Quick answer: A paint by numbers kit comes with two or three nylon brushes, and they are enough to finish the canvas — but a small set of better brushes makes the whole project faster, neater and more comfortable. Use a flat or a round size 4 to 6 for large areas, a round size 2 for medium sections, and a fine round size 0 or 00 for the smallest. Hold the brush like a pencil with your hand resting on the table, rinse in clean water when you change color, and never leave a brush standing in the jar. With that, a good brush lasts for a dozen canvases.
Most painters use whatever came in the box, blame themselves when the edges look ragged, and never discover that the brush was the problem. This guide explains what the sizes mean, which brush to use where, how to hold it, and how to clean it so it stays useful.
What you will find in this guide
- What is in the kit, and what it is good for
- Brush sizes and shapes, explained simply
- Which brush for which section
- How to hold a brush for clean edges
- Loading the brush: the amount matters more than the technique
- Cleaning during and after a session
- Making brushes last
- When it is worth upgrading
- Frequently asked questions
What is in the kit, and what it is good for
Our standard kits include three nylon brushes with different tips: one broad enough for backgrounds, one medium, one fine. They are perfectly capable brushes. Their limits are comfort — the handles are thin, which tires the hand over a long session — and lifespan, since a brush used for an entire canvas without proper cleaning will splay before the end.
If you finish one canvas a year, the kit brushes will do. If you paint regularly, or if your hands tire easily, a dedicated set pays for itself on the first project.
Brush sizes and shapes, explained simply
Brush sizes run from 000 (tiny) up through 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and beyond. The number refers roughly to the width of the bristles; a size 2 round is about the width of a matchstick, a size 6 about the width of a pencil. Different makers vary a little, so treat the numbers as a guide rather than a measurement.
| Shape | Looks like | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Round | Bristles gathered to a point | Almost everything in paint by numbers: sections, edges, details |
| Flat | Square-cut, like a tiny broom | Large open areas: skies, water, walls |
| Liner / rigger | Long, very thin bristles | Hairline sections, tiny highlights, whiskers |
| Filbert | Flat with a rounded tip | Soft edges on petals and clouds |
For paint by numbers you can do the entire canvas with rounds alone. A flat is a luxury for big backgrounds; a liner is a luxury for the smallest sections.
Which brush for which section
- Large areas (sky, water, background walls): flat or round size 4 to 6. Bigger strokes, fewer of them, less chance of streaks.
- Medium sections (a petal, a roof, a face): round size 2.
- Small sections (a leaf, an eye, a window): round size 0 or 1.
- The smallest sections (a highlight, a single stalk of grass): round size 00 or a liner, loaded only at the tip.
The single most useful habit: switch brushes more often than feels necessary. Using a size 2 on a section that wants a size 0 is what pushes paint over the lines.
How to hold a brush for clean edges
Hold it like a pencil, about a third of the way up the handle from the bristles — closer for tiny sections, further back for broad ones. Rest the heel of your hand on the table, or on a clean sheet of paper laid over the dry parts of the canvas. A hand held in the air is never steady; a hand resting on something always is.
Move from the shoulder and elbow for long strokes on big areas, and from the fingers only for small sections. Keep the brush fairly upright for edges (the point does the work) and lower it toward the canvas to spread paint across a broad section (the side of the bristles does the work).
Paint toward yourself when you can. Pulling a brush is more controlled than pushing it.
Loading the brush: the amount matters more than the technique
Most ragged edges and most streaks come from the wrong amount of paint on the brush, not from a shaky hand.
- Too much: a blob forms at the tip, the first touch floods the section and runs over the line. If you see a drop hanging from the bristles, wipe it on the rim of the pot.
- Too little: the brush scrapes, the paint looks streaky and thin, and you press harder to compensate — which splays the bristles.
- Just right: the bristles are wet through but nothing drips. The paint leaves the brush smoothly for an inch or two, then you reload.
Dip only the front half of the bristles. Paint that gets up into the metal ferrule dries there, spreads the bristles, and cannot be washed out.
Cleaning during and after a session
Between colors: swirl the brush in a jar of clean water, wipe on a paper towel, and check the towel. If color still comes off, swirl again. Change the water when it goes cloudy — painting with a brush rinsed in muddy water tints every color slightly.
At the end of a session: rinse under lukewarm running water, then work a drop of mild soap or dish soap into the bristles in your palm until the lather runs clear. Rinse again, squeeze gently, reshape the tip with your fingers, and lay the brush flat or stand it bristles-up to dry. Never bristles-down in a jar — that is how a good brush gets a permanent bend.
A brush holder with a cleaning function does the rinsing and the drying in one place, and keeps up to twenty brushes upright and in order. It is not essential, but it is the one accessory that makes people say they should have bought it sooner.
Making brushes last
- Never let acrylic dry in the bristles. Even ten minutes with paint drying at the base of the brush stiffens it permanently. If you step away, drop the brush in water.
- Do not press hard. Pressure splays the bristles and shortens the life of the tip. Let the paint do the covering.
- Keep the ferrule clean. Wipe it after washing. Dried paint there works the bristles loose.
- Store flat or tip-up, and never with anything resting on the bristles.
- Reserve one fine brush for fine work only. A brush that has done backgrounds never holds a point again.
A well-kept nylon brush finishes ten or more canvases. A neglected one is finished after one.
When it is worth upgrading
If the kit brushes leave you frustrated on small sections, a set with a proper fine round is the first thing to buy. Our professional brush set covers the sizes above in a compact set, and the premium set of twelve adds flats and a liner for painters who want a brush for every situation.
If your hands tire, thicker handles matter more than bristle quality. Wrapping a thin handle with a strip of foam or a few turns of masking tape is a free fix — see our guide to painting comfortably with stiff hands.
Frequently asked questions
What size brush is best for paint by numbers?
A round size 2 does most of the work. Add a size 0 for small sections and a size 4 or 6 for large areas. Bigger designs with open sections lean on the larger sizes; detailed portraits lean on the smaller ones.
Are the brushes in the kit good enough?
Yes for one canvas, if you clean them properly. Painters who work regularly or who struggle with tiny sections benefit noticeably from a set with a proper fine round and thicker handles.
How do I stop my brush from fraying?
Do not press hard, do not let paint dry in it, keep paint out of the metal ferrule, wash with soap at the end of each session, and store it tip-up or flat.
Can I use the same brushes for watercolor or oil?
Nylon brushes work for acrylic, watercolor, gouache and oil. Wash oil out with the right solvent before using the brush for acrylic again, or better, keep separate brushes.
Can I fix a brush that has dried with paint in it?
Sometimes. Soak it in warm soapy water for an hour, then work the bristles gently with your fingers. If the base is still stiff, the brush is done for fine work but may still serve for backgrounds.
How many brushes do I really need?
Three, in fine, medium and large. Everything beyond that is comfort: a spare fine for when one is drying, a flat for skies, a liner for the tiniest highlights.
Paint with the right tools
A good brush does not make you a better painter, but it removes the frustration that makes people stop. Find a set that suits you in our accessories collection, and then put it to work on something from best sellers, flowers or famous artists. Everything else you might run into along the way is in our troubleshooting guide.
