In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 12th type of maze construction is the Objects maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every example will use the sample basic outline (the state of Ohio) to better illustrate the differences between each maze type.
Objects Maze - Really an “Objects as Walls Maze.” Walls are created by adding objects to avoid almost like barriers. Objects can be anything that isn’t the traditional maze wall line. The object used will typically reflect the subject matter of the maze.
How to Make an Objects Maze
Step 1 - Draw the Outline
The outline of the maze makes the outer wall of the maze. It can be anything from a simple shape like a square, to a complex picture. The outline should be thicker than the internal lines to give the maze definition. In the example below I chose the state of Ohio.
Step 1.5 - Choose the Start and Goal
For the below example I chose the start of Cleveland and the goal of Cincinnati.
Step 2 - Start Filling the Maze with Objects
With the theme you have chosen, begin filling the outline with objects. For my Ohio example I decided to start with the major city names. This is where you can get very creative in your design. How about a maze of a soda that uses bubbles as the object walls ! A donut maze with sprinkles and toppings as the objects sounds interesting.
Step 3 - Add More Objects
Continue adding objects to fill the maze in the white spots. I chose the word OHIO rather than additional city names and began building walls. The thing about an object maze is that it takes a lot of time to fill the maze (especially if you use words as the object because of the gaps between letters).
I then added additional smaller fonts of OHIO for the smaller white spaces. Now that the maze is mostly full it is time to make the maze !
Step 4 - Make Maze Walls with Objects
Starting from the entrance of the maze start making barriers/walls by adding objects where they are needed. Because the objects in this example are words there are a lot of gaps to close. I used the letter O as you can see in Northeast Ohio.
Step 5 - Complete the Maze Walls
Object mazes are some of the most difficult to make as they are made from so many individual parts. Creating the example took a significant amount of time.
Step 6 - Make the Maze Solution
Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final Maze solution. While this is optional for some constructions of mazes, the difficulty of drawing and solving an object maze means that providing a solution is essential. Because there were so many gaps to close I left some open intentionally so you could go on either side of a letter, but I also found an additional possible solution (in blue).
Additional Object maze Examples
Here are two additional examples of Objects mazes. The left uses boxes to create pathways (a box of boxes), while the maze on the right uses balls or circles as the objects.
For my third example I wanted to show how this maze type can be made more complex, just by adding additional boxes to this Box 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.