When you were a kid, did you use those paint by numbers projects? Many people have fond memories of painting by numbers. It goes back to his childhood and a more innocent time. Remember those pictures, with all the lines and the different numbers, and each number corresponded to a different color? Sure they were, and they were a lot of fun.
All the colors came in a little image package, and in the end you were supposed to get an image that looked like the image on the box or the back of the package. Usually it didn’t work out that way, but I remember trying my best. For kids, these paint-by-numbers kits eventually got to the point where very little actual paint was needed, and soon just a little wetting of the paper magically produced the color for you. There was a lot of acceptance in this concept and it continues to be today. However, kids can still get traditional paint-by-number kits and produce wonderful watercolor images of any subject available.
In the 1950s, however, this was considered a real art form, as valid as oil painting and sculpture. You could take painting by number classes, and many hobbyists started painting by numbers, painting very nice copies of other people’s art and happily framing them or having them professionally framed and hung on the wall. They even had copies of classics like Picasso and Renoir.
People actually had jobs creating paint by numbers, which must have been an interesting way to earn a living. For those who used paint by numbers it was a wonderful way for a month, otherwise they would have limited artistic talent to create beautiful masterpieces.
Some people even honed their skills with number painting and became accomplished artists in their own right, creating their own works of art. But the vast majority were simply more than happy to create any included setup and hang it proudly on their walls.
It was still an achievement in something that people enjoyed doing. It was a good way to dabble in, but still having the certainty of knowing what his masterpiece would look like in the end. Believe it or not, paint by number pictures became quite popular and could be seen in many Paint by Numbers.
Painting by numbers allowed people to start using their free time to make a craft. It was a wonderful way to spend time and just great memories. And just because the numbers were there, it didn’t always mean you had to follow them. Of course, paint-by-numbers artists were limited by the drawings that came with the cake, but that wasn’t always the case. Many of the artists individualized their work by slightly altering the image, perhaps blurring some of the lines, perhaps omitting a part of the image that they didn’t like. And, of course, have total discretion about what colors to use and where.
Painting by numbers was quite a fascinating phenomenon, and its popularity still amazes people even now. I know I was surprised. I always thought of it as something young children did. However, painting by numbers was nice because it actually allowed the average person to create a wonderful piece of art with their own hand.