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I used Google Gemini to make this comic strip based on my comic idea with a few changes. (I am too busy making mazes to make all of the illustrations needed). Come back each Wednesday for a new comic strip. All comic strips will be housed in this archive.
Doyoumaze Comic Strip #33 - 1st Quarter
It’s football season again !
Issue #138 in my comic book cover collection features the maze of a Jaguar and is titled Spotted Fury. The background was made using AI.
My comic book cover mazes are archived by year:
Comic Book Cover Mazes - Year 1 (Issues #1 - 53)
Maze of the Week #242 features the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, USA. This observation deck was built for the 1962 World’s Fair (much like my previous maze of Atomium). This tower is 605 ft (184 m) high and you can plan a visit on their website.
Here is a video all about the recent renovation of the Space Needle:
The maze: I went black and white. I considered making the city in the background but went with something new - just a line representing the city outline. It is a skinny maze and I like how it came out.
Download is available on the home page. Happy Maze-ing !
Other blog posts you may enjoy:
In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 10th type of maze construction is the Connected Dots maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every how-to will use a simple square so you can compare the differences between each maze construction type. I will also show a consolidated secondary how-to using an irregular shape (the state of Ohio).
Here is an outline for this blog post with jump links if you want to skip ahead to a section:
CONNECTED DOTS MAZE DEFINITION
HOW TO MAKE A CONNECTED DOTS MAZE
HOW TO MAKE A CONNECTED DOTS MAZE - abbreviated writing & using a different shape
CONNECTED DOTS MAZE DEFINITION:
THE 5 RULES OF MAZE DESIGN:
These 5 rules apply to any maze you make so we start with them !
1. Always keep an open pathway for the solution
While drawing a maze you will need to juggle multiple open pathways each of which could become the solution. One of them will become the solution. Keep track of it. This is especially important if you are designing pathways in both directions (from the start and from the goal).
2. Clearly mark the start and goal, or the objective of the maze
A maze should have a start and a goal that you can assess just by glancing at it. There are many ways to start and end a maze I review in this blog post: Options for Starting and Ending a Maze
3. Ensure the difficulty matches the intended audience
Most people want to solve a puzzle/maze that is just slightly below or slightly above their skill level. Many things help determine the difficulty of a maze. Size, number of branches, the length of dead ends, the number of choices, the complexity of the rules (if the maze has them).
4. Ensure your maze has a solution
When your maze is complete, solve it to determine the difficulty level and to ensure it is a real, solvable maze. Depending on the complexity of the maze you may want to do this right away or wait so you can properly assess the difficulty.
5. Explain anything that needs explaining
Some mazes have rules or conditions. Explain them with directions. If it isn't obvious, make it so.
HOW TO MAKE A CONNECTED DOTS MAZE
Step 1 - Draw the Dots (or the object you are using)
I decided to use dots as my object and draw them in a square pattern. I could have use any object and any shape.
Step 2 - Draw Walls to Connect the Dots
Connect the dots to create the walls of the maze. I decided to make the outer walls in a square shape as I drew. This created my gaps for start and goal also.
Step 3 - Complete the Maze
Draw lines between the dots to create the maze walls until the maze is complete.
Step 4 (Optional) - Make the Maze Solution
Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final Maze solution.
HOW TO MAKE A CONNECTED DOTS MAZE - abbreviated writing & using a different shape
Step 1 - Draw the Outline (optional) - Note: In a connected dots maze you may also start on step 2 and draw the dots first, using the dots to create your outline. Technically you can skip this step completely ! I only drew an outline to create the shape of Ohio to compare it to other constructions.
Step 1.5 - Choose the Start and Goal
Step 2 - Draw the Dots (or the object you are using) - Take the outline and fill it with dots. I like mine at equal distances away from each other, but there is no rule for that. The more dots you make the more paths you will be able to make allowing for a more difficult maze.
ALTERNATIVE STEPS: 1 - Draw most of the dots first. 2. Create an outer edge by connecting the outside dots. Continue to Step 3 below.
Step 3 - Draw Walls to Connect the Dots
Step 4 - Keep Drawing Walls
Step 5 - Complete the Maze Walls - I also added dots onto the outline to make the maze look better in this step.
Step 6 (Optional) - Make the Maze Solution
ADDITIONAL CONNECTED MAZE EXAMPLES
In this first example, the smaller and more compact dots have been used to create a much more difficult maze. This maze also is a good example of randomly placed dots rather than having them placed in some sort of pattern.
My second example shows a connected dot maze made with a dot border instead of an outline. This is also a good example of the use of dots in a grid pattern.
My third example is here to show you that Connected Squares also work (triangles, stars, hexagons, bird shapes, etc). And the outline can be flexible with this format of maze, with this particular one much more chaotic than those above.
FREE MAZES TO SOLVE
I have an entire section of Object to Object mazes that were made for kids that are similar looking to these mazes, however to solve these you travel on the line not between them ! I did a lot of fun themes and used some of my comic artwork so they look cool. One issue - they are very colorful and not the best things to print - more of on-screen mazes. Here is an example maze using stars:
CONNECTED DOT MAZE TEMPLATES
I made 2 different templates if you want a quick start to make your own connected dots maze. One is geometric dots and the other is more scattered. Free downloads are below.
MAKING OF A CONNECTED DOTS MAZE VIDEO
Check out this quick video showing the making of a simple connected dots maze.
Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.
If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step labyrinth making instructions.
