Thomas Kinkaid is one of the greatest artists of our era. His paintings are incredible--the lighting, the composition--they're all top notch and breath-takingly beautiful!

However, the paint-by-numbers kits that bear his name and copies of his famous artwork leave a lot to be desired. The gorgeous paintings that you ooooh and aaaahh over on the box cover is NOT the painting you will have when you are finished!

I spent a great deal of money when I purchased one of his kits. I like doing paint-by-numbers because, when finished, I've always had a painting worthy of framing and display. I can add a little embellishment here and there and still have a pretty good painting.

But when I worked on Thomas Kinkaid's paint-by-number kit--which displayed a breath-taking picture on its cover--it was obvious I didn't have a painting that could ever be displayed nor did I have the artistic skills or ability to make it come close. I am very detail-oriented and have done many intricate paint-by-numbers and have always had a decent painting to show for my efforts.

With Thomas Kinkaid's kit, I had a mere background of odd, off-the-wall colors of what looked like abstract art. It didn't even come close to resembling the front box cover. However, after retrieving the original box and turning it over, I saw that I did have a replica of the very tiny, exceptionally ugly abstract picture that's on the BACK of the box.

His instructions are for YOU to add ALL the gorgeous, intricate, artistic highlights and detail. Mind you, it would probably take another 40-50 hours to make this happen--the "finished" painting is that crude. The kit I bought had trees and a gorgeous cottage, but after I painted everything in, I could not discern any trees nevermind anything resembling a cottage. Besides, I have not seen any trees with pinkish-purplish canopies. The front side of the box showed gorgeous greenery on the canopy and a cozy, cottage with stunning glowing light coming from the windows.

If you have great artistic abilities and can do this, then I recommend Thomas Kinkaid's paint-by-number kits. I have no doubt that if you've got the skill, you can learn a great deal about his outstanding technique from this type of paint-by-number kit.

If however, you enjoy having a fairly decent (and recognizable) painting when you are finished and you are not artistically inclined, you will be extremely disappointed--as was I.

There is a great deal of merit in these kits--but for the art student or working artist only.

If you just like doing paint-by-numbers and you want a painting worth displaying, search elsewhere because his kits do not give you anything worth framing.

I spent over $40 and wasted dozens of hours to find this out. What you see on the front box cover is NOT what you get.

Before buying any of Thomas Kinkaids paint-by-numbers kit, visit a local arts and craft store and look for his kits. See how beautiful the front box is? Wouldn't you want to have a Thomas Kinkaid-like painting in your home? Ooooh, how lovely that would be in my den!

Don't let that thought make you buy his kits on impulse. Instead, turn the gorgeous "take-me-home-now" box over and look for the 3 x 4-inch ugly abstract picture on the rear...That's what you'll get when you are finished!