I’ve painted original murals before for my nephews, but it’s been a while. These giant paint-by-numbers murals have me inspired though, maybe enough to actually commit to making one! It might be something fun to do in the play room area of the basement.
I don’t think it would be difficult, but it would be incredibly time-consuming. Here’s a peek at the process…
A crazy amount of work. I think the results are just the right amount of cheesy goodness though! You like? Or are they too cheesy for you?
Jules
September 15, 2011 at 5:28 pmI love the look of paint by number so, no, not too cheesy for me.
Christina
September 15, 2011 at 5:28 pmNot too cheesy! But I think I’d rather take the time I would spend painting a mural and be outside enjoying the real thing.
Erin
September 15, 2011 at 5:33 pmI love the look of these! :) I would certainly put one in my own home. It would be a great family project, too, once the kiddos were old enough to participate.
Allison
September 15, 2011 at 5:34 pmNot too cheesy! I love them. I think you just have to be selective of the room/wall. I looks like it can be overpowering.
Jill Browning
September 15, 2011 at 5:38 pmLove it. I say go for it!
Michelle Clement
September 15, 2011 at 6:01 pmI *love* these!! I’ve been contemplating doing a big ol pirate ship one on a wall, somewhere – I just have to find the empty wall & the time! So inspiring. :)
Sarah W
September 15, 2011 at 6:03 pmI love this! Not too cheesy for me.
Hannah
September 15, 2011 at 6:21 pmThese are SO awesome!!! I want to do one!!! I think they’re great-looking!
NewMom
September 15, 2011 at 6:28 pmI think with the right image and color scheme, it can look refreshingly modern. I will put in in my “idea box” for the future!
erica p.
September 15, 2011 at 6:36 pmI think this would be so much fun to do! Not too cheesy for me! I especially love the first one with the deer.
becky
September 15, 2011 at 7:03 pmnot too much for me at all. but i’ve always had an affinity for paint by numbers…this would take that love the extra step. it would be interesting to do this with a skewed color palate – all pinks/fuschias/reds or blues or greens. it would be amazing.
Daria
September 16, 2011 at 10:45 amI actually find them a little on the cheesy side, except if you used different shades (tones?) of the same colour as you said. I would try all greys!
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:47 amA tonal version would be pretty interesting.
Linley
September 15, 2011 at 7:03 pmI LOVE that! Maybe I have a soft spot in my heart for giant murals because when I was little my mom painted my entire room, floor to ceiling (actually, AND ceiling) to look like an outdoor landscape. She just free handed it all and it was fabulous. Complete with a little cottage painted in the hills, a plastic picket fence border near the floor and a giant tree in one corner. And gardens around the bottom… and clouds that I always thought looked like dinosaurs and cars… oh the nostalgia :) (It’s my job as a high school senior, right?) But yeah, that’s really cool looking. I hope I get to do something fun like that in a space someday.
Elisa @ What the Vita
September 15, 2011 at 7:08 pmOMG I love those!! I grew up addicted to paint by numbers. When I see paint by number art, I feel STRONG nostalgia. I would love one of those somewhere in my home!!
Liz
September 15, 2011 at 7:15 pmI like the paint by numbers ones OK but frankly I like the ones you did for your nephews a lot more–and there wouldn’t be the tedious transfer process.
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:48 amI would find it hard to live with my own art or mural. I’m too critical of my painting technique, but I could handle PBN because it’s not my design.
Reynaldo
September 15, 2011 at 7:44 pmI saw you were looking for the Missoni tights I have two, blue herald and wine rose, $16 + shipping (retail price)
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:48 amThanks, but I’ve gotten a pair!
ModFruGal
September 15, 2011 at 8:12 pmI think they are awesome…
Chelsea
September 15, 2011 at 8:37 pmI love them and would love to take one on, unfortunately my house just doesn’t have the bones for it. I think I might try enlarging a paint by numbers onto a big canvas, though. So much easier to just take down when the parents come to visit then, rather than explaining how not everyone likes chintz and Persian carpets. Again.
kelly@tearinguphouses
September 15, 2011 at 8:55 pmi like. but i could see tiring of it fairly quickly… and that’s a LOT of work to outgrow!
Leone
September 15, 2011 at 8:59 pmI like these a lot but I think I would tire of them fairly quickly. They would be crazy amazing in a play room though.
Jessica at Lavender and Lilies
September 15, 2011 at 9:09 pmI love the way they look but your are right that would take forever. I also love the look of something freehanded.
