October
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October is a paint by numbers kit for adults based on a watercolor still life of autumn blooms in a row of ceramic pitchers.
Zinnias, poppies and cosmos in orange, magenta and soft pink spill out of pitchers and stoneware jugs across a pale tabletop. The palette is warm and sunlit, and the loose watercolor style gives the flowers an airy, relaxed feel. The original is licensed artwork by Judy Buswell, reproduced on canvas as a numbered paint-by-numbers kit for adults rather than a generic stock design.
What's in the box
- Pre-printed cotton canvas, numbered section by section
- 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
- 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 paints at a lower price if you would rather stretch or frame it yourself.
Who it suits
The right choice if you prefer florals and color over landscape, or you want something that suits a kitchen, hallway or bedroom. Lots of separate petals means plenty of small sections, so it is better suited to a painter with a little patience.
Common questions
Do I need any painting experience?
No. Every section of the canvas is printed with a number that matches a numbered paint pot, so there is no sketching, color mixing or guesswork. Start with the largest areas and work down to the small ones.
How long does October take to finish?
Most adults spend somewhere between 10 and 20 hours on a 16x20, spread over several sittings. It is designed to be picked up for twenty minutes or a whole afternoon.
Is a floral harder than a landscape?
It is generally more sections and smaller ones, since every petal is its own shape. The upside is that mistakes are far less noticeable in a bed of flowers than in an open sky.
What if a color runs out or dries up?
A matching replacement paint set is available for this design, so a dried pot never ends a project.
- Work from the top down. Painting downward keeps your hand off sections you have just finished, which is the most common way a canvas gets smudged.
- Finish one color everywhere before moving to the next. Every section marked 4, then every 5. It uses less paint, means less brush cleaning, and the painting comes together faster than working area by area.
- Two thin coats beat one thick one. Pale colors in particular will let the printed number show through on the first pass. Let it dry and go over it again rather than loading the brush heavily.
- Keep the reference print beside you. Every kit includes a full-size 11 x 17 print. The numbers on the canvas are small, and the finest sections are much easier under a good lamp, with a magnifier if you use one for reading.
- If the paint thickens, add a single drop of water. Stir it in and close the pot firmly between sittings. Acrylic dries fast once it is open to the air.
- Stock designs. 12 x 16 framed, 16 x 20 framed, or 16 x 20 unframed.
- Custom kits from your own photo. 12 x 16, 16 x 20 or 18 x 24, framed or unframed.
- How long it takes. A few evenings if you paint steadily, or a few weeks treated as a relaxed hobby. The more detailed designs take considerably longer than the open ones, which is worth knowing before you pick.
- A pre-printed cotton canvas. It ships rolled in a tube rather than folded, so it arrives without a crease through the middle. Framed or unframed, depending on the option you choose above.
- A complete set of acrylic paints. Numbered to match the canvas and vacuum-sealed, so they arrive workable rather than dried out.
- Brushes in a range of sizes. Enough to cover the broad areas and pick out the finer sections without swapping tools constantly.
- An 11 x 17 reference print. A full-size copy of the numbered canvas, which is a good deal easier to read than the canvas itself.
- A color photograph of the finished painting. So you can see where the piece is heading before you start.
- An easel, with the framed sizes. The unframed option does not include one.
- Orders ship within 2 to 4 business days. Often sooner.
- Sent from a US warehouse. We ship from the fulfillment center closest to your address.
- Free shipping on orders over $40. A flat $5.95 below that.
- 30-day returns on unopened items. Returned unopened within 30 days of purchase and we refund in full.