Painting by numbers is an activity that has more and more followers in the world but do you know who invented it? Do you know that this activity is not new?
We are passionate about this subject and will give you more information.
In this article, you will discover:
- Who invented paint by numbers
- In what year was the first paint-by-number made
You will know everything you need to know about the inventor of paint by number.
Let's find out together right now.
A reminder of the particular history
After the Second World War, companies selling leisure activities were looking for a new product to market. It was in this context that the owner of the company, Max Klein, asked Mr. ROBBINS to find a way to democratize painting among adults. Dan ROBBINS had this bright idea in 1949 when he was working for Palmer Paint Company in Detroit and had a project to find a creative hobby product for adults.
Mr. ROBBINS got his inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci who used a method similar to paint by numbers to teach his apprentices how to paint.
"I remember hearing that Leonardo used numbered background patterns for his students and apprentices, and I decided to try something like that," ROBBINS told an audience at the Chicago gallery Intuit in 2004.
How do you paint on canvas when you're just starting out? The miracle solution is found: a paint kit with numbered pots, a canvas to paint with numbers and brushes! The trick is played!
The paintings were for example landscapes, ballerinas, kittens, etc. The most popular work was The Last Supper.
In the early days of paint by numbers, there were no computers and the creation and production of the paintings was very much a craft process. The first kits were quite simple with few colors, then became more precise with the addition of multitudes of colors until what can now be found today.
The very first paint by numbers
Here is the very first painting by number created by M ROBBINS named "Abstrat No.One" which was a still life. Later on, his team produced much more popular and varied models of landscapes.
In the 1950's, over 20 million paint-by-number kits were sold each year in the United States.
However, the art world was not always kind to paint by numbers, criticizing the method for making it possible for anyone, from beginners to experts, to create fabulous works.
Celebrities like Andy Warhol, known for his reproductions, strongly supported painting by number and was both a fan and a collector.
Dan ROBBINS worked until the late 1980's and his work is still on display at the Detroit Historical Museum.
Now you know who invented this hobby
As you can see, painting by numbers has been around for decades and is still popular.
With all this information, you now know not only who invented paint-by-numbers but also how. How about trying your hand at this great activity.
Discover our paint by numbers now by clicking on the image below.
