Being diligent, meticulous with painting by numbers
Some companies have implemented WFH (work from home). Schools have not yet scheduled to return to school, so people are actively familiarizing themselves with the "stay right where you are" habit. At such times, part-time hobby, new subjects, and new habits started to be developed.
As for the new subjects, to be honest, I've been searching around for a while, there are some, but not too much or too outstanding. However, it is true that young people think of a lot new forms of entertainments and habits.
Some plan to gain weight and lose weight, developing a habit of cooking at home, some start using electronic shopping apps to try new ways of shopping. Among them, I would mention stone paintings or painting by numbers....
It sounds full of technology, painting by number is roughly understood as a work that has been sketched and technically processed according to the standard ratio on the computer and is subdivided with enough pre-printed serial numbers, corresponding to the available colors included. Paint by number user just need to fill in the correct color in the boxes with the same number, that's it.
However, for "amateur" artists, to think about what color to fill in to make it stand out, or how to mix this color with another color to create light blue, apricot yellow, dark or bright blocks,… everything would be a perplexing problem. Therefore, being created to help solve this problem, painting by number has been thriving.
A finished artwork
I don't know exactly when painting by numbers was born, only since the COVID-19 pandemic started to get serious, the Facebook homepage, Tik tok ... have been flooded with ads, reviews and experiences of many people who bought paintings by numbers to show off their skill of art.
Now widely distributed and purchased, young people who know about paintings by numbers can freely request and choose their favorite with a variety of genres, sizes, and content. Basically, painting by numbers is usually sketched on canvas and stretched on a sturdy frame. The color chosen is a durable, clear, and hard-to-fade acrylic.
Depending on the skill and amount of time, effort that the customer wants to "pour into the work", painting by numbers is divided into 2 categories, pre-sampled paintings and requested paintings. Sizes are also varied, from 20*30cm; 30*40cm and 40*50cm. The number of fill colors also ranges from 20-24 colors; 30-38 colors and 40-45 colors depending on customers.
In terms of colors, when taking orders, the sellers all emphasized: "If you choose more colors, the process is much harder, but the picture is very vivid" and then sent a series of feedbacks from old customers about the paintings that look "like a photo" so that new customers would feel more comfortable to choose.
For many people who are not fond of waiting, paintings by numbers with pre-printed samples, sold immediately on forums and e-commerce platforms, are quite popular. The proof is that just looking for paintings by numbers on Shopee or Lazada, there are paintings that have been sold with nearly 5,200 copies, or even nearly 10,000 copies. The price for this type is also quite affordable, only from about 150-250 thousand VND, for a qualified work of art to paint.
For those who consider painting by numbers as a gift, or a way to keep meaningful memories, ordering paintings according to their own photo templates is also an option.
Although you are also free to choose the amount of colors, and size, painting by numbers according to the sample takes time to wait for the review of the workshop whether it can convert the photos into paintings before placing the order, which is more meticulous. The meaning of the painting, therefore, is not only in the level of meticulousness and investment in the work, but also in the stage of waiting to receive the painting.
I am quite familiar with this, because of the pandemic, a series of painting by number according to the sample I have worked hard to choose, but it has not been sent to me for almost 2 months and I could not start anything yet. Not knowing what to do, so I had to practice on my sister's paintings at home, with all kinds of blue, the light blue, navy blue, and ocean blue tones, drawing about the sea scene that she had ordered somewhere on the internet.
This type of painting is mostly chosen by couples. Most of them are girls who order samples and meticulously make them into gifts for their boyfriends, but there are also other people, like Hanh, my sister, she also excitedly ordered a picture as a farewell gift for her boyfriend before she goes abroad to study.
However, because of the pandemic, the picture could not arrive on time, the time for take-off was coming soon, so the picture, instead of being a goodbye gift, is now transformed into "homework" for the boyfriend with her words "finish it and I will be back in time." It was so sweet to hear that.
Painting by numbers somehow is a way to relieve stress for many people, but from another perspective, it is a way for people to send love, instead of just hunkering down on a phone screen in their free time. I did not know since when I had started to find myself addicted to painting by numbers, as I realized it was 1 a.m., in the morning, but me and my sister were still diligently painting the preset picture. But in fact, as the color water goes on step by step, my heart is still full of excitement about a painting of me and my lover is on the way ...
Story and photos: Ha An