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A Memoir of Dan Robbins's Special Life
Dan Robbins invented this revolutionary concept in the 1950s. He was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, who at that time already gave his students canvases with pre-drawn numbers. How to paint a blank canvas as a beginner? The answer is Paint by Numbers: a numbered painting setpots of paint, a canvas with numbered areas and brushes.
Dan Robbins came up with this idea in 1949 while working for the Palmer Paint Company in Detroit. His assignment at that time was to invent a creative pastime for adults. After World War II, Americans had more free time for hobbies and the arts.
At that time there were no computers and the production of the "paint-by-numbers" motifs was still done by hand. The first sets were very simple with few colours. Over time, more colours were added and more motifs created, leading to what is available today.
The very first Paint by Numbers: A Silent Nature
Below you will find Dan Robbins' very first Paint by Numbers design. His team went on to create much more popular landscape motifs.
In the 1950s, more than 20 million "paint-by-numbers" sets were sold in the United States alone. However, the art world was not always happy with the paint-by-number copies, as this method allowed amateurs to create stunning works of art. In contrast, celebrities like Andy Warhol, influenced by serial reproduction, was a strong proponent of Paint by Numbers.
Dan Robbins was active in the arts until the late 1980s, and his artwork is still on display at the Detroit Historical Museum. Robbins had a simple idea: make art accessible to everyone. Painting by Numbers Expert resignsin the footsteps of Dan Robbins and offers an ever-growing number of motifs for Paint by Numbers.
History Dan Robbins
Dan Robbins was born on May 26, 1925, the son of car salesman and vaudeville singer Lou Robbins and mother Halene (Levine) Robbins.
After Dan Robbins graduated from the Technical School in Detroit in 1943, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After his return, Robbins married Estelle in 1946 and began working as a freelance artist. He was hired by the Palmer Paint Company to washto make posters for children and designed packaging and made coloring books.
To make even more profit, the company's boss demanded that he develop coloring books for both teenagers and adults. He recalls an idea from Leonardo da Vinci, who numbered objects in the background and had his trainees colour them in different colours. In total, Palmer Paint Company sold 12 million paint-by-number kits in 1955, but since this invention was not patented by Palmer Paint Company, other manufacturers flooded the market with their own developed stencils.
Dan Robbins succumbed to pneumonia on April 1, 2019, at an Ohio hospital. He is survived by a wife, two sons, and three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren
