Brian Michael Weaver

This was for a Highlights ‘My First Colors and Shapes’ book. Can you find the seven SQUARE-shaped Hidden Objects? Belt Buckle, Cracker, Toast, Stamp, Present, Waffle, Window, and a Die

This was for… now I can’t remember. It was commissioned by Highlights for online use, but I never really saw how or where. ANYWAY, can you find the following seven words hidden in this picture?: WINTER, SLEIGH, NOEL, COOKIES, TOYS, JOY, BELLS

This was one of my favorite-est puzzles I’ve ever made for Highlights Mag! I hid so much Pasta in it! Can you solve the Logic Puzzle, AND find all of my Pasta?: Bucatini, Penne, Spaghetti, Farfalle (Bowtie Pasta), Macaroni (there’s lots!), Ravioli, Tortellini, Fusilli (Jerry!), Ziti, Lasagna, Conchiglie (Shell Pasta!), Rotelle (Wheel Pasta!), Fettucini (my favorite!), and Angel Hair.

Can you find the Bird, Shoe, Bell, Toothbrush, Artist’s Brush, Lollipop, Mug, and Golf Club?

Can you find Gordo?!

One of my favorite Hidden Pictures I’ve done for Highlights! (It’s also the wallpaper for this website! See?) Can you find all of the hidden objects, and all of the Bananas??

This was for Highlights ‘Jumbo Book of Amazing Mazes’. Look at all of these traffic jams! There’s even traffic… JAM! What kind of situations do you see that are causing traffic? Can you get the yellow school bus to the Museum?

Cover for Highlights FANTASTICAL CREATURE Riddle Puzzles’! Can you find the Spinning Top, Heart, Domino, Ice Cream, Pencil, Drinking Straw, Thumbtack, Mitten, Popcorn Megaphone, Feather, Glove, Toothbrush, and Comb? (You’ll need to scroll down to the original, title-less version to find some of them!)

Can you find the Hidden Objects and solve the Riddle at the bottom??

This is the process of making a cover illo for Highlights Puzzlemania. First, the art director, Colleen Pidel, gets in touch with an assignment. The description:

"4 color scene of a soccer game: ANTS vs. one CENTIPEDE that is sideways on the field; taking up the entire width, with little sneakers on the end of its’ 100 legs. We can see little fans in the stadium, but can’t see them well enough to tell what they are. Maybe a beetle is the referee as well."

I like to do thumbnails when it comes to covers, instead skipping right to sketches, so we can figure out the composition, jokes, etc. on a small scale. #3 was picked with one adjustment: Make the centipede curved, and Colleen provided the reference.

The sketch was approved easily, with small changes to the ant's expressions (they looked a little distraught in an earlier version.

And then I wanted to provide a number of options for the colors. I'm happy with the one they chose (#2). The blue ants are kinda cool and different, and I like how the red centipede stands out against the cooler green and blue of the setting.

Now, can you find the Hidden Puzzle Piece on the cover??

This was for Highlights Magazine’s Back Cover, where they have their monthly Picture Puzzler. The Picture Puzzler is always an offbeat, original puzzle, and absolutely my favorite kind of assignments from them!

Can you find the Puzzle Piece??

This was a maze for Friend Magazine!

The comedy duo of Scharpling and Wurster had been together for almost fifteen years, creating different characters to call into The Best Show on WFMU. In this box set, they collected their best of those incredible phone calls. I drew almost all of the characters from this selected catalogue, and also designed the interior wallpaper! so much fun!

( I actually hid 11 things that end in O. )

This was for Spider Magazine, in their poetry section. I love painting tigers!

Four different covers representing four different Knock-Knock themes!