuminating sophisticated and complex concepts."
The Art of the Brick is at Unit 5, Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester. Prices start from £9.50 for children, £14.50 for adults, concessions at £12.00, and a family of four ticket priced at £42.00.
For more information and to book tickets for The Art of the Brick Manchester visit https://aotbmanchester.co.uk/.