Adventures In Babywearing
September 16, 2011 at 7:32 amWooooow. I do love the look.
Steph
abbasmommy
September 16, 2011 at 8:18 amLOVE LOVE LOVE!! this from a person that has a cardboard deer head in their livingroom!!!
Naomi
September 16, 2011 at 8:20 amEep! This is beyond awesome! Time consuming, but fun. Makes me want to paint my whole hall way that way. Thankfully I’m a renter so I won’t be caught up with such craziness. Still… giant painting, perhaps?
Caitlin @ The Switchboards
September 16, 2011 at 8:28 amCool!
Product idea: someone could sell the stencil, paint-by-number part as giant wall decals, so you’d just have to stick that on your wall and then paint it.
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:49 amSomeone needs to get on that. It would be the next generation of wall decals.
Mackenzi
September 16, 2011 at 8:38 amI am so thrilled to see this post! I’ve been dreaming of doing the wall over my bar area for years- perhaps this will give me the nudge to get started. I’d love to see your take on it as well, it’s so playroom perfect!
Alice
September 16, 2011 at 8:58 amI love these! What a great idea to fill a wall with so much color and cheer.
When I used to do paint-by-numbers we’d sometimes switch around the colors to make something more personalized – I wonder if you could do a really fun one but in the colors you want; prink, orange, cream, brown, etc.? Would be neat to see how that looked – more modern, maybe.
The Glamorous Housewife
September 16, 2011 at 9:05 amI love it! But the time it would take would be crazy. I collect tropical themes PBN and I find a grouping gives kind of the same feeling without the time factor. Here are some pics of my collection: http://talesofaretromodernhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/08/vintage-collections-paint-by-numbers.html
Thanks doll,
The Glamorous Housewife
Erika
September 16, 2011 at 9:32 amI like! And as a child, I would have just been mesmorized by something like that!
I wouldn’t want one in a grown-up area, but love the idea for a playroom, etc.
Katrina
September 16, 2011 at 10:01 amthat would look amazing and I know you pick an awesome one to piant
Rachel H.
September 16, 2011 at 10:05 amThat is kick-arse awesome!!!
jjzach
September 16, 2011 at 10:06 amWe did one for my son’s nursery and Love Love Love it. Totally worth the effort.
http://easterkiwi.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/paint-by-number-wall-mural/
The Glamorous Housewife
September 16, 2011 at 7:26 pmLove. It.
Thanks doll,
The Glamorous Housewife
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:50 amThat’s fantastic!
jjzach
September 16, 2011 at 10:08 amPS There are a few more examples here:
http://bit.ly/ob3Pp0
Megan
September 16, 2011 at 10:57 amI love it, but I think I would be more inclined to paint it on a huge canvas and hang it instead of painting an entire wall.
Amanda
September 16, 2011 at 11:21 amI love it. And I think the concept would only work for a playroom or a child’s bedroom, or space. Just because its very whimsical
Valerie
September 16, 2011 at 11:36 amThis would be a great project for a nursery/playroom, but I think you have to have a fairly well-sized room and a lot of neutral furniture/decorations to pull this off without it being overwhelming!
Kelly
September 16, 2011 at 11:45 amOf course it has a cheese factor. But that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be a wonderful graphic element that would be perfect for a child-oriented space. I’m confident that you could pull it off!
Jesse
September 16, 2011 at 2:07 pmI adore this! I love how cheesy it is. It’s stunning. beautiful. I want it in my home!
Melissa
September 16, 2011 at 2:58 pmLOVE, love, love!! You need to do it. I’d love to see what you do. I’m sure it’ll be a show stopper.
Ryan
September 16, 2011 at 2:58 pmI love them and have been considering one for my home. However I couldn’t find a vintage PBN that I liked enough AND that coordinated with my furnishings. Instead I used the vector trace option in Illustrator and limited it to 16 colors on an image of the formal english garden in a park by my house. It now looks like a PBN and it’s custom.
I’m thinking of doing a trial run on a canvas for my office to see if I like it in real life as much as on the screen.
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:51 amThat’s a smart idea, creating your own like that.
Miss B.
September 16, 2011 at 4:15 pmI have been obsessed with Paint by number for awhile. I’ve seen PBN wallpaper but this mural is sick (in a good way).
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:51 amOoh, there’s PBN wallpaper?
