Photomosaic Jigsaw Puzzles

Photomosaic puzzles feature a process developed by digital artist Robert Silvers whereby thousands of tiny photographs are arranged in such a way that, when viewed from a distance, they appear to form a single larger image. A favorite of collectors, these challenging jigsaw puzzles can prove frustrating for those whose vision is on the decline.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.

This puzzle, as well as other Photomosaics by Buffalo Games, feature the photomosaic process developed by digital artist Robert Silvers whereby thousands of tiny photographs are arranged in such a way that, when viewed from a distance, they appear to form a single larger image. Each tiny image is approximately the size of one puzzle piece, with a bit of overlap. These challenging jigsaw puzzles are highly sought after by collectors.

For this review, I sampled "Butterfly", a 1000-piece puzzle depicting a large monarch perched on green vegetation under a blue sky. It took approximately twenty-two hours to complete.

Jigsaw puzzles in the Photomosaic series come with a poster depicting the entire photomosaic portrait in a larger scale than that found on top of the box. In my experience, this poster was an essential tool in piecing together the puzzle as it provided enough detail to distinguish the individual images that made up the puzzle.

I would recommend these puzzles for hard-core jigsaw fanciers. Most people who viewed the puzzle, even jigsaw puzzle aficionados, found it somewhat intimidating.

Because of the large number of pieces and the limited work area in which to piece together the puzzle, we found it best to sort the pieces by color right at the start. This was not as straightforward as it may seem since the smaller images are composed of multiple colors, but it was possible to determine which general part of the puzzle most of the pieces were likely to fit into. Then, the puzzle was pieced together by focusing on a particular area while setting aside pieces pertaining to other areas until needed.

Good lighting was essential in solving this puzzle. It was extremely difficult at night under lamplight as we couldn't distinguish the various nuances in color. A task that was nearly impossible the previous evening became much easier in the light of day.

Older puzzlers whose vision is on the decline may become frustrated with puzzles of this type. Personally, I found I had to keep removing my glasses in order to see clearly where a particular image was located on the puzzle poster, then put them back on to actually locate the proper place to put the piece.

Over the years, Buffalo Games has published dozens of these puzzles featuring favorite Disney characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Mickey Mouse, The Simpsons, Snoopy and Charlie Brown, celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Abraham Lincoln, famous paintings like the Mona Lisa, as well as wild animals and pets.

Some portraits, such as scenes from Disney Pixar movies and the Pirates of the Caribbean films, are available as 300-piece puzzles, but the majority of the puzzles in this series have 1026 pieces.

Rated for ages 12 and up.

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