Colors from Paradise

My heart isn't in blogging today.

When I am sorrowed I turn to music or photography.

Adults can take art classes and learn how to draw.  I know so many baby boomers who have done so.  But for some of us, including me, it would be nice if we could buy a kit  Something, perhaps, like a modern, updated version of something dear to those of us who grew up in the 1950's and 1960's.

This is one of my favorite blog posts of all time.  I originally posted it in August of 2011 and it remains true today. Imagine - women are even forming coloring clubs (although, apparently, with freestyle coloring, not coloring kits).

Recently, I won a contest where the prize was a color by number paint kit for adults.  The reviews online were glowing.  I decided to order an "easy" kit. So what happened when I ordered the kit?  It's sat on my chair, though a stomach bug, shoulder issues that have me going to physical therapy (a cortisone shot helped a lot) and now, back issues.

So I need to open up that package! I promise I will, and blog about the results.  In the meantime, here is part of my post from 2011.

I loved Venus Paradise coloring sets, 

Yesterday evening, the sky reminded me of the sky of a color by number painting.  All those shades of blue and light purple.  And, with that, I will repeat portions of my original 2011 post.  Enjoy!

Do you remember color by number?  It was popular in the 1950's and early 1960's, when I was growing up.   You can still find color by number in paint today.  But what my family loved was the Venus Paradise sets.  They were color pencil color by numbers.  They had sets geared to all ages - from children old enough to color to adults.

The pencils were numbered, and you got the pencils you needed for your set with the set.  My favorite was #7, Peacock Blue. You can even find the list of colors online (except for two "mystery colors").  It would seem that some older artists miss them, too - they were high quality but as a child, I just took them for granted.

My Dad and I would color together.  I would have my child's set and he an adult set.  I remember one in particular, set with famous buildings.  I remember him in particular working on a Taj Mahal picture.  I looked at him color with great concentration.  He put wax paper on top of the part of the picture he had completed so it would not smear.

His picture had so much detail.  You could barely make out some of the numbers in the small portions.  But I would grow up one day and be able to do complicated pictures just like my Dad!

Except I lost interest, until my son was born.

I went to all the stores (when he was old enough to color) and no one had them.  In fact, I couldn't find any kind of color by number pencil art set, period.

Venus Paradise is out of business.  And, I couldn't even find a set on eBay (I did find a couple of auctions for the pencils.)

The good news is that there is a pencil color by number set out there now. Better yet, the people who own the business remember Venus Paradise.  So perhaps a new generation of children will remember pencil by number sets fondly.

In writing this post, I find my spouse remembers the sets too.  He thinks when he retires, it might be fun to buy one.  But sadly, this is something I'm not sure will ever return to favor for the general population.

So....do you remember Venus Paradise?

Or, would you rather find colors from paradise in paint?