Beginner's Guide

Paint by Numbers doesn't require any painting skills. All it needs is your patience and keen attention to details.

Breathe deeply and enjoy the process!

Go to your safe place or your quiet room. Be somewhere comfortable and well lit. Somewhere clean and clear of distractions.

What you will be needing:

  • Canvas
  • Paint Brushes
  • Paints
  • Paper Guide
  • 2 cups of water (1 for clean water and 1 for dirty paint water)
  • paper towels to dry up your paintbrushes

Here are some tips to help you prepare your canvas before painting:

  • The canvas is usually made out of cotton or linen. When the canvas is shipped it is usually sent rolled. That being said, you should unfurl it and iron it frequently. Another tip stretch it out by putting tape on the corners of the canvas
  • You can also put tape around the borders to avoid accidentally painting the white areas of the canvas

Get ready with your brushes:

  • Check closely the brushes if there are stray hairs that might ruin your painting. To easily determine, dip the brush into the water and cut carefully the stray hairs.

Evaluate the paints:

  • You can check the paints and determine the nature of the paints. Is it transparent or opaque?
    • A good tip when you have transparent paints is to use a whiteout to paint over the number before using the actual assigned paint.
    • Opaque paints are what we are looking for. This should have good coverage.
  • If your paints are creamy, you can mix them with a little bit of water to make them more spreadable.

Let's Begin!

  • Where to begin? It's really up to you. You can always start wherever you want. You can start with the darkest color or from the top left all the way down to the bottom right. It really depends on your preference, or which works best for you.

Smart Tip: If there are tiny parts, you can use a toothpick instead of a brush.