Do you have a lower-count puzzle and enjoy connecting pieces? If you do, then you probably have solved many jigsaw puzzles in your life.
However, using the same strategy on a puzzle with a greater count can be frustrating. Yes, it’ll help if you’re using custom puzzles, you’ll get the idea of the picture immediately. But, there’s a difference in technique when it comes to solving a 1000-piece puzzle.
Although it’s not seemingly impossible, breaking the barrier of frustration requires patience and, of course, a step-by-step guide. So, you’ll have to learn it methodically.
Get Enough Workspace
First on your to-do list is setting up your workspace. A puzzle of this size requires enough space to maneuver.
Make a note of the puzzle’s measurements and choose a flat area where you won’t be disturbed.
Who wants to go halfway through a puzzle and realize you need to change your station? No one does! So, give yourself plenty of room to occupy.
Setting Up
Turn each piece picture-side up when you open the custom puzzles. It may seem monotonous, but it sets the tone for the rest of the puzzle and cuts the time it takes to complete.
Always remember not to rush things; the chances of finding matching parts are slim. Also, avoid starting from a corner or an edge.
Take note: ‘You have to maximize the number of clues while reducing the number of options available.’
Moreover, turn to sort out items next based on color and pattern. Yes, these are the most immediately identifiable elements.
When grouping the same elements allows you to divide the challenge into smaller sub-tasks. The same goes for the corner and edge pieces.
Building the Framework
Now you’re ready to build the framework!
Please start with the border of their puzzle; it is easier to set your workspace and see the scale of each section.
Then, start working your way through your divided piles. Begin with pieces with high-contrast elements that are easier to correlate. It can include things like:
- Building outlines and the skyline
- Text or printed signage
- Chimneys, windows, and doors
- Faces and people in groupings
Furthermore, some of the puzzle’s more featureless areas, for instance, the field, sky, or lake, can be completed later.
Scaling the Wall
Once you’ve formed a few smaller groups, you can now begin expanding the high-contrast pieces outwards.
If you’re a visual learner, placing your clusters where they’d be in the puzzle framework can be helpful. It is also a good moment to connect your clusters to the boundary you just made.
As the number of clues has dropped, this can be the most difficult or aggravating puzzle element.
Set aside all the factors weighing in on the solution; you should never give up! It also helps if you take a break for a while.
It should be tough, but not stressful, to solve a puzzle. A different view on a different day can help you discover something you’ve been missing.
Once you’ve done all of the steps above, you can now complete your puzzle by filling in all of the remaining gaps. Please take a moment to appreciate your work; you put a lot of time and effort into it, and your strategies paid off.
You can always try even more challenging custom puzzles and do it with a friend. You’ll only get better with practice, just like any other thing you do.
For more informative articles keep visiting emu articles.
