A Collection of Collages
If you are anything like me, you probably have a collection of puzzles. My puzzle collection leans a tad towards the hoarding level, but I’m OK with this designation. If you remember, in one of my past posts, I wrote about how my puzzle tastes definitely lie in the fantasy genre. However, I also love a good collage puzzle. There’s just something about a collection of things that gives me all the good neurotransmitters. I don’t care if it’s a collection of blue things or a collection of books, my brain sees that and immediately thinks, “Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff”. Puzzles are a medium where the concept of collection reigns supreme (Both on and off the pieces, har har! I will not apologize for bad jokes). There's a huge amount of puzzles dedicated to collage images. They range from illustrated to photographic, from monochrome to gradient, and all the points in between.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of assembling Springbok’s Carbonated Colors. I really can’t recommend this puzzle enough. First of all, how can you resist a Springbok puzzle? I’ve written about them before and sung their praises, and I do so again unashamedly. I love their chunky, random shaped pieces. The fit is great and they always have really super images.
This image in particular, a gorgeously fanned gradient of soda bottles, is one of my favorite offerings from them. There is something about those bottles that is just so pleasing to the eye. I specifically love that the bottles are arranged so that there is a pop of brighter hue in the middle of a color scheme. The Springbok bottle cap in the middle was very meta. I totally didn’t notice that on the box top, so it was a fun little surprise when I got to that part.
Another leader in the collage genre is Eurographics. They have produced some fantastic collage puzzles in a variety of depictions. One style of collage they make that is very appealing are their grid collages. The items are lined up in even rows and columns. A good example is Cacti and Succulents and Teapots. I really like this style because it lists the specific names under the images. After I finish puzzles like these, I enjoy reading all the information under the images.
Cacti and Succulents | Eurographics | 1000 pieces
Another collage that Eurographics puts out is the tile style collage. This is also a fun style because it’s almost like putting together a bunch of mini puzzles. Look at Yoga Cats for example. Each little box containing a stretching cat is its own tiny puzzle!
Yoga Cats | Eurographics | 1000 pieces
Another great company for collages is Cobble Hill. They have some of my favorite puzzle collage images of all time. Of course I have to begin with the Queen of Collage herself, Shelley Davies. Her Rainbow and Elements series have reached legendary status in their popularity.
Green | Cobble Hill | 1000 pieces
They also have some gorgeous art nouveau style collages such as Art Nouveau Tiles. When I first saw that one, it absolutely found its way into my cart. Another gorgeous collection of collages that they have are vintage style ones. The Nature of Books and Floral Objects are beautiful examples of this.
Art Nouveau Tiles | Cobble Hill | 1000 pieces
That’s it from me for this month's installment! There are some beautiful collage puzzles out there, so get to puzzling!
-Gaby @puzzlepastime
