Pic-a-Pix Tutorial and Walkthroughs: A beginner’s guide to solving picture logic puzzles

New to this website? If you enjoy playing brain games online, don't forget to check our huge selection of free puzzles.

I came across my first Pic-a-Pix type puzzle in an annual of mixed puzzles. A logic puzzle that formed images on completion was something very different and instantly appealing. A search on the internet resulted in an abundance of puzzles to print out and solve, but it soon became apparent that I wasn’t very good; the pile of uncompleted puzzles got much larger than the completed pile.

I then discovered a monthly magazine devoted to these puzzles. Some puzzles in it were huge, 25x25 and 30x30 - way beyond my skills. Nevertheless, a few days later there were 15 back issues in my lap. The puzzles in those magazines were Conceptis’ Pic-a-Pixs. I visited the Conceptis website where there were tips and strategies, discovered the teachings of forum member and moderator of the Puzzle Support forum DaveHutch, the Pic-a-Pix Guru in my opinion, and haven’t looked back since. As my skills improved, I moved on to larger puzzles. The Laughing Cavalier, weighing in at a hefty 110x160, is my first Mega Pic-a-Pix with Color and ultimate achievement to date.

The birth of the Tutorial

With a wealth of assistance available on the Conceptis site, why did I decide to create a tutorial?

A better understanding of Pic-a-Pix drove the addiction to giddy heights and I wanted to introduce as many people as I could to them. Numerous attempts to explain the puzzles to work colleagues and family were met with crossed eyes, rapid retreats, groans and fidgeting. Those people were just being polite, however. Only my closest friends could say things like “You can’t explain your way out of a paper bag” and “Hey, I’m falling asleep, here” and “Get to the point - you’re rambling all round the houses”. I was mortified.

Said friends, taking pity on me, suggested I give them “carefully thought out” instructions in writing. What an idea! I put a few pages together, decided I was having fun, and tinkered around with it. When it got to the stage where I thought it was OK to pass around, I began to fret that my written instructions might be as bad as my verbal inelegance. I turned to the Conceptis forum for assistance.

A tome residing on the Conceptis website

The response from forum members was overwhelming and I take this opportunity to thank you all for your time in checking the document. What started out as a few pages to give to friends has now turned into a tome residing on the Conceptis website, due largely to feedback and private discussions that gave me ideas for improvement.

A special thank you goes to Bob Allen. Bob became my regular proof-reader and laboured above and beyond the call of duty. Bob has also written an extra section on the Edge technique, included in the Tutorial.

Finally, a big thank you to Conceptis for granting the tutorial a home. You can download my Pic-a-Pix Tutorial and Walkthroughs as a zipped PDF right here or from the related links below.

Related resources

Like and share