Kits Paint By Number People Paint Painting Surface Number Produced

People who want to be artists, but feel they "lack" (do not have) artistic "talents" (gifts; skills; abilities to do something) sometimes buy paint-by-number "kits" (a group of objects that are packaged and sold together for some particular purpose). These kits make painting easy by telling people exactly which color to paint, and where. The kits also include "tips" (suggestions for doing something well), such as instructions for different types of "brushstrokes" (how to hold and move a paintbrush).

A paint-by-number kit typically includes a "board" (a flat, stiff surface) or a piece of "canvas" (thick cloth used for painting) with light gray or blue lines that indicate which areas should be painted. Within each area is a number that "corresponds to" (matches up with) a particular paint color. The paints and "brushes" (tools used to apply paint to a surface) are included in the kit, "along with" (in addition to) a picture of the final painting.

The first paint-by-number kits were produced in 1950 under the Craft Master "brand" (the product name used to sell something). Each kit promised to give the buyer "a beautiful oil painting the first time you try." The kits became very popular, and more than 12 million kits were sold.

In recent years, the paint-by-number kits have experienced a "resurgence" (renewed interest in something, or renewed popularity). People have begun "collecting" (searching for and storing) paint-by-number kits and the finished products from the 1950s. The Paint By Number Museum is the largest online collection of the "masterpieces" (great works of art) produced with paint-by-number kits.