I did a few paint-by-number kits as an adolescent and found them fun and relaxing. Now at 70 years old, I am doing another one. I live in Addison, Texas, and the Addison Athletic Club senior program is conducting a Zoom paint-by-number class. I picked up the kit from the athletic club, and simply paint & talk over Zoom with the other participants. It is a good social activity in this time of face masks and social distancing. At least on Zoom we can see everyone’s entire face and even see them (or at least their faces) close up. It is a good time to catch up on what has been happening to everyone else, discuss the news, and solve the world’s problems. With a one-hour class once a week, it may take quite a while. The painting is 16” x 20”; the degree of difficulty is supposedly intermediate. However, I find that hard to believe when there are 1,720 numbered sections. 1,720!!! The kit comes with 4 brushes, 26 numbered paint pots, and a wooden display hanger. Hopefully, it will be presentable enough when I finish to hang it up. The picture is similar to the famous “Sunflowers” by Vincent Van Gogh. I wonder how long paint-by-number kits have been around? Let’s find out.
According to Wikipedia, 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 Co. of Detroit, Michigan, and Dan Robbins, a commercial artist. When Palmer Paint introduced crayons to consumers, they also posted images online for a "Crayon by Number" version. This painting style kept evolving and now, in its most popular mix style is known as diamond painting. Diamond painting is a brand-new craft hobby. It is a mixture of paint-by-numbers and cross-stitch painting. With diamond painting, you apply thousands of tiny resins known as diamond drills to a coded pre-adhesive canvas to create shimmering diamond art. This painting style is now one of the most popular styles in western countries. Hundreds of thousands of crafters worldwide have discovered the pleasure and pressure-relieving blessings of diamond painting.
History According to Katharine Q. Seelye’s April 5, 2019 article “Dan Robbins, Who Made Painting as Easy as 1-2-3 (and 4-5-6), Dies at 93” in the New York Times, Dan Robbins was no Leonardo da Vinci. But he copied one of the master’s basic techniques and thereby enabled children to grow up believing that they, too, could paint “The Last Supper.” Mr. Robbins helped to conceive what became known as paint by numbers. He copied the idea from Leonardo, who numbered the objects in the background of his paintings and had his apprentices paint them with designated colors. With paint-by-numbers kits, young baby boomers in the 1950s followed the same mechanics as those Renaissance artisans, coloring inside the outlines of images of everything from seascapes and the Matterhorn to kittens and Queen Elizabeth II. The process opened up art to the masses — another notch on the continuum of a limitless democratic American ethos that promised “a chicken in every pot” and “every man a king.” As the packaging on one paint-by-numbers kit promised, “Every man a Rembrandt.”
For a time, it might be said that Dan Robbins — who was essentially an illustrator — was the most exhibited artist in the world. His original freehand drawings provided the templates for the paint-by-number kits, and the results covered the empty walls of newly built postwar suburban living rooms.
The Palmer Show Card Paint Co. introduced the Craft Master brand in 1951. In 1955, sales of paint-by-number kits hit 20 million kits, with Craft Master — the brand Mr. Robbins worked for — selling about 12 million. It did not have a patent on the technique, however, so other manufacturers were able to flood the market with their own versions.
Paint-by-number works were hung in the Eisenhower White House, reimagined by Andy Warhol and used on the cover of Mad magazine, rendering Alfred E. Neuman’s gap-toothed face in outlines and numbers.
After all, the paint-by-numbers phenomenon developed not from a creative impulse but from a commercial one. Max Klein, who owned the Palmer Show Card Paint Co. in Detroit, had asked Mr. Robbins, his employee, to figure out a way to sell more paint. Dan Robbins graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit in 1943 and began working as a freelance artist, using skills he had developed at Cass Tech in pencil drawing, graphic design, lithography, water coloring and art composition. Hired by Palmer Paints, which made washable poster paints for children, he was designing packages and working on coloring books for children when Mr. Klein, eager to improve sales, suggested to him that he create a coloring book for adults.
Mr. Robbins didn’t care for that idea. But he remembered learning about that technique of Leonardo’s, of creating outlines and numbering each space to be painted. He gave it a try and came up with a Cubist still life.
