Real Art!: The Paint by Number Book & Kit

Yes you can! Give the gift of art. Give the gift of creativity. Give the gift of fun. Because now we can all paint with the best of them. Drawn from the annals of America's fondly remembered pastimes, Real Art! is an all-new, cleverly designed paint by number kit and the coolest gift of the season.

Open the box and discover everything an artist needs to create a gallery of paintings suitable for framing--ten white "canvas" boards, 18 oversized pots of acrylic paint, and two brushes, one narrow and one medium. The images, newly created by artist Nancy Stahl, are iconic: a still life of luscious pears. A clipper ship in full sail. Tropical parrots in a study of exuberant hue. The geisha. The bustling street scene. And two bona fide masterpieces: van Gogh's Sunflowers and, yes, the Mona Lisa. Plus, pulling the full experience together is a 64-page full-color book of history, appreciation, and instruction. Illustrated throughout, it traces the canon of PBN subjects and artists, including the original brouhaha over its place in the culture; and provides a how-to-paint primer--including how to improvise, from choosing a varied color palette to leaving parts of the canvas blank, à la Warhol; plus tips on displaying your work and, ultimately, becoming a PBN collector.

Douglas Brenner writes about gardens, antiques, and architecture for publications such as the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, and Country Living. He is the coauthor, with artist Nancy Stahl, of Real Art: The Paint-by-Number Book and Kit (Workman 2004). Formerly the editor of Garden Design and Martha Stewart Living, Brenner divides his time between New York City and the New Jersey shore. He inherited his first rosebush, 'Climbing American Beauty,' from a previous owner of his house, who planted it there around 1910.

Nancy Stahl, who creates the artwork for the Paint by Number Calendar, is an artist and illustrator whose work has been used as large as billboards and as small as stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. She lives in New York City.