In the last while, I’ve been working on a lot of art for jigsaw puzzles!
They are very fun, and also very intensive.
Puzzlers looooove detail, the more the better.
So the fun is in researching the topic and finding out all the little interesting details and tidbits about it as you can, and then drawing it!
Some new themes I’ve finished recently are a set of seek and find themes, and a series of creative hobbies, called “My happy place is in the…” for themes like gardening, sewing & quilting, cooking, a cat cafe, and an art studio.
In each one, I kept a similar layout and format to tie the series together. I featured a person doing their thing lower right corner, and allllllll the stuff you’d find in their environment around & behind them.
I always start with a sketch, it doesn’t have to show every single little thing, but the main layout and elements and suggestions of details.
An example sketch, for the Art Studio puzzle. And I incorporated a lot of things from my actual studio!
The client can then review it to make sure it works on their end and make any suggestions or changes. This one was good to go, no changes, woohoo!
I’ll often hide little things in the image that work with the theme but might be more personal. In a seek and find puzzle, Gardener’s Library theme, I put a “photo” of my friend Steve, who is a landscaper, mowing the lawn. Can you spot it?
Drawing puzzle art is very time intensive. I work in Procreate, and due to limitations of the program, I need to work in sections then assemble alllll the pieces in Photoshop. Each final files usually has 500 or more editable layers coming from multiple layered Procreate files in parts and pieces.
Why work this way?
Because the client needs to be able to quickly make changes on their end sometimes, and can do so without getting me involved.
I always think back to my old graphic design job where we were taught to build files so that anyone could jump in easily and find what they need without issue. I guess that stuck with me!
Each puzzle takes roughly 20-30 hours of art time, sometimes more.
I do not (and will never) use ai in any way, it is all drawn by hand.
I love getting into all the little details and adding my own touches to them!
These puzzles will be available for sale in later 2025, keep an eye out at your favourite puzzle store!
I will share here and on socials as soon as they are released as well.
To date I’ve completed art for over 20 puzzles for different licensing clients, including a very specialized Australian Dog Park puzzle, with very specific breeds, elements, and colours.
If you have an idea for a puzzle you want to bring to life, either self-published or licensed, let me or my agent Sara know!