Quick answer: Your first evening with a paint by numbers kit should go like this: unroll the canvas and flatten it under books or with a warm iron on the back; lay the paint pots out in number order and check every number on the chart has a pot; photograph the reference sheet on your phone; set up a daylight lamp, two jars of water and a paper towel; tape the canvas down or prop it on an easel; and then open pot 1 — only pot 1 — and paint every section with that number, largest first, before closing it and moving to pot 2. Stop after about an hour, wash the brushes, and leave everything set up for tomorrow. That is the whole first evening, and it sets up every evening after it.
The box arrives, you open it, and there is a rolled canvas covered in tiny numbers, two dozen little pots, three thin brushes and a sheet of paper. Most people start painting within five minutes and regret two or three things by the end of the hour. This guide is the first evening done properly — forty minutes of setting up that make the next thirty hours smooth.
What you will find in this guide
Unboxing: what should be in there
A standard kit contains a numbered linen canvas (rolled), a set of numbered acrylic paint pots, three nylon brushes in different sizes, and a reference sheet showing the finished picture and the number-to-color chart. Some kits add a small printed copy of the design, and the with-frame option includes wooden stretcher bars.
Before anything else, count the pots against the chart. If a number is missing or a lid has come loose in transit, write to us now rather than discovering it at section 14 in week two.
Flattening the canvas
A rolled canvas wants to roll back up, and a creased one will show the crease through the paint. Do this before you paint anything.
The quick way: lay the canvas face down on a towel, put a thin cloth over the back, and iron on low heat, keeping the iron moving. Never iron the printed side, and never let the iron rest.
The slow way: lay it flat under a towel and a stack of heavy books overnight. Zero risk; it just means your first evening is setting up and your second is painting, which is not a bad thing.
Then tape the corners to the table with a little masking tape, or clip it to a board or easel, so it does not drift while you paint the edges.
Reading the chart and checking the pots
The chart lists each number with its color. Three habits make it painless:
- Photograph the chart and the finished picture on your phone or tablet, and zoom in when you need to check a section. Holding a small sheet up to the lamp gets old fast.
- Lay the pots out in number order in the box lid, an egg carton or a paint rack, numbers facing you.
- Some sections have two numbers or a letter on some kits, meaning a second coat or a mixed shade; the chart explains it. Read it once now.
Do not worry if a color looks wrong in the pot. Colors only make sense next to their neighbors on the canvas. Trust the numbers.
Setting up the table
Ten minutes here saves hours later. You need: a daylight lamp on the side opposite your painting hand; a chair with a back at a table of normal height; the canvas tilted toward you on an easel or a stack of books; two jars of water (one for the first rinse, one for the clean rinse) and a folded paper towel; and an old towel under everything. Our painting corner guide goes through each item and its free alternative.
The first color
Here is the method that makes everything else easy: one color at a time, across the whole canvas.
- Choose the color with the biggest areas — usually the background or the sky. Painting large sections first gives you visible progress in the first twenty minutes, which is what keeps people going.
- Open that pot only. Stir it gently with the handle end of a brush if it looks separated. Every other lid stays shut.
- Pick the brush for the section size: the biggest brush for big areas, the smallest for anything with a tight edge. Switch more often than feels necessary.
- Load the brush lightly — wet, not dripping — and paint from the middle of a section out to its edges, in one direction, resting the heel of your hand on the table.
- Paint every section with that number you can find, then close the pot. Then open the next.
- Do not go back over half-dry paint. Streaks come from that. If a section looks thin, leave it; a second coat tomorrow covers it.
- When you go over a line, leave it. The neighboring color covers it later. Acrylic is opaque and forgiving. Our troubleshooting guide has the fix for everything else.
By the end of the first hour you will have two or three colors done across the canvas, and the picture will already have a shape.
How to stop for the night
- Finish the color you are on, or at least a region of it, so tomorrow starts clean.
- Click every lid shut. Press until it snaps. A lid resting on a pot is an open pot, and dried paint is the most common reason a first canvas stays unfinished. See our dried paint guide.
- Wash the brushes in warm water with a drop of soap, reshape the tips, and stand them tip-up to dry. Never tip-down in the jar.
- Leave the canvas and lamp where they are if you possibly can. A set-up corner gets fifteen minutes tomorrow; a packed-away box gets Sunday, maybe.
- Mark the chart with a pencil tick next to each color you have finished.
Evening two and after
Evening two is the same method with the next colors, and it goes faster because the table is ready. A few things to know for the weeks ahead: light colors (whites, creams, yellows) usually need a second coat, so do them after the darker neighbors; save the smallest sections for last, when everything around them is dry; and sessions of 45 to 60 minutes are better than long ones, because fine work gets sloppy after an hour. A standard canvas takes most people two to four weeks of evenings — our time guide explains what decides it.
When the last section is filled, our guides on sealing and framing take it from table to wall.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first thing to do with a paint by numbers kit?
Flatten the canvas, count the pots against the chart, photograph the chart, and set up a lamp, water and easel before opening any paint. Then start with the color that covers the biggest areas.
Should I paint one color at a time or one area at a time?
One color at a time across the whole canvas. It is faster, the pots stay fresh, and you rinse the brush far less often.
Which color do I start with?
The one with the largest areas — background or sky — so progress is visible in the first twenty minutes. Darker colors before lighter ones; the lightest need second coats.
How long should the first session be?
About an hour. Fine work gets sloppy after that, and you want to end wanting more.
What if I go over the lines?
Leave it. Once the neighboring section is painted the mistake is covered. Acrylic is opaque.
Do I need anything that is not in the box?
Strictly, no. A daylight lamp, two jars and some masking tape make the evening much pleasanter, and none of them costs much.
Open pot 1
That is the whole first evening: flatten, count, photograph, set up, one color at a time, lids shut, brushes washed, leave it out. If you have not chosen a kit yet, start with something that has big sections and a subject you love — flowers, a landscape or one of the best sellers. Our beginner tips pick up where this guide leaves off.
