Mountain Paradise

Mountain Paradise is a paint by numbers kit for adults, taken from Kim Norlien's painting of a lakeside lodge below a waterfall.

A long log lodge with a stone chimney sits back from the water with its windows lit and a group gathered round a fire pit on the lawn. A vintage red and white car is parked under the trees, a rowboat is tied at the dock, and Canada geese are working their way across the shallows. Behind it all a waterfall drops off the shoulder of a snow-covered peak, a skein of geese crosses the sunset, and the maples have turned.

There is a great deal happening here and none of it feels crowded. Ledgebay licenses the original artwork rather than copying a stock image, so what you finish is a real painting, not a generic design.

What's in the box

• Pre-printed cotton canvas, rolled in a tube rather than folded, so it arrives without creases to iron out
• Full set of acrylic paints, vacuum-sealed so they arrive moist
• Four brushes in different sizes, wooden handles
• Printed instructions and a full-color reference photo
• An 11" x 17" printout of the design, useful if you'd rather not lean over the canvas
• Framed sizes also include a wooden tabletop easel

Choosing a size

The framed 12x16 and framed 16x20 arrive pre-stretched on a wooden frame, ready to hang the moment you put the brush down. No mounting, no separate frame to buy. The unframed 16x20 gives you the same canvas and the same paints for less. It is trimmed close to the printed edge, so it suits taping or mounting to a board rather than stretching over your own frame.

Will I be able to see the numbers?

This is the design customers single out on that question. One reviewer describes the canvas as having very clear lines and numbers she could read without reading glasses at all. If eyesight is the thing making you hesitate, start here. The 16x20 is the easier of the two sizes, and the 11" x 17" printout means you can check a section without leaning over the canvas.

Who it suits

A good first canvas despite how much is in it, and several reviewers say it was theirs. The lake, the sky and the mountain face are large and calm. The lodge windows, the car and the figures round the fire are small but few. Worth knowing: more than one painter found the paint thick on this design and thinned it with a drop of water, which is normal and takes seconds.

Common questions

Do I need any painting experience?
None. Every section is printed with a number that matches a numbered pot, so there is no drawing, no color mixing and nothing to work out in advance. Start with the biggest areas and work down.

How long does Mountain Paradise take?
Most people spend 10 to 20 hours on a 16x20, a bit at a time over a few weeks. There is no rush and nothing spoils if you leave it a while.

Is the waterfall difficult?
No, and it is the most satisfying twenty minutes in the painting. It is three or four numbered whites and grays laid in vertical strips, and it reads as falling water the moment the darkest one goes in beside the palest.

What if a color runs low or dries out?
There is a matching replacement paint set for this design, so a dried pot never ends the project. If a pot has only thickened, a drop of water and a stir usually brings it back.