Summer's Song

Summer's Song is a paint by numbers kit for adults, taken from Darrell Bush's painting of a canoe and a campfire at dusk.

A green canoe is drawn up on a rocky point with a bedroll still in it. A fire is going a few feet away with a coffee pot beside the coals, and a lantern hangs from a pine branch with a hat and a creel on the same nail. A canvas pack leans against the trunk. Out on the lake a loon sits on water that has gone completely flat, there is a crescent moon over the far shore, and someone else's fire is burning small and orange across the bay.

Bush painted the northwoods at this hour better than almost anyone. 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?

Reviewers of this design say directly that the numbers on the canvas are easy to read, which is not something they say about every kit. 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. For the finest sections a magnifier helps.

Who it suits

The kit to start with if you have never painted anything. One reviewer with no painting experience at all describes the result as turning out nice, and another calls it surprisingly calming for someone who normally rushes projects. The lake, the sky and the tree trunks are wide and simple, and the fire and lantern are the only fine work. A few painters found the odd section without a number printed in it, so match against the reference sheet if you hit one.

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 Summer's Song 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.

What do I do if a section has no number in it?
Check it against the full-color reference photo in the box and use the color of the sections around it. It happens occasionally on any printed canvas and it is almost always an area that carries the same color as its neighbor.

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.