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Open up "Puzzlemania" in any program that supports eps, cdr or ai files. Size it to fit your project.

For this illustration, I cut two masks. One for the puzzle outline and another that I could use pieces to block off areas and open others up to airbrush in.

Sketch out the illustration. Then place the entire "Puzzlemania" over the project and remove all the pieces except those you want blocked out. If you want your illustration to look like a completed puzzle, skip this part.

Using Transfer Tape mask up your background. Use a razor blade to open up the areas to be painted. Start the pin-up with a neutral flesh tone.

Paint the pin-up with the blocked out puzzle pieces in place. You can remove them later to use as reference when duplicating the puzzle pieces that have not yet been put in place.

Start with transparant yellow to build the facial structure.

Layer Tranparant Red Oxide to achieve definition. To avoid having your illustration look two dimensional, do not cover up all the transparant yellow. You want a gradual fade into it to help achieve curvature of the body.

Use a tranparant violet and a weak black to gain shadow areas. Lightly give hightlights with a over reduced white.

Unmask the rest of the face and add the detailed features. You don't want to mask back up for these. You want to get a soft blend into flesh. Hard lines here would be bad!

I masked the portrait back up for the background. Since I'm going to be doing a lot of freehand with deep violet, I don't want the overspray to wrreck the work already done.

I wanted more of an artsy look to the hair. Here I removed the nozzle cap off my Iwata HP-B Hi-line and started layering multi colored hairstrands.

Remove all the puzzle pieces that were placed in the beginning. You will be able to use these as registration points when applying the next part of Puzzlemania.

Use the pieces that were blocking out the background and airbrushed over as reference to creating the puzzle pieces that have not been put in yet.

For the last mask, weed only the outline of the puzzle.

Using the unpainted background area as points of reference. Apply the stencil mask over the entire illustration.

Mask over the areas where the background pieces were left out. You don't want a black line going around them. Airbrush the puzzle pieces black.

Carefully remove the Puzzlemania spray mask. Add shadows to the puzzle so it looks as if its sitting on top of a table.

After several coats of Matrix MS-42 Clear and colorsanding and buffing to a glass finish, now you've got a piece suitable for framing.

I didn't go over the pin-up with a solid black. Fade a weak black into the pin-up so the puzzle disappears and gives the illustion that the pin-up is coming to life.

I'll be using all Matrix Systems products on this illustration. Matrix has come a long way. The Candy FX Dyes are excellent for illustrations and easy to use I've been creating some very intense colors with their FX Pearls.

Airbrush : Iwata HP-BH, Custom Micron B
Spray Guns: Iwata LPH400 and Iwata LPH300
Paint Media: PPG, X-Otic and Matrix Systems
Surface Media: Everything I can get paint to stick to.
Masking : Artool Stretch Mask, Conform R-Tape and 3M Masking Tapes
Projector: Artograph
Lighting : Natural and Florescent. Artool Pro Light Box, Spray-Line and Spray King Paint Booths

Puzzlemania is the second in the series of computer designs made for custom painters and airbrush artists to use with their vinyl plotters. See last issue for the "Gearmess" demo. Puzzlemania is a 100 piece puzzle stencil that can be used in many ways. I'm going to demonstrate a few of them here. If you didn't read the last article, get it! I want to give a little recap for those who might not understand how these custom designs on cd work.

Puzzlemania is a fun design to work with. You can get really creative with it or just apply it directy over a illustration to make it look like a puzzle. These stencils are very easy to use and makes your customer think you spend countless hours creating it. As we all know, in this business time is money.

Steven Craig is the owner and head painter of SKC CUSTOMZ in Lake Havasu City, AZ. In the past Steven has won the House of Kolor Prestigeous Painter Award and was a 1st Place winner of Dupont's Hot Hues Awards. He most recently was awarded the Matrix System's FX Grand Prize Award. Steve paints a wide range
of jobs from guitars to large off shore boats. Visit his web site at