New Mudpuppy Seaside Search + Find Puzzle
Last year Mudpuppy asked me to illustrate a 64-piece seaside puzzle designed for coastal shops across the US, from Maine to Florida and Oregon down to Los Angeles. The project was an ambitious one, bringing together numerous animals, fish, birds, landscapes, and landmarks from every coastline into one joyful, cohesive scene with over 40 hidden icons.
The Brief
The information I was given for this project was definitely one of working between boundaries. The art should be sea-side specific, but not under the sea, the characters sweet and charming, but not antrhopomorphized, there should be signs of human life, but. no human characters. There should be coastal land, but not too much land and not any specific land-mass either. With a brief like this, I find it best to just get started…
Getting Started
To begin, I divided the puzzle into four quadrants representing the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest. From there, I researched flora, fauna, and notable coastal landmarks for each region. I created lists, gathered reference images, and started sketching loose elements piece by piece.
Eventually the composition slowly came together with a balance of movement and color across the artwork.
The Details
At its core, this project was a celebration of coastal wildlife, and that spirit shows up in the details throughout the illustration. While not stated in the brief, I wanted to make sure the wildlife was accurate to each region. Every animal, fish, and bird in the puzzle reflects species that truly live along those coasts. From a flamingo in the southeastern portion of the puzzle (Florida region) to an orca in the northwest section, the artwork reflects each habitat accurately. This puzzle is designed to reward careful looking and repeated play. The search-and-find border adds an interactive layer, blending the satisfaction of a traditional jigsaw puzzle with the fun of spotting hidden objects.
Click the button to purchase the puzzle, or visit the Mudpuppy Puzzle Gallery to see other projects we’ve worked on together.