We have found a fun new hobby (and quarantine activity), and we can't keep this secret to ourselves any longer!
This past Christmas, we received a paint-by-number art kit from a dear family member. What a cool gift, huh? The sad thing is that the gift kit had a canvas flaw, so we had to request a replacement. We were so inspired by the gift, though, that we drove over to Michaels and purchased some other kits to work on while our replacement gift kit was on its way to us.
So, on New Year's Eve, we started painting...and...now it's January 23, and we're still painting! Of course, we just paint in our free time or on the weekends, but we've been doing our best to find as much free time as possible! It's sort of addicting.
Want to see our progress so far?
Obviously, we are not finished AND we are not professional artists! :-) But, we are getting much better at our technique as we move along. Our paint-by-number kits are labeled as "challenging," so maybe we should have started with a beginner or intermediate kit? LOL! Want to see what's so challenging about it? Take a closer look at the detail here.
So far, we guestimate that we've worked on our individual pieces about 25-30 hours. I bet we have another 10 hours still to go! We've been listening to an audio book (The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron) for the past 9 painting hours, and the time goes by so quickly.
We honestly cannot recommend this activity enough. We are loving it! We give it a 10/10, especially since you get 40+ hours of fun and a cool end product for less than $15.
The kits we are working with are created by Artist's Loft, and we found a good variety of these kits at Michaels. This week, the kits are only $9.99 (originally priced at $14.99; price subject to change). The kits include:
- 16x20 canvas sheet with pre-printed numbered sections
- Printed picture of final painting
- 20+ acrylic paint pods (each kit has a varying number of paint pods)
- 4 brushes
- Instruction and reference sheets
- Wooden display hanger
Here are the links to our exact kits:
Now that we've talked you into trying it out, here are a few helpful tips:
- Use painter's tape and tape down the top and bottom of the canvas to your table. You definitely do not want your canvas moving around while trying to paint in those tiny spaces.
- Only work in small sections at a time. In our experience, you can get pretty bored painting with the same color for an extended period of time. Your paint can start to dry out if it's open for too long.
- Review the small section you are going to paint and determine which numbers represent the lightest colors. Start painting the lighter colors first and move to the darkest colors. This helps to keep the colors from mixing together.
- You will need good lighting! A bright task light or lamp is definitely necessary! We've even pulled out a lighted magnifying glass to help us better see the canvas numbers. :-)
- Wash your brushes well with water after painting with one color. We get more exercise than you'd think by walking back and forth from the table to the sink. We are able, though, to immediately use our brushes after washing them. That's a good thing since you'll probably find that 1 or 2 of the brushes are your favorites.
- If your paint is too thick or dry, just add a drop or two of water into the paint pod and stir it up.
- If you buy one of the Artist's Loft kits from Michaels, they display the level of difficulty on the box (in-store) or in the product description (online). Our kits are labeled as "challenging," but they do have others marked as easy or intermediate.
Please let us know if you join us in this crazy art obsession! Have fun!
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