| THEY'RE NOT REMBRANDTS, BUT THEY ARE COLLECTIBLE From puppies in landscapes to Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," vintage Paint by Number kits, as well as finished paintings, are fast becoming art for the '90s
By Karen Bender
Art historians might bilk at this, but it can be said that the first Paint by Number artist was Michelangelo.
According to Craft House Corporation, a leading manufacturer of Paint by Number kits, when Michelangelo
painted the Sistine Chapel, he "blocked off sections and numbered them in order to simplify his work." One
wonders how Michelangelo would have responded, 500 years later, to the artistic frenzy of Paint by Number
enthusiasts as they put finishing touches on Countless lighthouses, soaring eagles, painfully cute kittens in baskets, puppies in landscapes and Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper"-one of the most popular Paint by Number kits of all time.
Paint by Number kits form the uneasy and sometimes hilarious intersection between democracy and the yearning
to be "artistic." With the help of a numbered canvas and coordinating paints, the creatively inclined-or the totally talentless can produce paintings of classic American cliches: a covered bridge, a serene mountain, an autumn forest blazing with fall foliage.
The kits were first made in the United States in the 1940s by the Picture Craft Company. They marketed
rolled-up canvas with glass jars containing paint to the military by mail. They landed in the hands of Max Klein, owner of Palmer Paint Company, a firm that made automotive paint. Klein ventured to the Toy Building in New York City (where toy manufacturers have their showrooms) to find someone to help market it. By 1953, 18 months after that visit, an unbelievable $12 million worth of Paint by Number sets were sold.
Paint by Number sets have found an enduring plaice in American popuilar culture. Armed with their numbered
paints and "professional" canvases, fervent artists have unleashed innumerable portraits of cloying puppies,
colts, mountain steams, covered bridges, matadors, clowns and a vast number of religiousy oriented scenes:
praying hands, the Good Shephierd, Christ on the Cross and "The Last Supper." In one of the more unique uses of
velvet in modern history, paintings were proudly created on black, blue and beige velvet. Newfangled artists even
whipped out paint by Number miniatures. Since these kits evolved at the same time as television, characters such
as Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Superman and Casper became popular subjects for paintings as well.
Realizing that the nation was filled with potential artists caught up with the desire to dabble orange (or blue or red or yellow) onto numbered shapes, toy companies developed never-ending variations of Paint by Number kits. In the '50s, Craft Master featured a series of nudes. Hasbro came out in 1960 with Oriental Scroll Painting, what they called "the current fad in decorations." The kits contained two japanese prenumbered parchment wall
hangings, ready to be adorned with 12 different colors of oil paint. Two years later-in a somewhat ironic
marketing move the company gave wannabe artists another option: the amazing Conni Gordon "Paint Without
Numbers" method, which included "everything you need to paint a beautiful picture WITHOUT numbers." The kits
came with two canvases, six tubes of paint, two brushes, step-by-step instructions and a 78 rpm recording "in
Miss Gordon's own voice." Kenner introduced Sparkle sets in the '60s, adding glitter to the paints in kits of
Rocky and Bullwinkle, Batman, Mr. Ed and Dick Tracy. (Kenner advertised these sets with the slogan "Paint
pictures that sparkle like jewels.")
Even Andy Warhol was, in his own way, caught up in the excitement; in the early '60s he created a series of his
own paintings called "Do it Yourself," which were recreations of a Paint by Number style. With versions titled
"Landscape," "Seascape," "Flowers," "Narcissus," "Sailboats" and "Violin," Warhol satirized the phenomenon by leaving numbered sections in his paintings undone.
Paint by Number sets are made the same way today as they were 30 years ago, according to Tom Pickle, art director of Craft House, who has been witht he company since 1962. The procedure begins when an artist at Craft House composes a pencil drawing of, for example, a horse, from reference materials. Then someone, selecting from 200 premixed colors, carefully paints the drawing, making sure not to blend colors or blur edges. When the painting is dry, a piece of acetate is placed over it so that technicians can produce an inking if it. To do this, they outline each area of color with a technical pen and put numbers in the separate spaces. The result: a Paint by Number original-ready to be dutifully followed by aspiring Rembrandts. The first Paint by Number sets from the early '50s were done on canvas"window-shade-like material," says Pickle. (Today, the paintings are done on a premounted board with a canvas texture.) Some kits even came with frames. Hasbro included a "stunning sculptured plastic frame" in its 1958 kits. In 1960, they began making "ivory-colored and gilded" frames; the companies 1964 'Studio Art" Paint by Number series came with "Hasbro's exclusive driftwood frames... molded of texturous Dylite." Kits from the '50s and '60s came with oil paints; acrylics and watercolors were introduced later. Today, amateur artists can choose their medium, for kits come with either oils or faster-drying acrylics.
