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Painting By Numbers

Painting by Numbers

Some humans who are now venturing into fine art painting may choose to start with something known as 'Painting by Numbers'. This entails purchasing an art kit where designated borders and numbers are set that co-ordinate with paints. All the painter must do is simply apply the corresponding number / paint to the art piece in steady fashion until they complete the work. Have you ever Painting by Numbers? Were you gratified by the attempt? Did it help you to master free hand painting?

Numbers Painting

I used to love to paint by numbers with oil painting on black velvet being one of my favorite. In fact, it was painting by numbers that gave me courage to take up painting free hand. I would highly recommend this as a start for anyone that wants to develop a steady hand, but do note that it will not teach you the element of blending colors.

Painting By Numbers UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

I agree that paint-by-numbers can help you get started with painting if you pay attention to what colors are going where and use that as a basic knowledge to jump off from. It can also help with steadiness and increased technical ability. However, I don't think it does anything for creativity or thought, which is a very important part of art. It's kind of mindless, which I suppose is why it is good for beginners, so they are not thrown into the water, so to speak.

I remember getting a paint-by-number set when I was younger, and I remember liking it because I liked painting and I thought it turned out looking cool without being way too hard, so I think it was kind of a jumping off point for me, too. It's like a coloring book with paint, except for you don't even choose what colors you use, for the sake of realism. (it would be kind of fun to switch all of the numbers on the paints and see what you end up with!)

Artists usually bash coloring books because they say that they don't foster creativity. However, I don't think they are all as bad as they say. In my opinion, when someone learns the basic technical skills first, how to make things look realistic or how to control your medium, that in turn opens up more possibilities for creativity later. It definitely helps to know the basics before you try something new. From what I hear, Picasso mastered technical ability and realism before he dove into abstract and cubism.

However, I think it is important that children realize that it is good if they learn to color inside the lines, but that if they don't want to, they don't have to! Perhaps you would consider a page that is not colored in the lines "childrens' impressionism" .

Numbers Painting

I think that Paint by Numbers could foster creativity, especially if the painter is willing to deviate from the guidelines. Just because the idea is to lay down discrete areas of color, there's nothing to stop the painter from blending adjacent area together, or omitting or adding details. If, when I was a child, somebody had handed me a paint by numbers kit of, say, an impressionist landscape, I probably would have started it without enthusiasm, and quit halfway through(I was a quitter back then). If you handed the same kit to me today, I'd paint the pants off it, then add flying saucers strafing the country side.