It's definitely not time for Christmas decorations crafting yet, so why am I showing the Christmas ornaments in the collage above?
Well, something I saw the other day brought me back to over fifty-five years ago and something I used to love to do. It was called "paint by number" and I think I created my first masterpiece, if you can call it that, when I was 8 or so. I think it was a kit from Craft Works.
I don't remember what the picture was - probably an animal or landscape. What I do remember was I loved it even though I wasn't very good at it. Of course, my parents thought it was great or so they said.
I'm sure, like all parents, they were trying to encourage me to continue trying. "If at first you don't succeed, try try again! Right?"
So, what did I see that stirred this memory? Well, it was an ad for a paint by number website that sells paint by number kits.
But, what really intrigued me was they offered an on demand paint by number kit. Basically, you upload or send them one of your favorite pictures and they create a kit for you which includes the acrylic paints, numbered linen canvas, and brushes to create your paint by number picture. How fun would that be?
If I can remember correctly, which for a senior citizen is questionable at best, I can remember attempting many, many paint by numbers kits over the years. Some were on canvas, some on black velvet, and some on wood like the Christmas ornaments shown in the picture at the beginning of this post. I think I completed those in the late 1960's or early 1970's. As you can see I still wasn't very good at it, but I kept trying.
Some kits were easy and some were very difficult. To be honest I'd have to admit I gave up on some of them. They were definitely way beyond my skill level but, at least I tried them. I didn't think I could do some of the them, but, you never know, I could have pleasantly surprised myself.
Well, given by love of history and research, of course, I had to find out more about the origins of paint by number and recent resurgence. Here's what I found out:
I went to Wikipedia first - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint_by_number
According to Wikipedia.com: Paint by number or painting by numbers are kits having a board on which light markings to indicate areas to paint, and each area has a number and a corresponding numbered paint to use. The kits come with little compartmentalized boxes where the numbered color pigments are stored. The users are encouraged to wash the paintbrush every time a new numbered color is being used. The kits were invented, developed and marketed in 1950 by Max S. Klein, an engineer and owner of the Palmer Paint Company of Detroit, Michigan, and Dan Robbins, a commercial artist.
Also, according to Wikipedia:
The first patent for the paint by number technique was filed in 1923 and in 1951 the Palmer Show Card Paint Company asked Dan Robbins to help them create the CraftMaster paint by number kits. They subsequently sold 12 million kits.
In the 1960's the first paint by number images of Mars came out and in 1993 Jacquelyn Schiffman, following the death of her father, Max Klein, donated the Palmer Paint Co. paint by number archives to the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Paint By Numbers Museum
In 2008 a private collector decided to create a museum of the largest archive of paint by number works called, the Paint By Numbers Museum.
Also, according to Wikipedia: In May 2011, Dan Robbins and Palmer Paint Products, Inc., together developed and brought to market a new 60th-anniversary paint by number set.[7] This collectors' set was created in memory of the survivors and those who had lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and depicts the Twin Towers standing in spirit across the Manhattan skyline.
Since then it seems paint by number has become quite the rage for reducing stress and relaxation therapy. There are classes everywhere, arts & crafts websites and museums selling historic art paint by numbers kits, and clubs on social media dedicated to this.
YouTube currently has hundreds of paint by number video's from how-to's to just watching someone complete their paint by number. I haven't watched any of them yet. I might find the how-to's interesting if they offered any tips for mixed media techniques but I'm not sure I could just watch someone complete a typical paint by number for hours.
I always find it amusing that the past always seems to become the present and something from decades ago is all the rage now. I often wonder what our ancestors would think of all of this. Hopefully, they'd be amused, too.
As far as I'm concerned the more the merrier. I'd like to try a paint by number of a Monet landscape some time but am really intrigued by the print on demand paint by number kit as I can use a favorite photograph of my own or design of my own.
So, of course, I also had to do a little research to see where on demand paint by number kits were being created and sold. And, to my surprise there were quite a few websites, which are as follows:
Artsool.com - https://www.artsool.com/products/personality-photo-customized-diy-painting-by-numbers
Canvasbynumbers.com - https://canvasbynumbers.com/products/custom-paint-by-numbers-kit
Canvastly.com - https://www.canvastly.com/products/custom-print-paint-by-numbers
Craft-ease.com - https://www.craft-ease.com/products/craft-ease-custom-paint-by-numbers
Masterpiecebynumbers.com - https://usa.masterpiecebynumbers.com/collections/custom-painting
Mypaintbynumbers.com - https://mypaintbynumbers.com/products/custom-paint-by-number-kit
Mypaintlab - https://www.paint-by-numbers.store/customization
Paintillo - https://paintillio.com/
Paintnumbers.shop - https://paintnumbers.shop/products/custom-paint-by-number-kits-for-adults?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5Nvrp5HF6QIV4oNaBR07ngZYEAMYAiAAEgL-x_D_BwE
Paintingscart.com - https://paintingscart.com/products/custom-diy-paint-by-number-with-your-own-photo/
Uniquepaintbynumbers.com - https://uniquepaintbynumbers.com/products/paint-your-own-photo?variant=31921547346008
Winniespicks.com - https://www.winniespicks.com/products/custom-photo-paint-by-numbers
There is even something that is similar to paint by number but a combination of painting and coloring by number. Canvasondemand.com - https://www.canvasondemand.com/collections/coloring-canvas/
The good thing about paint by number, which I think is why it appeals to so many people, is you don't have to be an artist to try it. After all, like my parents told me - if at first you don't succeed try try again. With all the paint by number kits available now you'll be honing your skills for a very long time.
The good thing about paint by number, which I think is why it appeals to so many people, is you don't have to be an artist to try it. After all, like my parents told me - if at first you don't succeed try try again. With all the paint by number kits available now you'll be honing your skills for a very long time.
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