In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The best place to start this topic is with the standard maze construction. 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.
Standard Maze Paths - By standard I mean a maze made with paths based off of a grid framework. The wall width is smaller than the pathway width. This includes wall widths that are less than half the width of the pathways.
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD MAZE PATHS
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. I made an entrance in Cleveland but I usually wait until I am in the last stage of drawing maze lines to draw the exit point for the goal. This is in case I need to adjust the location slightly based off of my design. This works if drawing a maze digitally, but for a hand drawn maze the outline will need to have a pre-determined start and goal.
Step 2 - Start Drawing the Maze Walls
Using a grid pattern, begin drawing the maze walls starting at the entrance of the maze. Although you do not see the grid in the example below, it is present as I work on drawing the maze on my screen. This particular maze was built using a 30x30 grid with wall widths of 4. The smaller the size of the grid you use, the more difficult the maze can become. This is because a small grid will need more pathways to fill the space you are mazing. Of course be careful to not break the #1 rule of making a maze - never close all the open paths so the maze can eventually be solved using one of the pathways. As you make the maze decide how difficult you want to make it based on your preference or your intended audience. A low amount of path choices, and short dead end paths will make an easy maze. Longer dead ends and lots of path choices make a more difficult maze. The below example is starting off as an easy maze.
Step 3 - Keep Drawing the Maze Walls
Like most mazes the middle part of design is a lot of keep doing what you are doing and draw more walls. There is nothing too complicated in the below example. The solution is not difficult to follow so far as there are still two possible solves still available in my example picture 1, and only 1 in example picture 2. When I design a maze of any type I like to have multiple options open for most of the design process. When I get near the goal of the maze, that is where I decide which path works better. Take a quick moment to solve these mazes using your eyes. Notice the length of the dead ends and how quickly you find the wrong turns. The more novice the target audience for the maze, the shorter the dead ends should be.
Step 4 - Complete the Maze
Draw the final walls and draw the exit (if you are making your maze digitally). You have completed the drawing of a standard maze ! As I mentioned above, I reviewed the possible pathways as I was reaching the goal and chose the one that best fit what I wanted to achieve (in terms of difficulty). Just a quick note if you were hand drawing your maze the goal was already drawn in step 1.5. In this case you have the option to complete your maze by drawing from your exit goal to the mostly completed maze.
Step 5 (Optional) - Draw the Solution
You have two options here - Option 1 - While the correct pathway is fresh in your mind, draw the solution to the maze. This is especially important with more complex mazes. It can also be a check to make sure your maze has a solution. This example maze is easy. Option 2 - Let the maze sit for a few days and try solving it yourself. Was it the difficulty you thought as you were designing it ? Did you enjoy it or did it frustrate you in any way ? Using option 2 means you are more likely to go back and make adjustments to improve the maze. Think of it as proofreading for mazes.
5 Additional Examples of Standard Mazes
The Cheeseburger maze happens to be in full color and uses a smaller scale (the grid is 10x10 with walls at a 1.5 width) but it is a standard maze. Difficulty is medium because the pathways that are false tend to be longer then normal, so if you take a wrong turn early there may be a delay until you realize it with a longer backtrack to get on the correct path.
The standard maze is the default for most maze makers because it works well with just about any subject you are making a maze of. Like this full-color Pug maze. A medium difficulty maze. Was made on 16x16 grid with wall widths of 2.5
In the first two examples you can see how this maze construction works with irregular shapes. Now let’s look at how it works on more structured shapes like rectangles. The Zipper maze below, and there are not many zipper mazes out there, has a very rectangular structure that naturally fits with the grid pattern. Yes there are some rounded corners but they are easy to navigate as a designer ! I think you can tell by the scale this is a 4x4 grid with walls of 1.2.
Next we have another maze a natural fit for a standard maze because of it’s shape, the Barn maze. The entire lower portion fits perfectly with the grid. It was made on a 4x4 grid with walls of 1. I think this maze is medium hard, and definitely not for kids. One of the main reasons I included this maze was because of a specific detail I like. Do you know what it is ? It is the rooster on the roof. I like adding little details, even if they do not effect the solve of the maze.
And our last example is an easy maze with a rectangular structure, the Microwave maze. I include it here because I made the choice to leave a lot of the drawing un-mazed. I could have made the decision to maze the entire microwave, but by leaving things un-mazed I was able to make this a much easier maze.