Mr. Klein, who had been a chemist at General Motors and was no fan of abstract art, was horrified by the Cubist painting. But he liked the number concept and asked Mr. Robbins to paint something representational that might be more appealing. Mr. Robbins returned with “The Fishermen,” painted from a photograph taken off the New England coast. They knew they had a winner, and under the name Craft Master, they began the slow, cumbersome process of making kits with brushes, pieces of canvas and paints. Mr. Robbins created all the original art, drawing 30 or 40 illustrations freehand. He and his wife would then lay a clear film over the drawing, trace it and assign a color to every part of the picture. One of their bigger challenges, as one of his granddaughters, Sarah J. Robbins, recounted in an article last year, was how to package the paints that were sold as part of each kit. They realized that gelatin capsules — the kind used for vitamin pills — were the perfect vehicle: They dissolved in water but would hold oil-based paint.
“My grandfather reached out to Eli Lilly and Co. and called in a box of 50,000 empty gelatin capsules, which he and my grandmother separated while sitting in front of the TV,” Ms. Robbins wrote. With a grease gun, they manually filled each capsule with paint. After heavy marketing, sales eventually took off, and they streamlined the process, hiring more illustrators and mechanizing the process of squeezing paints into tiny plastic pots.
Their first hire was an illustrator, Adam Grant, a Holocaust survivor. He created the company’s best-selling paint-by-numbers painting, which, fittingly, was Leonardo’s “The Last Supper.” Palmer’s Craft Master was not the first company to produce a numbered painting kit; a patent for the concept had been filed in 1923. But Craft Master originated the modern industry and became a leader in the field as dozens of competitors popped up. Alas, when the big boxy appliance that accompanied those TV dinners started invading living rooms in the mid-1950s, sales of paint-by-number kits ebbed. But they still sell steadily today, having become ever more sophisticated. In appealing to adults, they are marketed as ways to relax and shut down the brain. Dan Robbins’ son Larry said that despite the scorn of critics, his father remained adamant that paint-by-numbers gave everyone the chance to create something, even if they could not draw at all. And, he said, 20 copies of the same painting can still show variations in style and coloring, “just as if you had 20 different people playing Beethoven, you would have 20 different sounds.”
Best paint-by-number kits According to The ArtNews Recommends Editors’ March 4, 2021 article “The Best Paint-By-Numbers Sets for Creating Your Own Masterpieces” at artnews.com, the ubiquitous product now is mostly marketed towards adults as a relaxing, mindful activity in the vein of coloring books and mandalas. To embark on your own satisfying paint-by-numbers journey, browse its selection of the best adult sets below.
Faber-Castell Museum Series Paint by Numbers - $7.99 Purveyor of high-quality art materials Faber-Castell makes simple, aggravation-free paint-by-number kits that nevertheless leave you with a satisfying replica of a work by a great master like Georges Seurat or Vincent Van Gogh. The emphasis is on learning painting techniques, and an online video can teach you relevant strokes that will help you get an authentic result. These kits make small works — 6 by 8 inches — that can be completed in roughly an hour. The canvas panel features outlines but no annoying numbers to show through the paint; instead, there’s a separate pattern guide. The acrylic paint and paintbrush are artist grade and, as a bonus, Faber-Castell includes a hang tab and a pop-out easel for display.
Pink Picasso Sensitive Succulents Kit - $42.00 For those who like a challenge, Pink Picasso makes photorealistic paint-by-numbers picture that require a deft hand and roughly 12 hours to finish. Once it is completed, however, you’ll have a hyperrealistic painting of bright and fresh succulents that will wow your friends — and likely even surprise you. The kit includes 4 differently sized brushes for filling in even the tiniest sections, and they sell refills of colors separately if you accidentally leave one uncapped.
Texture of Dreams Personalized Paint by Numbers Kit - $35.99 A hand-painted work of art makes a great gift, but what about a hand-painted image of something personal to the recipient? Whether you paint for a loved one or yourself, simply send in a high-resolution photograph of your pet, a special moment or whatever you please, and Texture of Dreams will send a printed, stretched canvas and the colors you need to turn a memory into a keepsake. The included set of three brushes make easy work of small and large areas alike. Choose from sizes from 12 by 16 inches to 24 by 36 inches.
