Behind the Scenes: 24 Days of Puzzles!

When I was growing up, my great-aunties May and Irene would make sure to gift each one of us kids our own chocolate advent calendar to enjoy every December. Getting to open a little door each day to find a little chocolate treat really made the lead up to Christmas day feel extra special. 

In the spring of 2022, my friends at Trevell Puzzles asked if I’d be interested in working with them on their newest project - an advent calendar where instead of chocolate, you open a little pouch to find a tiny 99-piece puzzle inside. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. Each puzzle was to have a theme - four were to be Christmasy, and the rest should just invoke the feelings of the month of December.

As always, each illustration starts with a sketch. It was a challenge to try to think of 24 unique designs that could work as puzzles and still fit a “Wintery, but not too Christmasy” theme. I also knew I wanted them to look beautiful together - no repeat themes, and harmonious colours that make them feel like a family when they’re placed together.

The other challenge with mini puzzles as a product is that the pieces are SO TINY! Any space overloaded with delicate, tiny details is due to get lost when the print is just so small - but you don’t want there to be too many places where the pieces are same-same. In short - with illustrations destined for puzzles, it’s always in my mind to keep a balance in order to keep the puzzle fun!

Given the volume of illustrations needed, Procreate was hugely useful in creating the artwork for this project. With large puzzles, the resolution required to print is pretty hefty - 600DPI is usually requested. But luckily, since these puzzles are so mini, I can handle most of the process on my tablet - this means I can work a bit more organically and also take my work to the couch when I don’t feel up to sitting at my desk.

It was so hard to wait for this calendar to be ready for the world - I was so delighted with the results when it finally did arrive! The tiny pieces are really so precious and I was blown away by the response of people online who were following along each day and posting videos of them making the puzzles.

 It really feels like magic to see something that was once only a thought and a sketch turn into a real, tangible thing in the hands of someone across the world from you.