Paint by Numbers Tips & Guides

Friendly, step-by-step advice for every stage: choosing your first kit, painting with confidence, fixing little mistakes and showing off your finished masterpiece.

Buying guide

Custom Paint by Numbers: How to Choose a Photo That Paints Beautifully

A sharp, bright, close-up photo with a simple background makes a custom kit that looks like the person. Here is how to choose it, and what to avoid.

7 min read

Buying guide
Van Gogh Paint by Numbers: Starry Night, Sunflowers and Which One to Choose
Van Gogh painted in separate strokes of bold color, which is why his pictures make the best paint by numbers kits. The six designs, compared, and how to paint them.
6 min read
Christmas
LED Paint by Numbers: How Christmas Light Kits Work and How to Paint Them
A small acrylic panel you paint by numbers and slot into an LED base: when the light goes on, the picture glows. How it works, and how to paint it...
6 min read
Beginners
Mini Paint by Numbers: Quick Projects and How to Hang Six as One
Six small canvases, one to two hours each, and a finished wall arrangement at the end. Everything about mini kits, from painting to hanging.
6 min read
Beginners
Paint by Numbers vs. Diamond Painting: Which Hobby Is Right for You?
One makes a painting, the other a sparkling mosaic. Skill, relaxation, mess, time and the finished result, compared honestly, so you can pick the right one.
6 min read
Advanced
Advanced Paint by Numbers Techniques: Blending, Shading and Making It Your Own
Blend a few edges, shade with the neighboring colors, follow the form with your brush, add a catchlight. Six reversible techniques for your third canvas onward.
7 min read
Acrylic paint
Paint by Numbers Paint Dried Out? How to Revive It (and When to Reorder)
Most dried pots can be saved in ten minutes with a few drops of warm water. Here is how to tell which ones, how to do it, and how to...
7 min read
How to
9 Common Paint by Numbers Problems and How to Fix Them
Numbers showing through, streaky coverage, a dried-out pot: nearly every paint by numbers problem has a ten-minute fix. Here are the nine most common, in order.
9 min read
Beginners
Paint by Numbers for Seniors: Easy Kits for Older Hands and Eyes
Bigger canvases, better light and a few small adjustments make paint by numbers a genuine pleasure at any age. Here is how to set yourself up.
9 min read
Display
How to Frame Paint by Numbers: 5 Ways to Display Your Canvas
Stretcher bars, ready-made frames, glass, board mounting or an easel: the five ways to display a finished canvas, and how to hang it at the right height.
8 min read
Buying guide
Paint by Numbers Gift Guide: The Right Kit for Everyone on Your List
A painting kit gives someone weeks of quiet evenings and a finished picture at the end. Here is how to choose the right one for every person on your list.
8 min read
Finishing
How to Seal Paint by Numbers: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
Sealing takes fifteen minutes and protects your painting from dust, fading and uneven shine for decades. Here is exactly how to do it, step by step.
9 min read