Puzzle: Booked Flight

Booked flight, med
Size550 pieces, 26 missing
Dimensions: 61 cm x 46 cm
Painting: original
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark, #2333-13
Artist: Don Maitz

Puzzle: Good puzzle to leisurely put together, even with so many pieces missing (I got it second-hand, and I think this is the most incomplete puzzle I’ve ever assembled). Good places to start are the wizard and dragon’s flame, the boundary of the wings against the background, and the dragon’s head and neck. Wing section borders serve as horizontal guides.

Puzzle: Enchanted Encounter

Enchanted Encounter, med

Size: 300 pieces
Dimensions: 27.94cm x 38.1cm
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, 10-puzzle pack, 2013, No. 103013-21081-A
Puzzle: This puzzle was one of my son’s favourite, as it had a fairy, a wizard, a dragon, a horse, and a castle all in one. We assembled it together. Good places to start are the wizard’s robe, the blue of the sky, the castle, the sky border with the hills, and the sunset-lit sky. This can be followed by the fairy, the dragon, the path from the castle to the bottom of the picture, and the tree trunk. From that point on, there are lots of green pieces, but the ones for the tree leaves, the moss, and the grassy hill by the castle are sufficiently different to make the assembly easy.

Puzzle: Sacred Circle by Steve Read

Sacred Circle, medSize: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 35.56cm x 45.72cm
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, 10-puzzle pack, 2013, No. 103013-21081-A
Artist: Steve Read
Illustration: original
Puzzle: A quick easy puzzle for an afternoon. Some good areas to start are the border between yellow floor and dark puzzle bottom, bright white light, lights from the staff and the candles, yellow circle of the floor, striped green radial pattern behind the wizard, the wizard’s face and beard, fuschia cloak lining, dragon’s wings, and boy’s arms. The candle holders make for good vertical guides, and so does the engraved pillar on the left side. Wizard’s and boy’s clothing, the throne, and the wall can then complete the assembly.

Puzzle: Tom Kidd – Success!

Tom Kidd - Success!, med

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 46 cm x 61 cm
Producer: Sunset Glow? (I do not have the box anymore: if you know who the producer is of this puzzle and what the series is, I’d appreciate it if you share.)

Puzzle: Easy enough to complete, with large distinct pieces and many differently-coloured regions, this puzzle is a good one when you crave a fairy tale visual. Many good places to start: the book and flame, the wizard’s face and hands, the glowing ball at the top of the staff, the red robe, the hat, the white horses, the castle, and the sky wall boundary. The book stand top and round parts in the bottom half of the puzzle can serve as guides. The rest of the pieces should fall into place.

Puzzle: The Wizard’s World by Adrian Chesterman

Adrian Chesterman - The Wizard's World, med

Size:  550 pieces, 2 missing
Dimensions: 61 cm x 46 cm
Painting: the original
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark, Series 6, 2005, #2333-37

Puzzle: A pleasant fantasy puzzle to assemble. The best regions to start are the window, the wizard’s face, hair, and beard, the fingers, the flame and the candle, and the planets. The owl, the parchment, and the rest of the puzzle can follow. A beautiful painting.

Artist: Adrian Chesterman studied fine art at Norwich School of Art and illustration at the Royal College of Art in Kensington, London. Since leaving the R.C.A. Chesterman has worked in nearly every sphere of the art world… Chesterman started with an illustration technique of his own invention which employs airbrush and painted gouache and acrylic inks on artboard or canvas… Chesterman lives in Andalucia in Spain and has also been designing gardens and parks for the rich and the famous. “I love designing gardens… When I’m painting a picture or a mural I am usually copying nature, but when I’m designing a garden I’m working with nature as my paint box.”  [Adrian Chesterman site]

Puzzle: Alter Terrain by Steve A. Roberts

Steve A. Roberts - Alter Terrain, med

Size:  550 pieces
Dimensions: 61 cm x 46 cm
Artist: Steve A. Roberts
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, 2003, #2333-24

Puzzle: Simple puzzle to do, the pieces fit unambiguously. Some good regions to start are the wizard’s face and clothing, the horse, the border between the two terrains, the cacti, the fortress, and the spheres of light. The grass, the rocks, the mountain peak, and the orange sky can follow, leaving a few pieces to fill in.

Notes: Change Terrain is an Uncommon Instant Spell belonging to the  Nature Magic realm. It may only be cast on the overland map. For the base Casting Cost of  50, it will change a targeted tile from one terrain type to another. Most terrain tiles are shifted one “step” closer to Grassland, and Grassland may be changed back into Forest. Several types of terrain, including Oceans, may not be targeted. The effect is permanent and does not require an Upkeep Cost to maintain. [Master of Magic wiki]

Puzzle: Wizard Stonehedge by Meiklejohn

Meiklejohn - Wizard Stonehedge, med

Size:  550 pieces
Dimensions: 61 cm x 46 cm
Artist: Meiklejohn
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark, Series 5, 2004, #2333-32

Puzzle: Simple puzzle to do: large distinct colour regions, large pieces and clear boundaries. Wizard’s face and robe, blue  light bordering it,  gold embellishments on the robe, hat with the star, the dragon ball, the lightening, and the skyline are all easily assembled. The red sky region, the hands, and the landscape can follow, leaving the rest of the pieces to fall into place.

