I do jigsaw puzzles daily. About 20 minutes a day. As an exercise. On two different puzzle sites (I'll get to that):
The exercise helps focus on, and sharpen, observational skills needed when I make paintings, calligraphic style texts; or the Combine/Collages.
Some examples:
- aligning shapes with one another;
- recognizing the subtleties of color [for instance, the same color can appear darker or lighter; more of one hue than another);
- visual facets of f a subject in a picture appear alike together are quite dissimilar when apart . . . as two [or more] distinct puzzle parts.
Zimad's Magic Jigsaw Puzzles and Microsoft Jigsaw - doing the daily challenge - are my go-to.
The images are oft mundane, even boring ; but there is setting to change the puzzle form shapes that allows for some change in how the exercise plays through.
ASIDE: Suggestions are welcomed but especially:
- Outer Space / sci-fi / gamer image-ish;
- Anime
- hustle and bustle of life sites
- (cityscapes; farmers markets;
- busy bustle social scenes
- bodegas,
- arts & culture events;
- except for futbol/soccer; rugby, basketball; swim meets, wrestling matches; woodmen's competitions
- but NAH on pro sports extravaganza stuff.
And I >DO< use hints options sometimes, tho try not to. It's not cheating to use tools to help complete a task more adeptly and help improve skills. Magic Jigsaws has an easy to use hints button (lower right panel on this screenshot.
Used it to complete the puzzle and stay in my allowed time parameters [20 minutes] otherwise I could get totally wrapped up and forget everything I need to do for jigsawing.
Haven't the patience to do individual searches on these jigsaw visual options, but welcome site specific suggestions.
IMAGE : Screenshot of a Magic Jigsaw Puzzle I worked on today 3 Sept 2021.