Pickle says that consumers today want the same traditional Paint by Number subjects-animals, landscapes,
boats-that have always been popular. They don't seem to have the desire to do a painting inspired by, say,
Jackson Pollock. "There are people who complain that they have printed every product in the line and want more, "says Pickle.
Over the years, religious subjects have gone in and out of vogue. Ultimately, they have remained well loved kits. in fact, when Craft House took "The Last Supper" off the market two years ago, there was such an outcry from consumers, they put it back on.
Today, the kits are manufactured by companies like Craft House, which, in addition to the traditional offerings, has recently begun a "Great National Parks" kit, featuring paintings of the Grand Canyon and Mount Rainier. Another popular kit is the "Barbie Glitz and Glitter" Paint by Number, complete with sequins, neon paint and glitterglazes.
Vintage kits are becoming collectibles of increasing value. The sets most popular with collectors are those of
favorite '50s and '60s characters like Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, Maverick, Zorro, the Munsters, Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang, Lassie and Flipper. These kits, as well as those of characters with a cult following, such as the Three Stooges, are getting fairly expensive. Other kits, however, are still "at an affordable level," says Bill
Brugeman, who, along with his wife, Joanne, publish Toy Scouts, Inc., a mail-order catalog of baby-boomer
collectibles.
While some people like to amass unused kits, others prefer to buy, the finished paintings themselves. For many
of these collectors, in fact, finished Paint by Number pictures by anonymous artists are an inexpensive way to
have art on their walls. Finished paintings can be found for next to nothing-as little as $5 or $10 - and today is a great time to get into the market.
People who like Paint by Number kits tend to be "artistically, inclined," says Bruegman, "or they liked to do the
paintings as kids." Both the kits and the finished paintings are fun for those who want to own a piece of certainly-not-fine-but-truly-American art.
STARTING UP
For those interested in beginning a Paint by Number collection with a small investment, it is wise to look
for non-character sets. They go for $10 to $30 and can be found at flea markets, toy shows, garage sales,
as well as through Bill Bruegman's Toy Scouts, Inc. The catalog costs $5 and can be ordered by calling 216-
8360668 or faxing 216-8698668. Sets of cartoon or TV characters without a cult following, such as those
from Nanny and the Professor, are also quite affordable. Finished paintings are inexpensive-from as little
as $5 to $10 up to about $40 or $50, though prices are starting to climb.
Unused kits or ones in mint condition are more valuable than used kits. When evaluating the condition of a
Paint by Number kit, Bruegman says the most important part is the box lid. He advises people to look for
ones that are sharp and clean, with no splits or creases. Make sure to check out the completeness of the kit
and see whether or not the enclosed pictures have been used.
PRICE PATROL
Collecting Paint by Number kits is a new, wide-open area of '50s and '60s toy collecting; there are, as yet,
no clubs or books on the subject. Therefore, values can be difficult to gauge. Dealer Bill Bruegman,
however, offers some specific price guidelines.
Character sets are the most expensive. Green Hornet kits from the '60s currently cost between $200 to
$300, while superhero sets like Batman or Superman run up to about $100. TV Western kits, featuring
Gunsmoke or Maverick, can be found for $50 to $100. Most other subjects will be significantly lower-
from $10 to $30.
For finished paintings, Bruegman says to look at the "quality of how a picture has been painted." More than
anything else, however, this is one area in which you can-and should-buy what you like. If you find an
image that appeals to you, and the price seems reasonable, go for it.
Finally, use common sense; a good painting will reflect the care of its artist. He or she created it to hang
on a bedroom or livingroom wall; look at it and think about whether you want to hang it on yours.
This article is reprinted from the Spring 1995 issue of Collectibles Flea Market Finds Magazine. |