Paint by number kits

How a paint by number kit works

Every area of the canvas is outlined and printed with a small number, and every pot of paint carries the number it belongs to. You open one pot, fill all the areas with that number, close it and move on to the next. There is nothing to draw and nothing to mix, and the picture appears color by color until the last numbers are covered.

What comes in every kit

• A canvas printed with the numbered outline of the design
• Numbered pots of acrylic paint for every color in the picture
• Three brushes, from fine to wide
• Four wooden stretcher bars and small nails to mount the canvas
• Two hooks for hanging
• A printed reference picture

The stretcher frame is what makes these kits ready to hang. The bars slot together at the corners, the canvas wraps around them and is fixed along the back, and the finished painting goes on the wall with no picture frame needed.

Choosing a size

Every kit comes in three framed sizes:

• 16 x 20 in (40 x 50 cm), about 10 to 20 hours of painting. A good first kit, and the size for a desk wall or a narrow space.
• 20 x 26 in (50 x 65 cm), about 15 to 30 hours. The areas are larger and easier to fill, and the picture holds its own on a bedroom or hallway wall.
• 24 x 30 in (60 x 75 cm), about 20 to 40 hours. The biggest canvas, with the most detail, for a living room or above a bed.

A bigger canvas is not harder. The areas are larger, which is often easier on the eyes and the hand; it simply takes longer.

Choosing a design

Flat, graphic designs such as the travel posters, the pastel towns, the lemon grove and the butterfly bouquet have clear edges and broad areas of color, which makes them the easiest place to start. Painterly scenes such as the Van Gogh and Klimt kit, the sakura streets, the dreamy landscapes and the lakes and cottages have more small areas and soft steps from light to dark, and reward a little patience. The table shows the skill level for each kit.

Tips for your first canvas

• Mount the canvas on the frame before you start, so you paint on a taut surface.
• Work with the darkest colors first, then the mid tones, and finish with the lightest.
• Use the fine brush for edges and the wide brush for sky, water and walls.
• Two thin coats cover better than one thick one, and hide any number that shows through a pale color.
• Close every pot tightly between sessions; dry paint is the main reason a kit runs short.
• Keep a cup of water and a paper towel at hand, and blot the brush before it goes back into a pot.

Delivery and returns

Delivery is $6.95, and free on orders from $49. Kits usually arrive in 8 to 15 days, and you can return a kit within 30 days of delivery. See delivery and returns for the details, and the project guide for help with your first project.