Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

I've done everything (i think), but my artwork leaves a bit to be desired. Is the key for the outline identifying 22 cells? I also know the image but slightly lost re the ref to colours and how they could be used here (trying not to give too much away)

Hi Andy,

I was in the same position as you but, thankfully, Muraria explains it in @2 - the extra words in the down clues all share one common element, this commonality, when read in clue order, gives 3 words which will tell you exactly how to outline the work.

Hi brendan - yes i followed that step thanks to muraria - just wanted to check that gives 22 cells?

Am still lost on the colours!

There are more cells in the outline than your total - it's difficult to be exact but I think the outline includes each of the symmetrical pairings on each row (so from the centre of the E at 1ac to the centre of the N at 11ac and so on) that way the last pair of letters (ending at 36ac) form the teeth of the image.
Colourwise - shade outwards from dark to light blue from the outline and add strips of the other colour down the first and last numbered columns (I think).

sorry, andyp - I see you mean the 22 pairs, not the area (my mistake).

Apologies Andy, I misread your post.

I really love these visual puzzles and probably take way too many liberties with the preamble but, for the record, I erased all the letters, bar the pairs required for the outline, and connected them using a very fine black pen. I drew the line starting at the centre of 1a and followed it to both the top and bottom of the N at 11 to give dimension to and better illustrate the original work, then carried on from there, using curves and straight lines as appropriate. Regards the colouring, I shaded the 2 outer columns at 1a and 10d one colour and everywhere between those and the outline of the CS another, including the squares above it, leaving only the interior of the CS completely blank. I'm currently undecided about the 2 central squares at the bottom in 37a because the pictures online show they're black, but that that doesn't fit with the title.

The end result really does look good, even if I say so myself, and helps illustrate what a great piece this is and why it has such enduring appeal 😀

... needless to say, I know this is not what the preamble asks you to do but just how I thought to best combine an excellent puzzle with a great piece of art.

Thanks to Serpent:-)

drxx - 22 pairs or 11 pairs? if the former i have a lot more searching to do!

Thanks brendan - art has never been my forte!

OK - 22 paired letters should do it.

Thanks drxx for confirming - i can rest easy now (well till tomorrow when the next one comes out)!