Quick answer: Abstract paint by numbers kits are easier than they look, and often easier than a landscape or a portrait, for one simple reason: there is no "wrong" result. Nobody can tell you the sky is the wrong blue or the dog's eye is in the wrong place, because there is no sky and no dog. What you get instead is big, clean shapes, bright colors that sit side by side without blending, and a finished canvas that looks like modern wall art rather than a hobby project. Kandinsky's Small Worlds series and his later geometric pictures are the classic choice; the shop's abstract collection adds animals built from facets, mandalas, neon outlines and plain color-field designs. Choose by the size of the shapes, paint the edges carefully, and you have a canvas most people will assume you bought in a gallery.
Many people avoid abstract kits because they assume abstraction is for art students. The opposite is true: realistic pictures punish small mistakes, abstract pictures absorb them. This guide explains why, walks through the Kandinsky kits and the rest of the abstract collection, and shows how to choose one and paint it well.
What you will find in this guide
Why abstract kits are easier than they look
Three things make a numbered canvas hard: tiny sections, many nearly identical colors, and subjects where a slip shows. A realistic cat has all three; an abstract design usually has none.
- The shapes are bigger. Abstract designs are built from circles, bands, wedges and blocks, most of them coin-sized or larger, so you spend your evenings filling rather than squinting.
- The colors are distinct. A portrait needs eight skin tones that differ by a whisper; an abstract design uses red, blue, yellow, black and white, and when it uses two blues they are clearly two blues.
- Mistakes do not read as mistakes. If your circle is a hair off-round or a band slightly wider at one end, nobody will know, because there is no "correct" circle to compare with. Going over a line is fixed by the next color, and even if it is not, it looks intentional.
- The result is contemporary. A finished abstract canvas hangs easily in a modern living room, a hallway or an office where a cottage landscape might not.
The one thing abstract kits ask of you is clean edges, because a crisp edge between two flat colors is the whole effect. That is technique, not talent, and it is covered below.
The Kandinsky kits
Wassily Kandinsky is usually credited as the first painter to go fully abstract; his work moved from loose, colorful landscapes to precise circles, triangles and lines, and the kits cover both ends.
| Kit | Style | Section size | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Worlds I | Playful shapes floating on a pale ground | Medium | A first Kandinsky |
| Small Worlds III | Busier, with more black line work | Small to medium | Someone who likes detail |
| Small Worlds IV | Dense, colorful, carnival-like | Small to medium | A long, lively project |
| Small Worlds V | Lighter, airier composition | Medium | A calmer version of the series |
| Small Worlds VII | Strong black shapes on color | Medium to large | Bold contrast |
| Four Parts | Four quadrants, geometric | Large | The easiest Kandinsky |
| Violet (1923) | Bauhaus-period circles and lines | Medium to large | Clean, modern look |
| Lithograph for the Fourth Bauhaus Portfolio | Spare, graphic, few colors | Large | A quick, striking canvas |
| Sounds | Loose, musical, lots of movement | Small to medium | Someone who enjoys variety |
| Landscape with Two Poplars | Early, half-real landscape in hot color | Medium | A bridge from landscapes to abstraction |
| Waterfall | Early, painterly, almost a real scene | Medium | Anyone nervous about "pure" abstraction |
If you are unsure, start with Four Parts or the Bauhaus Lithograph: large sections, a handful of colors, the clean geometric look most people picture when they hear the name. The Small Worlds series is where the fun is once you want more going on. Two Poplars and Waterfall are the gentlest introduction: you can still see the trees and the water, they simply glow in colors trees and water never have.
Other kinds of abstract kits
The abstract collection is broader than Kandinsky, and it helps to know the main types.
Faceted animals
A lion, a zebra or a flamingo built from flat triangles and polygons, each a single color; the Geometric Flamingo and the Abstract Zebras are the popular ones. These are the most forgiving kits in the shop: every section is straight-sided, the colors step clearly from light to dark, and the animal appears once the last facets go in. If someone in your family says they cannot paint, hand them one of these.
Neon outlines
The Neon Lion and Neon Eagle put a glowing outline on a dark background. Most of the canvas is the dark ground, which goes quickly; the glow is a few bands of bright color around the line, and the whole thing takes less time than it looks.
Faces and figures
The Abstract Buddha Face, a serene face dissolved into color bands, is one of the best sellers in the collection: recognizable, but free of realism.
Mandalas and patterns
Mandala designs are symmetrical and repetitive, which many people find the most relaxing painting there is: the same small shape, again and again, around a circle. They come as coasters, placemats and mini sets as well as canvases, a good way to try abstract painting for an evening before committing to a full canvas.
