Remember Paint by Numbers?

[SifuPhil]

Paint by numbers - those ubiquitous art projects in a box!



First marketed by the Palmer Paint Company in 1951, Paint by Numbers went on to sell millions of kits. Competitors sprang up and broadened the field. A recent resurgence of interest has been fueled by eBay and by exhibitions at the Smithsonian. There's even an awesome Paint by Numbers Online Museum.

Do you remember working on a Paint by Number project?

 

[clover]

Loathed them and there fiddly little sticky pots of paint. Much prefer the Adult colouring books we have now

 

[SifuPhil]

Loathed them and there fiddly little sticky pots of paint. Much prefer the Adult colouring books we have now

Wow - strong reaction.

Personally I've never taken to the name "adult coloring books" - it always sounded like something they give you in the senior citizen home to keep you busy. If they could come up with a better name I might like them better.

 

[clover]

Wow - strong reaction.

Personally I've never taken to the name "adult coloring books" - it always sounded like something they give you in the senior citizen home to keep you busy. If they could come up with a better name I might like them better.

LOL Phil we are Senior citizens. Funny that you should dislike the word Adult as I also disliked Paint by numbers because it seemed 'a teach an idiot to paint approach'.

 

[SifuPhil]

LOL Phil we are Senior citizens. Funny that you should dislike the word Adult as I also disliked Paint by numbers because it seemed 'a teach an idiot to paint approach'.

Heh, heh - that's true. "Everyone can be an artist" - I get it.

Still - combining "adult" with "coloring book" ... I don't know ... it's sort of like saying "Children's Automatic Rifle" - the two terms just seem to clash ... it seems somehow belittling as well.

 

[hollydolly]

Wow - strong reaction.

Personally I've never taken to the name "adult coloring books" - it always sounded like something they give you in the senior citizen home to keep you busy. If they could come up with a better name I might like them better.

LOL Phil, my sentiments exactly!!...I just can't get my head around those ''adult colouring books''. ..but each to their own, but definitely not something I hope I ever end up doing in an old folks home LOL

 

[Ken N Tx]

LOL Phil, my sentiments exactly!!...I just can't get my head around those ''adult colouring books''. ..but each to their own, but definitely not something I hope I ever end up doing in an old folks home LOL

My wife just got interested in them..She said it relives stress!!

 

[hollydolly]

My wife just got interested in them..She said it relives stress!!

is she saying your stressing her out ken.?..I can't believe that...

 

[Karen99]

Paint by numbers - those ubiquitous art projects in a box!

View attachment 26047

First marketed by the Palmer Paint Company in 1951, Paint by Numbers went on to sell millions of kits. Competitors sprang up and broadened the field. A recent resurgence of interest has been fueled by eBay and by exhibitions at the Smithsonian. There's even an awesome Paint by Numbers Online Museum.

Do you remember working on a Paint by Number project?

gee Phil..I almost forgot about them..lol. My mother would do those when she bought them for me as a kid. I'm not really into the number thing..but I got her an adult coloring book last Christmas ..and she said ...noo to that.

 

[Pappy]

I bought one a few years back, Phil. I had intentions of finishing and framing it, but there were so many little places to paint, and my hand shakes a bit, that it started to look like my kindergarten drawings. It somewhere in the shed.

 

[Ken N Tx]

is she saying your stressing her out ken.?..I can't believe that...

I could be part of the problem!! She also likes jigsaw puzzles..

 

[Pappy]

I'm going to check into Adult coloring books, Amazon has them, but wondering if you use crayons or colored pencils, or both.

 

[Ken N Tx]

I'm going to check into Adult coloring books, Amazon has them, but wondering if you use crayons or colored pencils, or both.

My wife uses liquid markers..
.

 

[clover]

My wife uses liquid markers..
.
View attachment 26056

Before so called adult colouring books became the 'thing to do' I ran them off the Internet for classes we had for handicapped adults to use. You still can but liquid markers can sometimes bleed through some paper so good quality coloured pencils are better.

Unlike paint by numbers everyone sees and does a picture completely differently

 

[Pam]

I do have an adult colouring book but much prefer the bird/nature colouring book that I bought for my grandson and myself do together. We've tried felt tips and coloured pencils but our favourites by a long mile are the fine line coloured pens (0.4 mm). Almost got a needle like point, giving a neater finish.