Notes: Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, about 3.2 km west of Amesbury and 13 km north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds. [Wiki]

Puzzle: The Grey Wizard by Myles Pinkney

Myles Pinkney - The Grey Wizard, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 48.56 cm x 73 cm
Artist: Myles Pinkney
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Glow in the Dark series, 2007, 81600-6

Puzzle: This puzzle requires good lighting – the shades of the Wizard’s robe are subtle. Blue window, hair, face, hand, beard, smoke, pipe, curtains, and blue patch on the floor are all good places to start. The remaining pieces can be split into reddish (for the cape), lighter brown for the robe on one side, black in shadows, and darker brown on the other side. With Sure-Lox pieces fitting together well, it’s a pleasure to do.

Notes: The original of this picture is actually called Gandalf at Back End, and has more detail around the wizard. I wish the puzzle makers incorporated the entire painting.

Puzzle: Dragon Fire by David Penfound


Size
: 550 pieces
Dimensions: 61cm x 46cm
Artist: David Penfound
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, #2333-43
Puzzle: The dragon’s wings, flames, the firepit, and the woman’s robes are distinct enough to allow for these regions to be filled first. Dragon’s neck, the smoke, and the rest of the figure follow, leaving a few black, dark blue, and dark leafy regions to complete the puzzle. Overall, as with most 550+piece  Ceaco puzzles, the differing shapes of large pieces makes this puzzle easy to complete.

Dragon: A dragon is a mythological representation of a reptile. In antiquity, dragons were mostly envisaged as serpents, but since the Middle Ages, it has become common to depict them with legs, resembling a lizard.

Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and able to emit fire from their mouths. The European dragon has bat-like wings growing from its back. A dragon-like creature with wings but only a single pair of legs is known as a wyvern. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Dragon Spell


Size: 300 pieces
Dimensions: 45.72cm x 35.56cm
Author
: Meiklejohn Graphics, UK/Applejack Licensing
Producer:
Ceaco, 3 Glow in the Dark Jigsaw Puzzles, # 3562-2
Notes
Evocation is the act of calling or summoning a spirit, demon, god or other supernatural agent, in the Western mystery tradition. Comparable practices exist in many religions and magical traditions.

Conjuration in traditional and most contemporary usage refers to a magical act of invoking spirits or using incantations or charms to cast magical spells. In the context of legerdemain, it may also refer to the performance of illusion or magic tricks for show. This article discusses mainly the original and primary usage, describing acts of a supernatural or paranormal nature.

The word conjuration (from Latin conjure, conjurare, to “swear together”) can be interpreted in several different ways: as an invocation or evocation (the latter in the sense of binding by a vow); as an exorcism; and as an act of producing effects by magical means. [Wiki]


Puzzle: Blue Dragon by Richard Kelly

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 30.48cm x 40.64cm
Artist
: Richard Kelly
Producer:
Ceaco, 3 Glow in the Dark Jigsaw Puzzles, # 3562-2
Notes
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and which is ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries.

The two traditions may have evolved separately, but have influenced each to a certain extent, particularly with the cross-cultural contact of recent centuries.

The word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon, which in turn comes from Latin draconem (nominative draco) meaning “huge serpent, dragon,” from the Greek word δράκων, drakon (genitive drakontos, δράκοντος) “serpent, giant seafish”, which is believed to have come from an earlier stem drak-, a stem of derkesthai, “to see clearly,” from Proto-Indo-European derk- “to see” or “the one with the (deadly) glance.” The Greek and Latin term referred to any great serpent, not necessarily mythological, and this usage was also current in English up to the 18th century. [Wiki]


Puzzle: Spellbound by Myles Pinkney

Size: 100 pieces
Dimensions: 22.86cm x 17.78cm
Artist: Myles Pinkney, 2003
Producer:
Ceaco, 3 Glow in the Dark Jigsaw Puzzles, # 3562-2
Box:
photo
Notes
: Spellbound

The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go.

The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow.
And the storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go.

Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below;
But nothing drear can move me;
I will not, cannot go.

[Emily Jane Bronte]

Save

Puzzle: Wizard by Keith Birdsong


Size
: 550 pieces
Dimensions: 61cm x 46cm
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, # 2333-33
Artist:
Keith Birdsong
Original: photo
Notes: A self-taught artist, Keith Birdsong has illustrated several hundred book jackets for publishers such as Pocket Books, New American Library, Harlequin, Scholastic, Berkley, Random House and so on… His works have encompassed science fiction, fantasy, action adventure, suspense, horror, young adult, romance, and licensing. He is very well known for his work with Paramount and Pocket’s “Star Trek” books, posters and The Hamilton Collection collector’s plate series. Keith has also worked on many assignments with the U.S. Postal Service which have included 13 postage stamps and many combative collectable’s…one of which is on display in the Smithsonian in D.C. [Artworks Illustration site]

Puzzle: Twilight Tempest by Ed Beard Jr.


Size
: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 61cm x 46cm
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, # 1108-21
Artist:
Ed Beard Jr.: “Fantasy Art is far more than just the end result of a visual image, it’s the journey one takes to get there. Creating the unique tangible original art work made from hand Craftsmanship is what completes that journey!”
Box: photo
Notes: The Wizard and Dragon head out into the night to engage in battle against those who would attack their castle.  Their night scene comes alive with the setting sun. [Ed Beard Jr. site]

A tempest is a violent storm. [Wiki]