Schipper MNZ Paint by Number Kit - $45.98 For truly frameable art, this luxe kit from Schipper is as much a pleasure to work with as it is to display when finished. Schipper was the first German manufacturer to make paint-by-numbers, and it continues to uphold the high level of craftsmanship it started out with. This kit helps you recreate a retro illustration of a Marklin model train. The canvas panel measuring 40 by 80 centimeters is backed with rigid cardboard and printed with light gray outlines that disappear under the fast-drying acrylic paint.
According to Annette White’s article “The 10 Best Adult Paint by Numbers Kits (+ Tips to Complete Them)” at bucketlistjorney.net, here are a few more examples. Antiniska’s Colorful Cow - $8.99 at Amazon
SEASON’s Eiffel Tower - 16 x 20
$15.69 at Amazon
Tips for Painting by Numbers
1. Iron Your Canvas
Imagine that you have an interview at a prestigious company, and you didn’t have time to iron your shirt. Is it a big deal? You bet. And all good artists know that taking care of their supplies is very important. They wipe brushes, put the lids back to avoid drying out and iron their canvas to get rid of creases and wrinkles from fabric. Some people iron canvases before painting, some of them after. You should be very careful not to burn the canvas. A tea towel can be used to cover the surface entirely.
2. Consider Buying a Kit with Frame
Everything in this world has content and shape. If this balance is ruined the chaos comes! That’s why you should consider buying a kit with a frame, so you avoid any disorder and enjoy your painting. The frame is very helpful in many situations. First of all, it keeps your canvas tight, and it can’t slip. Secondly, you can easily paint small and bigger pictures without going beyond the edges. Finally, your work is beautifully highlighted with any frame, which adds a special elegance to your picture.
3. Keep the Work Area Clean
“Creative mess” is normally accepted for people of artistic mindset, but is it suitable for everyone? If you are concentrating on some tasks anything else can distract you. It is useful to cover your working area with an old newspaper, to close the paint cups, and to keep the brushes in order. Taking this precaution, you can avoid stains or splashes. Keep the location clean and focus on your work in a peaceful inspirational environment.
4. Start from the Top
Smudging can be an unpleasant problem while painting by numbers. We can suddenly touch the painted area that is still wet and smudge it all. You can be patient and let the first part dry and then move to another. Or if you want to protect your work from stains, start it from the top. This may take more time to finish the canvas. And you might need to either use more brushes or wash them more often, since you’ll be using more colors. But in the end, you’ll be satisfied with a clean piece of art.
5. Start from the Background
It is always hard to start painting. Where to start? What colors go first? If you start from the background, you’ll definitely ease your work. Starting with darker colors gives you the opportunity to get the general idea of the picture. Then you can finish all the other areas, using lighter colors. It is fascinating how the light and dark colors correspond with each other and what effect they have.
6: Make it look real
You can blur the background or other parts of your painting. If you want a deep blur you can do this while painting is slightly wet. Use the wet brush to mix the colors on the borders. Do not overuse water, though! The brush should be damp. But most people prefer giving it only a slight blur. For that apply a dry, clean brush. Use the brush to gently stroke the wet color onto the neighboring one.
7: Make that inner perfectionist SHUT UP
Oh no! Some paint went over the border and colored the part it shouldn’t have! Oh no! I took the wrong color! Don’t be too hard on yourself. You are doing this for pleasure — not for self-reproach! YOU are the artist here and you decide what is best. If you went over the line with one color, you can easily cover it by the right one when it dries. Or just leave it as is! Enjoy your imperfection!
8: Take it slow. Enjoy every stroke…
To fully embrace the experience, you need to stop and be present in the moment. Leave the thoughts about the past, it has passed. Don’t worry about the future, it hasn’t come yet. Be here and now. There’s only you, paints and canvas here. Take your brush and slowly begin. Enjoy every stroke of the brush, every mix of color, every feeling of texture and space. Concentrate on this. You will feel relaxed and focused at the same time. And after the experience, there will be this amazing feeling of freshness and novelty.
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