I think a lot of us appreciated slowing down and taking time for ourselves during the lockdowns. Many of us embraced the chance to take up hobbies we’ve always postponed or to spend more time on things we love doing. So many of my friends have always been really into jigsaw puzzles and I was so keen to design my own so when Piece & Quiet approached me about being one of their artists for their range of puzzles and I was thrilled to say yes.
I love seeing the idea process of other designers and artists, even the scrappy little doodle notes they make so I thought I’d share more about how the design came about.
In lockdown the third(?) I was missing having dinner with friends and family especially after a very low key Christmas. Looking through The Barbican Estate book by Stefi Orazi and Christoffer Rudquist I fell in love with some of the incredible spaces in there. One particular flat had a great room with a dining table and massive window leading onto a balcony, I imagined it would be an ideal place to have friends over for dinner. These photos sparked an idea about spaces that make us happy and sharing that space with those we love.
Can you remember the ‘Find the duck’ Usborne books? I was obsessed with these when I was little and I always try to add playful elements into my illustrations. Searching for little details is really fun and I wanted to include this feeling of excitement within the puzzle so I added my dog Albert asleep on the sofa, a couple of my prints on the wall, a sleeping cat in the sideboard and ceramics by Son of Pear.
I hope you enjoy the puzzle as much as I did creating the illustration.