Where Did Paint by Numbers Come From?

Paint by Numbers Was Around Before Bob Ross

Before Bob Ross became famous, America was captivated by paint by numbers, a popular hobby that spread especially in the 1950s. It swept across the country like a hurricane, bringing art to millions of Americans who would not normally have picked up a brush. But with a paint-by-numbers kit in hand, they proudly declared that anyone could be Rembrandt.

These kits, of course, were ridiculed by art critics. They saw them as a symbol of thoughtlessly giving in to advertising, which had captivated all of America in the 1950s. Exhibitions were even popular during this period, where aspiring artists showed off their skills with paintings created from numbered templates.

Where Did Paint by Numbers Come From?

Paint by numbers was a powerful cultural trend in the mid-20th century, and it has endured as a popular pastime to this day. Yet no one has ever discovered who first created this invention. Art historians, however, have clues that point to one intriguing person.

A Breakthrough in Acrylic Paint Sales

Dan Robbins was an American commercial artist and passionate Sunday painter who enjoyed painting memorable works. In the early 1950s, he began working with a company that supported the General Motors corporation. He also worked for Chevrolet, creating special typefaces for promotional flyers.

In 1949, he joined the Palmer Show Card Company, where the first breakthrough happened. The company’s founder, Max Klein, gave Robbins a task: to boost paint sales. His solution was paint by numbers.

The activity was ideal for a postwar audience and offered a new, engaging way to spend free time. The end of the wars and the rapidly growing economy had a positive effect on improving quality of life.

And since the computer age was still a long way off, Americans devoted their free time and energy to this creative hobby, taking it much further than you can imagine.

How Is a Paint by Numbers Set Made?

Robbins’ message was clear: a set that would let anyone, even someone who had never been to art school, create a detailed painting. Before a paint by numbers kit reached its owner, Robbins painted an original work.

He then laid a sheet of film over it and cut out shapes, assigning numbers and corresponding shades to each one. That’s how paint by numbers was born. The first kit featured an abstract painting titled Abstract No.

One. But it turned out that people were more interested in painting still lifes, natural scenery, and figurative art, so these sets began to take a more traditional direction.

Paint by Numbers: A Collector’s Item

Paintings were created at different levels of difficulty. Sets for beginners, for example, included 20 shades of paint, while sets for more advanced painters offered as many as 30 - 40.

Americans took to the trend right away. In 1955 alone, more than 20 million sets were sold, bringing amateur painting into homes across the country. “Paint by numbers went viral before going viral was even a thing,” jokes Skip Davis, a graphic designer who is also a passionate collector of paint by numbers sets. “People painted more than 50 sets and couldn’t stop,” he adds.

Popular Even in the White House

More popular than jumping rope or collecting plastic letter charms, paint by numbers canvases found their way into the White House, too. President Eisenhower’s secretary started a gallery made up of pieces painted by staff there. Of course, there were also less flattering reactions to the growing pastime.

One anonymous critic wrote a passionate review in a famous art magazine, ending with the words: “I have no idea where America is headed when thousands of people, many of them adults, let someone dictate shapes, brushstrokes, and shades to them. Can anyone save these souls, or rather, fools?”

Art for Everyone

Over time, paint by numbers became part of popular culture, which adopted it as a comment on commercialization and commodification in the world. Our fellow countryman, Andy Warhol, even added special “do it yourself” series of his paintings to these sets in 1962.

Regardless of traditional artists’ opinions, Robbins didn’t dwell on whether this was art or not.

But he did love celebrating the ability to bring art to the masses: “It’s an artistic experiment that brings an experience to someone who would normally never pick up a brush and dip it in paint. The paint by numbers trend is still popular today, especially with beginners and young painters. Thanks to this idea, anyone can paint beautiful pictures.

We wish you lots of joy in painting.

Ingrid