Britt
September 16, 2011 at 5:39 pmWhat a fantastic idea for a mural! I love that style of painting. Well planned out. Well executed.
hena tayeb
September 16, 2011 at 9:27 pmThat is a great idea. But oh the enlarging and stenciling..I don’t know if I’d have it in me to put in that much effort. I do like the idea of it being sold already enlarged. As Caitlin suggested.
Dee in BC
September 17, 2011 at 9:13 amI’m surprised by how much I like these.
laura
September 17, 2011 at 9:40 amohhhhhh im in love , if only we had a playroom……….
Lola
September 17, 2011 at 5:42 pmI love them!!
AnnW
September 17, 2011 at 8:50 pmI love that camp. I think this is a very worthwhile project. You could just start with a smaller section and add on over the years. I would have loved to have something like that when I was a kid – but paint hadn’t been invented yet. Ann
lisa
September 18, 2011 at 9:59 ami’m a little confused. do you do it yourself or is there a kit that you can put on the wall for the numbers? i totally dig it.
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:52 amNo kit that I know of.
whorange
September 18, 2011 at 5:28 pmwant, want, want!!!
Madeline
September 18, 2011 at 9:23 pmI own an inn in northern california and one of our rooms has a paint by number wall – in two years, it has been completed (and started all over) FIVE times. People love it. Me too!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.184176961261.135901.146498071261&type=1
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:52 amBrilliant! I love the idea of guests getting to participate!
Jeen-Marie
September 18, 2011 at 10:37 pmI love paint by number!
Julie
September 19, 2011 at 7:48 pmI love this idea! I want to do smaller versions of this idea in my garage. IS there a tutorial?
Julie
September 19, 2011 at 7:56 pmNever mind…found it. Thanks!
Belle Bébés - Paint by numbers
September 20, 2011 at 1:10 am[…] Awesome images courtesy of Cabin Collective via Making It Lovely […]
Brittany Lauren
September 20, 2011 at 9:13 amIt would be a labor of love but what a beautiful touch for a room, especially for a baby.
Hazel Schreiner
September 20, 2011 at 11:16 pmGorgeous! I feel so inspired by this look! It is definitely worth the effort, and with such busy walls you wouldn’t need a huge amount of furniture! Love it!!
:) Hazel
Jesse
September 22, 2011 at 12:00 pmHello! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I LOVE this post. I couldn’t get it off my mind, so I decided to post about it on my blog also, Nine Red, and link back to you. Thanks for sharing such a great project, it looks SO nice!
http://ninered.blogspot.com/2011/09/spotlight-paint-by-number-murals.html
Making it Lovely
September 23, 2011 at 12:45 amThanks!
Jenny @ Simcoe Street
September 22, 2011 at 1:00 pmAmazing!!!
Julia@a-living-space
September 22, 2011 at 9:17 pmWow, that’s fantastic. I especially love the first one with the deer. I like how it goes right over the door. Someday I’ll have a place big enough to handle something like this, and it will be awesome. Thanks for the inspiration!
List of Favorite Things this Week-- vintage jewelry too! | A Chow Life | Foodie recipes and stories from a Seattle kitchen
October 6, 2011 at 11:59 am[…] I am a longtime collector of paint by numbers paintings. I was delighted to find these enormous wall paint by numbers. […]
Patrick
October 23, 2011 at 6:03 pmHere is a little tip to save some work on this. Print the numbers and outlines on a transparency and project it onto the wall with an old school overhead projector (see them at thrift stores all the time for like 10$). Put a couple Xs on the transparency and trace those on the walls so you can always line up your work between painting sessions.
[roundup] art: make it your own self « tafthaus
November 21, 2011 at 3:23 pm[…] Paint By Numbers — yes, kitschy. But also potentially very fun. If you want go really big with this, there’s always paint by number murals. […]
The Basement Studio and Playroom Plan | Making it Lovely
May 22, 2012 at 5:18 pm[…] never painted a room white before, but might like it here. I’m still thinking about doing a paint-by-numbers wall mural too. How awesome would that be?It’s kind of a commitment though, eh? And you know that if we […]
julie
June 29, 2012 at 3:19 pmThis is crazy wonderful!!
Derick
December 2, 2012 at 10:06 pmWhere can I find the projection or the template for each of the “paint by numbers” depicted?
Vintage Tips, Tutorials and Links Round-Up | Penny Dreadful Vintage
May 27, 2013 at 12:29 pm[…] Wes Wilson. A crumbling 15th century cottage and 82 cats are left to a Sussex cat charity. Paint by numbers wall murals. Why is it okay to poke fun at people who enjoy fashion? Documentary about traditional Scottish […]