Make Your Own Puzzles

Image Transfers for Pre-Made Puzzles

Hi,

I am a second grade teacher. I have some blank puzzles.

I would like to take pictures of the kids and transfer their faces onto them.

What could I use to do this?

Becky

Blank puzzles such as you have are designed to be drawn, stamped or painted, leaving no issue as to how the puzzle can then be broken apart for reassembly.

Since you want to DIY, but can't run your blank puzzles through a computer printer, you need to use some form of image transfer technique.

Iron-On Transfers

You could use Photo Effects Ink Jet Transfer Paper. Be sure to follow package directions.

After carefully peeling away the transfer backing paper, you may have to use a craft knife to painstakingly cut along the pre-scored lines from the back side and through the printed image.

Before doing so, try the wiggle and separate method.

This may or may not work depending on how well the transfer adheres to your particular blank puzzles.

Gently bend one entire row of puzzle pieces backward along the score line and wiggle. If the row breaks away easily with the image intact, great!

Break all the rows apart and then apply the same wiggle technique to separate each row piece by piece.

Artist Image Transfer Techniques

There are also various image transfer techniques used by artists.

Mixed media artist Cyndi Lavin has a whole section on her blog devoted to various Image Transfer Techniques.

The advantage with some of these methods for your project is that a reverse image can be applied directly to the puzzle cardboard.

Once the image is dry, the puzzle pieces can be easily wiggled apart just as if you had painted or drawn directly on the blank puzzle.

Clearly the techniques I've suggested are a lot of work for each individual puzzle and not something your second grade students could participate in, except for having their photos taken ;-)

You may decide instead to let the students create self portraits using Sharpie Oil Based Paint Markers on the blank puzzles you have. Then seal their artwork with an acrylic spray such as Krylon Crystal Clear.

Other Customized Puzzle Options

There are online services which will print your digital (or digitize printed) photos onto a pre-scored blank puzzle. Then they send you the printed puzzle pieces in a nice puzzle box with the photo printed on the outside as a guide to re-assemble the pieces.

Invent It! sells an Iron-on Transfer Puzzle Kit.

Print your photo in reverse onto a transfer sheet. Iron the transferred image face down onto a sheet of pre-scored cardboard. Let cool.

Carefully peel away the transfer backing sheet to reveal the image.

Gently and slowly wiggle and break apart the puzzle pieces row by row; then piece by piece. Each kit makes two puzzles. Older children could do this with adult supervision.