While it took longer than I had planned with everything I had going on this summer, I finally finished my custom paint by number set by Winnie's Picks. I do have to disclose that I was sent this set by Winnie's Picks to try out and review, but all of my opinions are 100% mine, and mine alone.
I was asked by Winnie's Picks if I would like to try a paint by numbers set while we were still in lock down in my state. There are many paintings in different categories to choose from, but at the time all of the pictures I really wanted to paint were not in stock. (this is not the case anymore!) I decided to try their custom paint by numbers set with a picture of our cat Milo who we lost to cancer a couple of years ago.
This was the photo I decided to try. The process for a custom set is pretty easy. You find a picture that fits the criteria, and upload it to the site. It does take a few weeks longer to arrive than a pre-made set because it needs to be printed and the colors customized. When it arrives, you get receive long sturdy tube (pictured above) in the mail.
In the kit I received 35 different colors and a small package of paint brushes.
The picture was printed on a nice quality canvas. I also received a pattern on paper that at times was very helpful, and at times it was not. (more about that later)
I wasn't really sure to start, so I followed the advice on the instructions sent to me, and started to the left of the pattern. Since I am right handed, there was less chance I would accidentally smear what I had already painted.
The hardest part of the painting was definitely was painting the cat. There were so many colors to paint, and some of the parts of the pattern were very small and at times hard to see with my "older" eyes.
As I continued to paint, it was so cool to see Milo start to come to life.
Once the majority of the cat was painted, the background and bow tie went pretty quickly. I did have on small problem while painting, and by small, you can kind of see them on this picture. See all those white spots, they are white because the number on the pattern was too small to see or there was no number at all. While the majority of the pattern I could see just fine, the super small print on some parts of the pattern, and printed canvas was just too small to see. I tried zooming in with my phone, I tried an inexpensive magnifying glass, and even asked my daughter who has "young" eyes. Between those three things we were able to figure out most of the white spots. There were still a few I just had to guess the number. If you are a beginner painter or someone who needs large print, there are sets offered on the site that are designed for less experienced painters in mind. Since I am an experienced crafter/painter I was good with this level of painting.
Here is my final painting. I have to say I really LOVE IT.
It looks just like Milo. While the coloring around his mouth is a little bit different than the photo with the creams and beiges they sent instead of whiter shades, it captured all the different shades of his fur. I highly recommend Winnie's Picks if you like to paint. I know I will be painting more of their canvases in the future.
