The secrets behind our puzzles 🤫

 

1. It all starts with the name of the puzzle

More often than not, in the Jour Férié story, the name of the puzzle is born even before the idea of the illustration. " I thought of a title! "Eating Out" " And with this name, a whole universe takes shape in our heads. Each of us associates it with happy memories, and together we conjure up the elements that could make up the scene: grilled meats, a tomato salad, olive oil, potato chips, the shade of a tree... When the idea appeals to all of us, Céline begins its creative work!

 

2. The creative moodboard

Imagining an illustration in our heads is easy! On the other hand, choosing a point of view, a color palette, the different reading levels, the key elements that will help us progress in the creation of the puzzle, is a different kettle of fish. To help us project ourselves, Céline presents us with a moodboard of inspirations. In this way, the idea becomes more concrete and the future design takes shape. And above all, Céline always surprises us with her funny, poetic and sensitive proposals.

 

3. The color palette

It's no secret that we love color here! Even down to the choice of shades for the box. After imagining the moment, Céline draws inspiration from everywhere to find the right color combination. She then pulls out her pencils, gouaches, color charts, papers and textures to create the specific color palette that conveys a new mood. Our wish: a new color harmony with every puzzle!

 

4. Preparatory sketches

 

At Jour Férié, each drawing is created with colored pencils and gouache. But before moving on to the full-size 50 x 70 cm version, Céline works on several small sketches. And they're magnificent! As much as we love them all, we choose the one with the most potential to become the perfect puzzle. It's at this stage that we determine the level of difficulty! The more elements there are in the drawing, the easier the puzzle will be to assemble.

 

5. To your pencils! 🖍️ 

 

 

Once the sketch has been chosen, Céline begins the most difficult part: coloring in the finest detail of the future puzzle. With gouache and pencils, it's harder to go back. That's what we love about working by hand: the imperfections, the mistakes, the unexpected. Céline's drawings recount a moment of sensitive poetry, not a perfect reality. And that's the spirit of Puzzle Jour Férié.

 

👉 F ind out how our 100% handmade wooden puzzle is made!

6. A scan and the final touches 💻

The drawing is ready! Off to the professional scanner to digitize the artwork in ultra-high quality. Once the illustration has been scanned, the final details are added on the tablet. Very fine typography, tiny details, and voilà: the illustration is ready to print!