Quick answer: For a first or an everyday kit, buy the standard 16 × 20 inch (40 × 50 cm) canvas: it is the size the designs are made for, the sections are comfortable, and it fits a normal wall and a normal table. Take the frame option if you want to hang the picture without any further work; skip it if you already own frames, want a different look or will have the canvas stretched later. Choose a square 16 × 16 inch Mariia Sukalova canvas for a softer painterly style, a six-piece mini set for short evenings and gallery walls, and the Custom Kit in 50 × 60 or 60 × 80 cm with 36 or 48 colors when you are turning a photograph into a canvas. Beyond canvas, wood slices, frisbees, tote bags, placemats and the 2027 desk calendar are the same numbered method on objects you use.
The product page asks three questions before you have painted a stroke: which size, with or without frame, and — on a custom kit — how many colors. This guide answers all three, then walks through the formats that are not a rectangle of linen at all.
What you will find in this guide
Canvas sizes compared
Nearly every design is drawn for a 16 × 20 inch canvas, and the number of sections is tuned to it. Go smaller and the sections shrink; go larger and they grow. The table puts numbers on that.
| Format | Size | Section size | Typical time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard canvas | 16 × 20 in (40 × 50 cm) | Comfortable; a few small slivers | 20–40 hours | First kits, famous artists, most designs |
| Square canvas | 16 × 16 in (40 × 40 cm) | Similar, in a square picture | 15–30 hours | Painterly designs, square walls |
| Mini set | 6 pieces, 15 × 20 cm, 20 × 20 cm or 20 cm round / hexagon | Small pictures, few colors each | 1–2 hours per piece | Short evenings, gallery walls, gifts |
| Custom kit, medium | 20 × 24 in (50 × 60 cm) | Larger; detail is easier to see | 30–50 hours | Photos with faces, older eyes |
| Custom kit, large | 24 × 32 in (60 × 80 cm) | Large; needs an easel | 50 hours and more | A statement piece over a sofa |
A canvas arrives rolled, so even large sizes ship in a tube and need a day under books first — our first evening guide explains how.
Frame or no frame
The design and the paints are identical either way; the frame option decides only what the canvas is attached to. Without a frame, the linen arrives rolled and you tape it to a board or table to paint. With a frame, it arrives stretched over wooden bars, flat and tight, and when the last section is dry you hang it. On a standard canvas the difference is $19.95 against $34.95.
Take the frame when you want zero steps after painting, you prefer painting on a firm, slightly springy surface, or the canvas is a gift for someone who will not want to deal with framing.
Skip the frame when you already have frames at home, you want a floating frame or a mat around the picture, you are painting a mini set that will hang as a group, or you are ordering several canvases at once and would rather stretch the favorites later. A separate wooden stretcher frame can be added to any 16 × 20 canvas afterward, and the aluminum DIY frame in black or gold comes in sizes from 30 × 30 to 50 × 65 cm, which covers the standard canvas, the square canvas and the medium custom kit. Our framing guide compares the five ways to display a finished canvas.
24, 36 or 48 colors
The color count only comes up on the Custom Kit, where your own photo becomes the design. Ready-made designs already have the number of colors the artist decided on. For a custom canvas the choice works like this:
- 24 colors (Standard): the fewest sections and the biggest shapes. Right for a photo with a simple subject and a plain background, such as a pet on a sofa or a house.
- 36 colors (High Definition): smoother skin tones and skies, more gradations in fur and hair. The sweet spot for a family photo with one or two faces on the 50 × 60 cm canvas.
- 48 colors (Real-Like): the closest to the photograph, with many small sections and close shades. Choose it for a portrait you want to look like a portrait, and pair it with the 60 × 80 cm size so the sections stay a sensible size.
More colors always means more time and finer brushwork. If you are unsure, 36 colors on the medium canvas is the choice that disappoints nobody. Choosing the photo itself is the bigger decision, and our custom photo guide is about exactly that.
Three styles: photo-based, painterly, mini
Size and frame settled, the remaining choice is the kind of picture. The canvases fall into three families that paint quite differently.
Photo-based and famous-artist designs
The largest group: landscapes, animals, still lifes and the famous artists range on the standard 16 × 20 canvas. Sections follow the shapes in the picture, so a sky is a few big areas and a face is many small ones. Lemon Still Life in Blue Garden is a typical example: clear objects, strong color, a manageable number of fine edges.
