Category Archives: Pattern art

Learn to Make a Custom Paint by Number Pillow

“Paint by Number” Kits Create Thousands of Artists

To be considered an artist, must someone necessarily conceive of the subject of their artwork in their own mind, or is it acceptable for them to use a “blueprint” provided by another artist? Dan Robbins, the designer of “paint by number” art kits, would agree that individuals can indeed use patterns to assist them in art making and still be accepted as legitimate artists.

Dan Robbins designed paint by number, a product that allows people to paint pictures according to set patterns, in the 1950s. Max Klein, who was the president of the Palmer Paint Company, sought Robbins out as the designer of the yet-to-be discovered product that would later be known as paint by number. Robbins was admonished by Klein to conceive of and design a product that could help anyone become an artist.

Robbins looked to Leonardo da Vinci for inspiration in his endeavor to create a phenomenal art product. (This is because Da Vinci was known to supply his apprentices with “numbered patterns” on which to paint.) Robbins wondered why the same principle Da Vinci applied to his apprentices wouldn’t work for modern art enthusiasts and soon began developing paint by number kits.

Not long after paint by number was developed and marketed, kits began to sell in droves as Americans became addicted to the product that enabled them to make beautiful, intricate paintings. Robbins created even more kits and trained paint by number designers (Adam Grant was one such designer). Today, Dan Robbins’ art “has been displayed on more walls than that of any other artist.” To say that paint by number kits made Dan Robbins a success is an understatement.

Paint by number has been supplying art enthusiasts with art “blueprints,” so to speak, for decades. As a result, thousands of individuals having dormant artistic skills have blossomed into artists. This has made paint by number somewhat of an American legend, and has afforded many individuals cherished memories and increased artistic ability.

How much do you enjoy paint by number and Segmation? Whether you love crafting perfect paintings, creating great digital art, or have fond childhood memories of coloring inside the lines, your experience is unique. We want to hear your story in the comment section below. What does paint by number mean to you?

Sources:

http://www.paintbynumbermuseum.com/dan_robbins_intro

Coming Soon: Read Segmation’s exclusive article about William L. Bird, a historian and curator at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, where in 2001 he organized an exhibition on paint by numbers on which his book is based.

If you like this Segmation Blog, you may also like:

Mosaics: Creating Art with Technique
https://segmation.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/paint-by-number-mosaics/
Artistic Characteristics of the Right Brain and Left Brain
https://segmation.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/pain-by-number-right-brain-left-brain/
When Ink Art and Underwater Photography Collide
https://segmation.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/paint-by-number-underwater-photography/

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Thanksgiving Holiday Inspires Art Work

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Each year on the fourth Thursday of November, a very special North American holiday takes place, and that holiday is Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving season is known throughout the country as a time to delight in the presence of loved ones and enjoy a plethora of delicious food. A favorite holiday of many Americans, Thanksgiving inspires décor, recipes, movies, and even art.

Thanksgiving dates back to 1621, when it is assumed the first Thanksgiving took place at Plymouth. This early event was a celebration of an abundant harvest. Numerous artists throughout history have attempted to capture the imagined scenes from the first Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has been the subject of many pieces of fine art for centuries. Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, “American painter and illustrator of Americana,” painted several Thanksgiving-themed scenes, including The First Thanksgiving (1915), The Mayflower Compact (1925), The Return of Miles Standish (1920), The Return of the Mayflower (1907), and The First Sermon Ashore (1921). Although The First Thanksgiving is said to be inaccurate in some of its representations, it gives us an idea of what the actual scene might have looked like so long ago.

Ferris was not the only individual whose art was influenced by Thanksgiving – Charles Lucy, George Henry Boughton, Henry A. Bacon, Henry Sargent, and Edward Percy Moran also found inspiration in this holiday. Jennie Augusta Brownscombe painted a particularly iconic work titled The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth (1914). This painting has “become a symbol of the holiday for many Americans.”

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth was executed by Brownscombe during the Colonial Revival Period. It is a tranquil, believable depiction of that first holiday that would come to mean so much to so many. This is an example of how art can help us imagine a significant historical event, deepening the overall meaning of it.

Make this Thanksgiving more memorable by creating your own seasonally-themed works of art. Segmation offers a SegPlayPC Thanksgiving pattern “paint-by-numbers” collection that makes it easy and fast to uniquely celebrate the holiday. The collection includes patterns of pumpkins, turkeys, cornucopias, pilgrims, etc., providing you a foolproof way to create scenes of your favorite aspects of Thanksgiving. Learn more about Segmation’s Thanksgiving pattern collection by visiting http://www.segmation.com/products_pc_patternset_contents.asp?set=THG.

http://www.joyfulheart.com/thanksgiving/pilgrim_artwork.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Leon_Gerome_Ferris

http://www.pilgrimhall.org/hpbrowns.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving

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Color With Unconventional Art Schemes including Picasso

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Artists have the ability to tap into the power of colors when they create a piece of art. Color plays a strong role in the way a work of art is perceived and experienced by the viewer. Certain colors can raise spirits while others can dampen moods. Some colors can invigorate and enliven while others can put people to sleep. How can artists use the power of colors to their advantage?

When you stand before your easel and blank canvas, you have a choice between using conventional colors in your painting to represent visible reality, or using unconventional color schemes to portray a subjective or internal reality. Conventional color schemes make sense if your objective is to accurately and faithfully paint the landscape or still life in front of you. However, if you choose an unconventional color scheme for your art, you have the opportunity to be expressive with your artwork. You can conjure emotions and elicit certain reactions from the viewer.

In the portrait painting by Picasso titled “Tete de Femme”, most of her flesh is a pasty white color, instead of the usual pinkish beige color of natural skin tones. Blue and light green brushstrokes form shadows on the face, while light red is used sparingly to create various accents.

Picasso continues the blue theme throughout the artwork, painting a blue background that gradually shifts from pale blue to dark blue. He also mixes blue with the black of the figure’s hair. The predominance of blue in its many variations is one of the distinguishing features of this artwork. A painting such as this uses color creatively and purposefully to evoke an emotional response from the viewer.

The next time you make a painting, pay careful attention to the colors that you use. Consider how different color choices will affect the final painting and try to imagine the kind of impact that those colors will have on people who view your painting.

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