When creating a Can You Find? hidden object picture in full color, hiding objects is similar to hiding them in a black-and-white drawing. What shape is the object and where can I hide an object that has a similar shape? What type of texture can I add to the image to help hide a hidden object so that it all makes sense to the entire image?

Sometimes with a full-color hidden object picture, you have to keep in mind the colors of the objects will give away a clue to the viewer as to where to look for the hidden objects. The seahorse illustration is a good example of this. Looking for the color of the object — like the pink in the horseshoe or purple carrot top — can be a helpful hint in finding the hidden objects.

The hidden cat shape in the seahorse illustration often has people searching for quite some time before they are able to find it. I think the reason this object is more difficult to find is because it is hidden in negative space in the illustration. The space between the coral not on the coral itself which is why that blue space is called the negative space — the shape created from the lines of the coral.

Creating Can You Find? illustrations is always one of my favorite types of projects to do — they don’t get old even after decades of creating new puzzles in black-and-white and color. Plus it’s always a fun challenge to see what new objects I can hide next.