The Making of the Game: The Odyssey in 1,000 Pieces

The inaugural season of Thames & Hudson’s Gift Lab  launched earlier this year with an exciting selection of games and puzzles inspired by our richly illustrated books. One of our launch puzzles is The Odyssey in 1,000 Pieces, which is illustrated by the inimitable Becky Bolton and Louise Chappell, AKA Good Wives and Warriors.

In visualizing Homer’s epic poem of Odysseus’s ten-year-long homecoming, this story-telling puzzle brings a vibrant and dynamic flair to the Ancient Greek tale. We spoke with Becky and Louise to learn more about how the game came to be and to get an insight into their creative process.

T&H: What was your starting point for this project?

GWAW: We wanted to try and capture the strange and epic journey of The Odyssey across the Mediterranean sea, and so we began by sketching out the main elements of the story onto a map to see how it could all fit in one flowing artwork.

T&H: The Odyssey is a long and enduring story. How did you select specific scenes from such an epic tale to illustrate the puzzle?

GWAW: There are so many wonderful scenes in The Odyssey. We were really lucky to be working with the amazing author and classicist Daisy Dunn, who picked out the key elements to be included in the artwork.

T&H: One of the main themes in The Odyssey is ‘journeys’ and ‘returning’ – can you tell us more about your process of showing narrative progression in the illustrations to represent these themes?

GWAW: Flow was really important in the story and a definite challenge, as we were showing the story geographically rather than taking a linear storyline. We used specific colour themes for characters and visual devices like the threads of Penelope’s tapestry to pull the viewer’s eye across the map.

T&H: The style used is very dynamic – can you tell us a bit about your style and how you blend scenes together?

GWAW: We like to create intricate and flowing compositions with our drawings and paintings. For this project, we sketched the illustrations in pencil, then drew the lines in pen and finally coloured the artwork digitally. Colour is very important with such a complicated composition, not only to pull out key moments in the story but to also have calm, quiet areas so that the overall effect is vibrant but harmonious.

T&H: Was there any other reference imagery or literature that you used to learn more about The Odyssey that helped in the creative process?

GWAW: We love the Ancient Greek painting found on the red-and black-figure ceramics, as well as the later Hellenistic pottery styles. The way figures and nature are depicted is so dynamic and cool. They were the perfect inspiration for the characters of our Odyssey artwork.

T&H: Can you tell us anything about the next project you’re working on for T&H?

GWAW: We’ve recently finished an artwork for a project based on The Aeneid as a follow-on from The Odyssey jigsaw. It was great to tell the other side of the legendary fall of Troy, which we have been creating in a similar style to The Odyssey in 1,000 Pieces. We are really excited to see the final printed version and getting jigsawing!

The Odyssey in 1,000 Pieces is available on Bookshop.org, along with the full Gift Lab collection.