Davincified sent me two paint-by-number kits for review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve been focusing on my mental well-being a lot the last few years. Part of that means looking at the sources of my anxiety and other issues. Another aspect is self-care. In my view, our understanding of self-care has gotten a bit skewed over time. What self-care is really about is noticing your needs and meeting those needs. I believe all people need healthy forms of self-expression and we are all designed to be creative in some form or another. Maybe for some it’s poetry, while for other’s it’s playing a guitar, for others it’s cake decorating.
I’ve known most of my life that I like arts and crafts, but I can’t draw well at all, and am not particularly interested in learning to draw. This limits my options some, but there are still tons of arts and crafts that I can enjoy without needing to draw. One way to paint without being able to draw well is paint-by-number kits! I loved paint-by-number coloring pages as a child, and these kits are a similar concept just with paint.
Davincified offers different sizes and types of kits. For example, I opted for mine to be framed on arrival, but you can order a rolled canvas if you prefer. You also get some control over how many different colors your kit will have, so if you want a really elaborate work you can choose more colors (36 or 48). If you’re more of a newbie or are looking to get the project done sooner, you can opt for fewer colors (beginner kits have 24). Even the kits with 24 colors are estimated to take 5-6 hours to complete.
The basic kit includes your canvas which comes with the design lightly printed on in very light colors and with numbers printed on each shape, some beginner paint brushes, 24 paint pots, number stickers to label each of your paint pots, a reference sheet (basically a printed paper version of your design), and a color guide (to help you visualize the final product and to tell you which number sticker goes on which paint pot).
I really enjoyed working on this paint-by-number. It’s an activity that lets me find “flow” in the sense that it’s engaging enough to keep me from thinking about other aspects of life, yet isn’t so mentally taxing that it’s tiring. It’s right in the sweet spot of being a hobby that is creative yet relaxing in a regenerative or rejuvenating way. I think it’s so healthy to have hobbies that give you that sense of flow and restoration!
There are tons of designs to choose from. Some of the big categories include wildlife, landscapes, florals, pets, spirituality, romantic – but there are tons of others, as well. And, if you don’t find anything in the pre-made kits that you like, you can order a custom photo paint-by-number kit!
Their custom kits can be made from your photo. I opted to have one made of one of my wedding photos. I haven’t started painting this one yet but I am so excited that we’ll get a painted-by-me wedding painting by the time I am done!
Other options for custom-kits include uploading a photo of your loved one but having their face put on another design. For example, if you have a little girl who loves fairies you could upload her photo and have her face put on the enchanted forest fairy design.
Try Davincified brushes!
I’ve done paint by number kits in the past, and have always just used really basic paint brushes. I always thought “these are just fine” so I never saw any reason to upgrade. When organizing this review, the rep really encouraged me to try ordering the Davinci signature paint brushes so I decided to. I now see why they encouraged me to! While the simple brushes do get the job done, the Davincified brushes are unquestionably nicer to work with! With cheaper brushes, when painting a big area versus a narrow area you have to switch brushes. With the nicer brushes, even the wider brushes come to a nice tip at the end, so you can paint a wide area and then do detail work more easily with the same brush. This results in switching between brushes a lot less often. Plus, they’re really sturdy so I know they’ll hold up to a lot of use. I like how they come compact but the cover snaps on to make a full-length brush when in use.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
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