Painting by numbers is a relatively easy process. The same method is repeated again and again until an empty canvas is transformed into a beautiful painting. You don’t need any prior experience to start a painting by numbers kit. However, the result will surprise you, as it looks very sophisticated and detailed. You can’t probably imagine what it looked like in the first place. However, the history of painting by numbers has also a few very interesting details. We have gathered here some of the most unexpected fun facts about painting by numbers that will change for good your opinion on them.
1. The painting by numbers museum
Source: https://www.paintbynumbermuseum.com/
One of the most amazing fun facts about painting by numbers is that there is a whole museum dedicated to this method. It is called the Paint By Number museum! It is an online museum that has over 6.000 artworks. They go all the way back to the 1950s when it was first introduced as an art form. There are several different collections, named after different collectors. These people were so mesmerized by painting by numbers artworks that they decided to look for them everywhere. It is worth checking out the archive of the museum. It contains several articles, old advertisements, and even some magazines and newsletters dedicated to painting by numbers. You can find the museum’s website here.
2. The anniversary painting by numbers kit
Source: www.pinterest.com
Painting by numbers was first introduced back in 1951. Dan Robbins was a commercial artist who worked for Palmer Show Card Paint Company. In 2001, when the PNB method had its birthday, Robbins decided to create an anniversary kit. This was to celebrate the 60 years of successful sales of painting by numbers artworks. This anniversary kit was dedicated to the 9/11 tragedy in the United States. It was in memory of the survivors and those who had lost their lives in it. It depicts the Twin Towers standing in spirit across the Manhattan skyline.
3. The first digital image from space
Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/
When we speak of fun facts about painting by numbers, our mind instantly goes to art-related facts. However, one thing you definitely didn’t know is how painting by numbers is connected to space. When the Mariner 4 mission traveled to Mars for the first time in 1965, it got the first digital image of the red planet in history. All the digital data that was taken in this mission was translated into numbers. Those were printed on strips of paper by a “real-time data translator” machine. The employees from the Voyager Telecommunications Section were too excited and anxious to wait for the final processed image. They attached these strips side by side to a display panel. Afterward, they hand-painted them according to the number written in each of these. The final result was a truly amazing painting by numbers picture.