EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK A few years out of the army, recently married and out of work, I answered an ad for a freelance artist. Max Klein, president of Palmer Show Card Paint Co., needed someone to design a series of packages for poster paints. I cleared off my kitchen table, got out my T-square and ruling pens, and created products that won Klein's trust. My next assignment was to make packaged sets. Little did I know I would end up making history. My task was to create sets for four-to seven-year-olds with "everything you need" including - paints, brushes, pre-drawn subjects. As I sat down to draw, I remembered how much I enjoyed coloring as a kid.
What a great idea! Why not do the same thing for anyone who wants to paint their own picture, but can't? All that's necessary would be to give them numbered outlines to follow, but in this case also provide the corresponding numbered colors necessary to fill in the spaces. This way, the novice could create their own painting. What a good idea, Robbins! Thank you, Leonardo. DON'T TELL ME, SHOW ME I could hardly wait to tell Max about my idea (without mentioning Leonardo da Vinci of course). "It sounds like a good idea to me," said Max, but tell me again, how does it work?" I repeated the story of how da Vinci used numbered patterns and corresponding colors to instruct his students. Max still seemed a little puzzled. Frankly, I think he couldn't quite get the picture. Finally, he said, "Dan, you're the artist. Why don't you show me what you are talking about?" Where to start? I looked through every art magazine, book, museum brochure, and anything I could find that might give me some ideas as to where to start. I looked thrugh one of my old sketch pads full of school assignments, people in parks, figure studies, fruit still life, an old house, anything. I even thumbed through sketches made of naked ladies from the time I skipped class to go to the National Burlesque in downtown Detroit. Nothing! What I did know was that time was running short and I needed something artistic, simple and quick. It had to be an expression of real art. Something to be proud to hang on your wall. After much deliberation and soul searching, I finally decided on a quick and easy still life to demonstrate my idea of painting by numbers. It would be arty, simple and safe. Good idea, Robbin. now just get on with it. What kind of still life shoud it be? Fruit? Flowers? Common househod items? Whatever the subject, keep it simple and without a lot of detail. Like in silk screen. THAT'S IT! just like they showed me in high school art class. I remembered when I had to do a poster in six flat colors, putting one outlined color next to another. Do it just like that. ABSTRACT NO. I
I have always appreciated the Impressionist School of Art and I decided to create my own original composition in the same style using a little Picasso, a little Braque and lots of Robbins. Imagine me in the same league with these guys. Pretty heady sfuff. The reality of this project was I didn't expect the abstract to be a great work of art. I only wanted it to be good enough to show Max and convince him that this idea of painting by numbers was workable. "So what do you think Max?" Max looked at it for a long time and said "Dan, I HATE it! Abstracts are for peole who call themselves artists, but can't paint worth a damn!" I was crushed. Stunned. Ijust stood there speechless, not knowing what to say. It would have been just like Max to say "Dan, I know a Picasso when I see one, and you're no Picasso." But a moment later he added, with a smile, "I do like the idea of painting by numbers, providing of course, that you can create subjects that people would actually like to paint." I assured him that I could. Back to Home Page Abstract No.1
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I thought, what's the difference between a child's hand holding a crayon and
an adult's hand holding a brush? Nothing - only the subject matter and the medium. One day as I was repainting my own Washable Paint Set subjects (just to experience the same challenge a child might feel in painting them), I
remembered hearing about how Leonardo da Vinci would challenge his own students or apprentices with creative assignments. He would hand out numbered
patterns indicating where certain colors should be used in specific projects such as underpainting, preliminary background colors or some lesser works
that did not require his immediate attention.
Now that I knew HOW I was going to do it, all I needed to know was WHAT kind of still like I was going to do. Then I thought "Why not an abstract still
life?" Abstracts were "hot" at the time and I could do it flat with easy-to-paint spaces, just like in silk screening. Perfect!