Soft shapes and leaves
Not every abstract design is loud. Sets like Abstract Leaf Shapes and Earthy Abstract Plants use muted greens, terracotta and cream in simple curves and suit a quiet kitchen or bedroom.
How to choose: look at the shapes, not the picture
With a landscape you choose the subject you love. With an abstract kit the subject is color and shape, so look closely at the photo and ask three questions.
- How big are the smallest shapes? Mostly broad blocks with a few thin lines means an easy kit; a web of small shapes everywhere (Small Worlds IV, Sounds) means a longer, more detailed one. Both are fine; just know which you are buying.
- How many colors? Fewer colors mean faster progress and more impact across the room; more colors mean more variety evening to evening.
- Hard edges or soft ones? Geometric designs (Violet, Four Parts, the faceted animals) are all about crisp lines; painterly ones (Waterfall, Two Poplars) tolerate a looser hand and hide an unsteady one.
Then think about the room. An abstract canvas is the one kind of paint by numbers you can genuinely choose to match a sofa; pick up two or three of the room's colors and it will look placed on purpose.
Painting clean edges
Because the effect of an abstract design lives in its edges, this is the technique that matters most, and none of it is difficult.
- Paint the lighter color first, then the darker over its edge. Dark covers light in one coat; the reverse often needs two. Fill the pale shape, let it dry, then paint the dark one beside it right up to the line.
- Pull the brush along the edge, not across it. Lay the side of the brush along the boundary and draw it in one slow stroke; short dabs make a ragged edge.
- Use the smallest brush for the last eighth of an inch. Fill the middle of a shape with the big brush, then switch to the fine one for the border.
- Steady your hand. Rest the heel of your hand on a dry area or a paper towel and turn the canvas so the edge runs toward you; painting toward yourself is far more controlled than sideways.
- Fix wobbles with the neighbor, not with the same color. If a blue bulges into the white, do not scrub it; paint the white back over it once the blue is dry. Our troubleshooting guide has more.
- For long straight lines, a strip of low-tack masking tape along the printed line gives a perfectly straight edge; press it down firmly and peel it off while the paint is still slightly wet.
Color order and second coats
Work one color at a time across the whole canvas, as with any kit, but plan the order. Paint the dominant background first so you can see the composition, then the large shapes from light to dark. Save black lines and outlines for last, because a crisp black line over dried color tidies every edge it touches. Yellows, light pinks and whites usually need a second coat; do them early and come back at the end of the session.
A full 16 × 20 inch abstract canvas takes most people 15 to 30 hours, depending on how busy the design is; the geometric Kandinskys and the faceted animals are at the quick end. Gloss varnish afterward makes flat colors deeper and edges sharper, and is especially worth it here; see our sealing guide.
Where abstract canvases look best
Abstract canvases are the easiest paintings to hang because they do not need to "go" with anything: one large canvas above a sofa, two Kandinskys from the same series side by side in a hallway, six mini abstracts in a stairwell, a faceted animal in a grandchild's room. A plain frame in black, white or natural wood suits them best.
Frequently asked questions
Are abstract paint by numbers kits good for beginners?
Yes, often better than realistic ones. The shapes are larger, the colors are distinct and small slips do not show, because there is no real object to compare with.
Which Kandinsky paint by numbers kit is the easiest?
Four Parts and the Lithograph for the Fourth Bauhaus Portfolio have the largest sections and fewest colors. Waterfall and Two Poplars are gentlest if you prefer something that still looks like a scene.
How long does an abstract canvas take?
Usually 15 to 30 hours for a 16 × 20 inch canvas; geometric designs and faceted animals are at the quick end, dense designs like Small Worlds IV take longer.
How do I get clean edges between colors?
Paint the lighter color first and the darker one over its edge, pull the brush along the boundary rather than across it, and tidy wobbles with the neighboring color once it is dry.
Do abstract kits need blending?
No. Almost all abstract designs are flat areas of color meeting at an edge, exactly what a numbered canvas does best.
Can I choose an abstract kit to match my room?
Yes, and it is one of their advantages. Pick a design that repeats two or three of the room's main colors and it will look chosen by a decorator.
Pick a shape and a color
Choose by shapes, paint light before dark, and give the edges your attention; everything else about an abstract canvas is relaxed. The Kandinsky collection has all eleven kits above, the abstract collection has the animals, faces and patterns, with the neon outlines in their own collection. To see how other famous painters convert to numbered canvas, our guides to Klimt and Vermeer make an interesting contrast.