 

[clover]

I do have an adult colouring book but much prefer the bird/nature colouring book that I bought for my grandson and myself do together. We've tried felt tips and coloured pencils but our favourites by a long mile are the fine line coloured pens (0.4 mm). Almost got a needle like point, giving a neater finish.

Surely it's very difficult to blend the colours in though Pam !

 

[Cookie]

Never tried the paint by numbers and always wanted to, they are probably a lot better quality now than they used to. I too have adult coloring books which are beautiful and more challenging than one might think and very relaxing too. I think these things can be jump-off tools for more independent artwork.

 

[Pam]

Surely it's very difficult to blend the colours in though Pam !

We haven't tried any blending, only straightforward colouring. But I do see what you mean, we'll have to have a try with some pencils. I'm not at all arty or creative but it's fun, something we can do together and I'm so glad that we've progressed from colouring in pictures of wrestlers. lol

 

[fureverywhere]

I never really liked paint by numbers, I don't follow directions well. Besides if I want the bird to be green with red highlights I'm doing it. I draw free hand rather well so I just color my own stuff.

 

[SeaBreeze]

When I was a young kid, I remember my oldest sister doing a large paint by number picture of a boat in the ocean. It came out very well, everyone loved it. She actually framed it and hung it over her couch in the living room. I thought she was very talented to complete such a painting, I never even tried to do one myself. Never saw an adult coloring book either. I have done some drawings, paintings, pastel art on my own, but it was never very good and always ended up in the trash.

 

[Cookie]

We seem to have a few artists in my family, my cousin does prints, my sister acrylics and my other cousin does pysanky (ukrainian easter egg).
I dabble with different media, have taken numerous classes at night school and am still learning, but don't hang anything I did in my home, just hide them away in a binder for reference. I think it takes lots of practice and perserverence to be happy with our work. I do better with quilting and sewing media which is more practical.

 

[SifuPhil]

Getting away from PBN, I know, but I used to watch Bob Ross on TV for many years. His voice and manner were almost like Mr. Rodgers - soothing and quiet and always positive. He made painting look like an easy thing, so I went out and bought an easel and paint and brushes and tried to follow his show.

I always ended up with something that looked like the efforts of an insane asylum resident.

Maybe that's why I appreciated PBN.

Every once in a while I'll try my hand at pencil sketching, but quickly rip it up and consign it to the trash. I'm just not artistic.

I like the idea of colored pencils or pens for the coloring books - that would make me feel far more artistic than using crayons. layful:

 

[jujube]

I used to get a paint by number set almost every Christmas. Loved them. Now I have five of the "adult" coloring books and some sets of pens and pencils. I find them very restful and stress-relieving. I like embroidery for the same reason, but the eyes are getting too bad for that.

Remember Jon Gnagy "Learn to Draw" sets? I've never been able to draw flies, but I enjoyed trying to learn.

 

[Cookie]

I think the reason adult coloring books and paint by numbers seem 'safe' and not intimidating is that they are drawn by someone else and we don't feel so identified with it and responsible for the outcome.

I really dislike drawing, even though I think I can more or less do it. It think because I never went to nursery school or kindergarten or got to play around with paint with I was a small kid, now I enjoy making a mess with paint - inner child wants to have fun. I always envied my sister's fingerpainting pictures she brought home from school.

Phil, even wax crayons have their place in the art supply drawer. I see that the stationery section of my local drug store has a huge selection of Crayola art supplies (cheap) that are quite adequate to goof around with.

Jujube this is inspiring me to try the PBN -- maybe I'll get one, I hope they're not too pricey.

 

[SifuPhil]

I used to get a paint by number set almost every Christmas. Loved them. Now I have five of the "adult" coloring books and some sets of pens and pencils. I find them very restful and stress-relieving. I like embroidery for the same reason, but the eyes are getting too bad for that.

Remember Jon Gnagy "Learn to Draw" sets? I've never been able to draw flies, but I enjoyed trying to learn.

I well remember John Gnagy - haven't heard that name for many years.