Deciding to solve a jigsaw puzzle is both exciting and daunting. Experts share their tips for quickly completing one, whether you are sitting down for a 500-piece or 4,000-piece puzzle.
Going for a digital gaming app is always a great choice since every update may bring another fresh, more complex challenge. But today, let’s chat about classic puzzles and some of the factors of consideration before putting the puzzle together.
Choose an Appropriate Surface
Your workspace is as important as how you work. In competitions, vinyl-plastic is the preferred surface material as it facilitates the movement of the pieces. The mats are usually white to reflect the light of space.
When working from home, you will require a dedicated space, such as a dedicated surface such as a folding card table. If you do not have one, get yourself a puzzle mat, which allows you to roll a puzzle during gameplay if you need to use your coffee or dining room table.
Select the Most Effective Strategy
A possible strategy is to spread a 500-piece puzzle and view all the pieces at the same time. This way, you can easily select the pieces without necessarily sorting as each piece has adequate details to distinguish it.
However, with larger puzzles of 2,000 plus pieces, each puzzle piece contains a smaller portion of the complete image. Therefore, it could be wiser to sort the pieces into general groups.
Edges First
There isn’t a single start formula that works for all puzzles, but it is easier to start with the edges in most cases. Understandably, it will be easier to identify the missing pieces with one straight edge and put them together.
However, edges first do not apply to puzzles with non-rectangular shapes or those whose edges are interchangeable.
Corners
A common misconception is that you should begin by identifying the corners. Remember, there are only four corners, meaning you would spend a lot of time trying to find them. Instead, start by laying out the edges, then proceed from there.
Smart Sorting
Larger jigsaw puzzles demand you spend more time sorting the pieces. Divide the puzzle by zones, either by color or texture similarity. For example, when solving a nature puzzle, separate the area of trees from that of grass by paying attention to the puzzle pieces’ texture.
Perfect Placement
Once your puzzle pieces are sorted, start placing them correctly. It may be easier to put the pieces in drawing, collage, or painting puzzles as they tend to have many details. However, most solvers may find a landscape or photograph puzzles more challenging, as the pieces tend to have larger patches of similar color and texture.
Rest Regularly
Did you know it takes approximately 60 hours to complete a 4,000-piece puzzle? No matter how excited or energized you are, do not expect to complete a jigsaw puzzle in a single afternoon. If you are tired, rest and come back with fresh eyes.
Conclusion
The difficulty and time taken to complete a puzzle are directly proportional to the number of puzzle pieces. Also, the morphology of the pieces and the contrast of the final image contribute to a puzzle’s difficulty. We hope that these strategies will help enhance your jigsaw puzzle experience.
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