Solution to Pointillisme

by Julian West

First, solve all the Paint-by-Numbers puzzles. (A couple of them don't quite have unique solutions, but as we'll see that shouldn't stop you from solving the puzzle.) Here are the solution grids:













The 13 images all represent mosaics of video game creatures and objects that are situated on the facades of buildings or bridges in Paris. They can all be found using the mouseover feature of the map at this site.


avenue de la Motte Picquet


rue de Seine


3, rue Auber


50, rue de Charonne


87, quai de Valmy


pont Saint Michel


20, rue du Faubourg Montmartre


rue du 29 juillet


rue Charlemagne


111, rue Oberkampf


rue Clavel


place d'Iena


1, rue Paul Baudry

Each of the ten street images in the puzzle was taken standing at one of these locations, and looking toward another one:

01 : rue Oberkampf, looking southish (8 → 6)
02 : rue du Faubourg Montmartre, looking south (10 → 2)
03 : rue Baudry, looking southwest (9 → 7)
04 : rue Clavel, looking southwest (4 → 8)
05 : pont Saint Michel, looking east (2 → 1)
06 : quay Valmy, looking southeast (11 → 8)
07 : rue du 29 Juillet, looking southsoutheast (13 → 5)
08 : rue de Seine, looking west (5 → 3)
09 : place Iena, looking east (7 → 13)
10 : rue Auber, looking west (12 → 9)

Following the path 12 → 9 → 7 → 13 → 5 → 3 on a map spells out an S. Following 10 → 2 → 1 spells an L, and following 11 → 8, 4 → 8 and 8 → 6 spells a Y. The answer is therefore SLY.