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Become an Artist with Paint by Numbers

Many of us have at some time or the other satiated our artistic desires by coloring using the ‘paint with numbers’ concept. We have fond remembrances of the time spent filling up various shapes with colors. All we needed to know was the color that corresponded to a particular number and following that code we could conjure up beautiful paintings that would befit a professional artist.

As kids these paintings were available in most shops and came with a small packet of required colors. One knew the end result that one needed to get by looking at the completed picture on the box. Variations of this bundle of entertainment arrived and kids were required to just dip their brushes in plain water and run them over the page to get the desired effect of a jungle, an animal or a portrait The amazement for this magic, however, lasts for a few months before the kids grow out of it.

This concept goes a long way to the 1950’s when it was not considered only child’s play but was taken more seriously. People enrolled in classes to learn the art of painting by numbers and it was considered a hobby in itself. Many people redid famous paintings that had complicated set of numbers and professionally framed these pieces of art for everyone to see.

Since these pictures were so popular, many people used to earn their living by creating these number paintings. It obviously must have been a very interesting and fun filled way of making profit. It was also a good past time for those who did not have any artistic prowess but wanted to create something of their own.  

Due to the training ground that these number pictures provided some of these creators moved on to become full artists in their own rights and others continued to provide people the ability to adorn their homes with personally created paintings. Paintings such as these give you the reassurance that the masterpiece that you are trying to replicate will look considerably similar to the original and not turn into a nightmare.

A negative of these number paintings was the fact that these did not allow for creativity to flow. One was restricted to painting between the lines and following a certain color code. But creative dudes changed that too by not following the codes to the ‘t’ and putting in their individual stamp.

It is surprising that in spite of being so simplistic in nature it became a rage!

January 3rd, 2008 Posted by admin | Crafts, Painting | no comments

Painting Plant Pots

Children can really drive you crazy during summer vacations and keeping them busy is an arduous job especially if you do not have any activity in mind that will keep them from bothering you with childish questions and demands.

Children love to paint, and creating painted flower pots will bring out the artist in them and keep them busy for a couple of hours as well. The added benefit of this project is that you can then spend a sunny afternoon planting a small flower garden in the painted flower pots once you’ve finished making them.

There are many ceramic activity stores designed especially for pottery painting, but these places can prove to be expensive if you have more than one child. All you need is some old newspapers to cover the table or floor on which your children will be painting, some old shirts for the children to wear to protect their clothes, a few flower pots and paint. Most supplies needed for pottery painting can be found in any hardware store or garden center.

Once your children are ready to paint, encourage them to let their imaginations run wild. Traditionally, painted flower pots are usually decorated with pictures of flowers. Since you’re designing your own custom flower pots, try an abstract scene or a picture of an elephant for a change. You could also find stencils for your children to use as a guide for their artistic vision. They can also paint their names or draw any shape that comes to their mind. The goal of the project is to immerse your children in a creative art project and let their imagination run wild to bring out talent, if any, in them.

Once finished, the painted flower pots are susceptible to fading unless they are fired and finished. There is a way to do this yourself, but it is better to find a professional to finish them for you. It usually only takes a couple of days to seal and coat the pieces and after that they are ready for planting. The thing to remember is that once the painted flowerpots are fired and sealed, the paint will appear darker and richer than when originally painted. So keep that in mind while choosing the colors for your pot.

December 20th, 2007 Posted by admin | Painting | no comments