Beautiful Sunset in Amsterdam

Beautiful Sunset in Amsterdam is a paint by numbers kit for adults, taken from Image World's painting of a canal and gabled houses at dusk.

A row of narrow Dutch houses stands shoulder to shoulder along the canal in red brick, burnt orange, blue and cream, each with its own stepped or bell gable and most with the lamps already on inside. A low stone bridge crosses the water, bicycles are leaning against the railings in pink, blue and red, and a barrow of tulips sits in the near corner. The cobbles are damp, a cast-iron street lamp is lit, and the sky behind the rooftops has gone pink.

Image World builds its designs for painting rather than adapting them from a print. 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?

Reviews on this design disagree, so here is both sides. Most describe the numbers as easy to read and note approvingly that the paint covers them even in the pale colors. One found the printing faint in places and worked from the reference sheet instead. Take the 16x20 rather than the 12x16 and paint under a good lamp, and you are on the right side of that. The 11" x 17" printout is there for anything you cannot make out.

Who it suits

The one to choose if you want a city rather than a landscape, and the most colorful thing we sell. It is architecture, so it is windows, gables and railings, and there are a great many of them. The sky and the canal are the only large calm areas. Reviewers call the design itself relaxing to work on despite the detail, which sounds contradictory until you have painted a row of windows one at a time.

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 Beautiful Sunset in Amsterdam 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.

Where do I start on all those houses?
Do each house as a whole block of its wall color first and let the whole row dry. The windows, shutters and gable trim then go on top as small dark shapes, which is far easier than trying to cut the wall in around them.

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.