Winnie’s Picks reached out to me to review their paint by numbers products, and I accepted. They sent me, free of charge, the Audressells’ Bridge painting for me to paint and review. They have not paid me for this review.
The painting arrived neatly packed in a tube which contained:
- Paint by numbers canvas
- Paints
- Paint brushes
- Instructions
- Copy of the painting
- Map of the numbers
- Picture hooks (I don’t know why these are included)
- Discount card (for your next picture, and there will be a next one.????)
Hugo from Winnie’s Picks asked me to select a painting, and as I am highly ambitious I selected one of the harder paintings. When I opened it up I saw so many small shapes with numbers faintly printed inside them. My hand reached for my forehead, and I thought.
“Oh no, have I bitten off more than I can chew?”
After looking online for some advice on where to start I took the approach of painting from the top left hand corner, working my way diagonally across the canvas. The first colour was 20, a very pale blue. With the larger brush in hand I dipped into the pot, delicately testing the thickness of the paint. It is fairly dense and when I applied it to the picture it went on well. I had stared.
My first hour long session passed very quickly. My head was close to the table as I searched for the next shape to fill in. I found I was using two brushes, the larger two suited me for these large areas of cloud.
One fantastic benefit of painting is you lose yourself into this new world, like when you read a page turning book. Immersed in this world of paint, you slowly see this new landscape emerge. One day I pick light colours, then next dark. As I became more confident I started experimenting with how thick I put on the paint, or how I managed the brush to get just the right texture.
So far I have been painting for about 5 hours, split into 5 sessions. Every time I stopped only because my partner tapped me on the shoulder to let me know it was time to rest. But the time flew, and when I lifted my head I realised I had stiffened into a bent shape.
At this time when so many are at home. sheltering from this pandemic, it is such a relief to lose yourself in a new world, separate, and untainted by COVID-19. The escape from news, economics and threatened illness is so positive for your mental health. It is almost like moving into the world on the canvas.
The kit Winnie’s Picks send you is complete and they supply more than enough paint. I would have liked a brush which is between the sizes of the two largest, but this is being super critical, and wouldn’t change much if I had it, only making my life a little easier.
At the start I was daunted by the amount of detail and now I am enjoying the small details. Taking the tiny brush they supply, dipping it in the paint, and then finding the small detail to fill. Now I am enjoying it more and more each time I sit at the table. It will take me a few months to complete the painting, and when it is complete I will add a picture to this post.
I whole heartedly recommend Winnie’s Picks. Take the opportunity to lose yourself in time, and you do not need to be a painter to enjoy this, anyone can do it!!
