Sweet Petunias

Sweet Petunias is a paint by numbers kit for adults, taken from Judy Buswell's painting of terracotta pots of petunias against a stone wall.

Three big clay pots stand in a row and overflow with petunias in magenta, pink and pale lilac, mixed through with small yellow and orange blooms and a froth of white alyssum. The pots themselves are painted with all their chips and water stains, and behind them a stone wall is suggested rather than drawn, in warm loose washes. One trumpet of a flower has fallen onto the ledge in the foreground.

Buswell works in watercolor, which is why the wall stays soft while the flowers keep their edges. 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?

Be straight with yourself about this one. A reviewer who loved painting it recommends buying a lit magnifier to go with it, and that is sound advice for a canvas made almost entirely of overlapping petals. The 16x20 is meaningfully easier than the 12x16 here, and the 11" x 17" printout means you can check a section without leaning over the canvas.

Who it suits

For flower painters with patience. Reviewers recommend it for beginners and experienced painters alike, and both are right, but nobody calls it quick: the petals are small, there are hundreds of them, and the pots are the only large restful shapes on the canvas. The reward is a finished piece that looks considerably harder than the hours it took.

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 Sweet Petunias take?
Longer than most. Budget nearer 25 hours than 15 on a 16x20. There is no rush and nothing spoils if you leave it a while.

Do I have to stay perfectly inside the lines on the petals?
No, and this is the design that forgives it most. A petal edge that strays slightly reads as another petal behind it. The place to be careful is where a flower meets the wall, because that edge is the one the eye checks.

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.