Painterly designs by Mariia Sukalova
Mariia Sukalova's canvases come in 16 × 16 and 16 × 20 inches and are drawn from loose brushwork rather than photographs. Sections follow strokes, so edges are soft and nothing has to be ruler-straight; Golden Sunset Country Path and Quiet Meadow Stream under Clouds show the style. All of them are in the Mariia Sukalova collection.
Mini sets
A mini set is six small pictures that share one theme and one set of paints: rectangles of 15 × 20 cm, squares of 20 × 20 cm, or rounds and hexagons of 20 cm. Vivid Nature Rounds is six landscapes; other sets cover kitchens, animals and seasons. Each piece is an evening, and the six hang as one arrangement afterward.
Beyond canvas: wood, frisbee, tote, placemat, calendar
The newest kits are objects rather than pictures; each is a shorter project than a canvas and a different kind of gift.
| Kit | What it is | Time | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood slice | A real wood disc with bark edge, printed with a design; hangs as an ornament or door sign | One to two evenings | Rustic decor, seasonal gifts |
| Frisbee | A flying disc in a choice of base colors with a numbered design on top | One afternoon | Grandchildren, summer tables, a painting that gets thrown |
| Tote bag | A canvas bag with a printed design, painted with the kit's fabric-friendly acrylics | One to two evenings | Market days, a gift you can carry |
| Placemats | A set of mats with a shared theme, such as zodiac signs | One per evening | A table that tells a story; a family project |
| Calendar 2027 | A desk calendar with a wooden stand; one small picture per month, paints and brushes included | One picture per month, or a weekend for all | A desk, a gift that lasts a year |
In winter the wood slices become ornaments: Golden Bells with Holly and Red Christmas Stocking now, Bunny with a Carrot in spring. The frisbees are the one kit meant to leave the house. Coasters, notebooks, door hangers and clocks are covered in our beyond the canvas guide.
What to add to the order
Every kit arrives complete: canvas or object, numbered acrylic pots, three nylon brushes and the reference sheet. A few things make the weeks pleasanter:
- Better brushes. The three in the box do the job; a set with a finer tip and a wider flat makes small sections and big skies both easier.
- A paint rack. The paint holder keeps 24, 36 or 48 pots upright and in number order.
- A spare white on a snowy or cloudy design, since light colors take two coats; the extra pots are matched by number.
If you cannot decide on a design at all, the Surprise Kit sends a standard canvas chosen for you.
A decision in four questions
- How much time do I have per sitting? Under an hour: a mini set, a wood slice or the calendar. An hour or more: a canvas.
- Where will it hang? Measure the wall. Above a sofa or bed, the 50 × 60 or 60 × 80 custom sizes; anywhere else, 16 × 20 or the square.
- Do I want to frame it myself? No: take the frame option. Yes, or not sure: order without and decide when it is finished.
- Is it my own photo? Then the Custom Kit, 36 colors on the medium canvas unless the photo is very simple (24) or a close portrait (48, large canvas).
For a gift rather than for yourself, our gift guide matches kits to people instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best paint by numbers size for a beginner?
The standard 16 by 20 inch (40 by 50 cm) canvas. Designs are drawn for this size, so the sections are comfortable, and it fits most walls and tables.
Should I buy paint by numbers with or without a frame?
With a frame if you want to hang it straight after painting or prefer a firm, stretched surface. Without if you own frames, want a different frame style or are ordering several canvases to stretch later.
What is the difference between 24, 36 and 48 colors?
It applies to the Custom Kit only. More colors mean more and smaller sections and a closer match to the photo; 36 colors on the 50 by 60 cm canvas suits most family photos.
Are mini paint by numbers sets easier than a full canvas?
Each piece is quicker, usually one to two hours, and uses fewer colors. The sections are small, though, so a steady hand and good light matter more than on a big canvas.
Can I add a frame later if I order without one?
Yes. A wooden stretcher frame fits the standard canvas, and the aluminum DIY frame comes in sizes from 30 by 30 to 50 by 65 cm in black or gold.
What comes in a paint by numbers kit?
A numbered linen canvas (rolled, or stretched with the frame option), numbered acrylic paint pots, three nylon brushes in different sizes and a reference sheet with the finished picture and color chart.
Pick the size, then pick the picture
Standard canvas for most things, square for the painterly ones, a mini set for short evenings, custom for a photograph, and an object when you want to use what you paint. With the format settled, choosing the picture is the enjoyable part: start in the best sellers, the Mariia Sukalova collection or the mini sets, and browse all paintings when you have an evening to spare.
