Unlock Your Inner Artist with Custom Paint by Numbers: The Ultimate Beginners' Guide!

Are you looking for a unique and personalized gift for someone special? Consider a custom paint by number kit!

These kits can be customized with your photo or image, making it a one-of-a-kind present and relaxing activity to enjoy at home. They are also a perfect way to improve your painting skills or bring yourself back to your favorite memories through painting.

The canvas is already divided into sections, so you don't have to worry about creating perfect lines. We guarantee this will be a meaningful present no matter if you are a complete amateur when it comes to the art of painting.

Best of all, they are a great way to have fun with an indoor activity – create a beautiful work of art with just a little bit of practice.

Get started today and prepare a unique gift of creativity!

Probably you have already purchased your custom canvas kit, now all you need is to bring out your inner artist and go through this guide that will show you the best way to get started!

We created this guide to help you get the most out of your new custom paint by numbers kit. Get your favorite photo, upload it, receive your custom painting and start creating your own masterpiece.

Don't forget to bookmark this guide and come back to it whenever you need it, share it on your social media, or send it to the person that will receive the kit if you ordered it as a gift.

Well, without further ado, let's dive into the completely best steps new artists can follow to make their own painting absolutely amazing! 

1. Prepare the linen canvas

Our DIY paint-by-number kits are a great gift for anyone who loves to paint. We provide acrylic paints in numbered paint containers so you can have a good time painting your favorite image.

However, in order to achieve the best results, it's important that the canvas is completely flat without any wrinkles. This will allow even strokes, smoother brush handling, and ultimately prevent any paint from seeping through the cracks.

All of our custom paint by numbers kits are printed on a high-quality linen canvas, so it is common to have some slight wrinkles when unboxed.

We recommend you carefully moisten your canvas with a damp cloth and iron or steam it at a low temperature (linen mode) to smooth the entire surface.

2. Find a place with the right lighting

Natural light is the best when it comes to painting. Period. But we know that sometimes natural light might not be available, especially if you decide to work on your paint by numbers project indoors.

In that case, try to find a place at home with a white and even light. By this, we mean light that won’t generate shadows beneath your hand or body. The correct lighting will also help you see the numbers and outlines clearly. 

Ideal light sources would be:

• Natural light
• Direct even and white light (lamps installed on the ceiling)
• Or you may also use a pedestal lamp, that you can always move and set up as preferred to illuminate the area that you exactly want.

You can find an artist pedestal LED lamp on our site too, under the accessories section. We have a wide selection of great products that can aid you while painting your own personalized paint.

3. Fix the canvas on a table

Even if you are a skilled artist we recommend you fix your canvas on a table or a smooth surface. By fixing the canvas on top of the surface where you’ll be working, you can prevent it from sliding or rolling when painting.

If you will be working outdoors instead, you can consider getting a portable tabletop easel along with your framed paint by numbers kit.

4. Create your own personal workspace

We consider that paint by numbers are perfect personalized gifts, but also an amazing activity to share with family members through the holiday season or even as a date night plan with your loved one.

Before starting to paint your custom paint by numbers canvas, prepare your personal workspace with the following:

• A place to arrange your paint pots according to the color key
• A recipient to clean and keep your paint brushes wet
• Some tissues to dry your paint brushes
• Additionally, you can use a comfortable cushioned seat, prepare some relaxing background music and even use pleasant humidifier to ensure a complete artistic experience.

In general, we recommend a pleasant workspace where you can not only feel completely comfortable and relaxed but also have all your tools at hand. These will absolutely guarantee a great job!

Keep in mind that painting is a way to connect with your emotions and capture them on a canvas.

By having your own personal space, you’ll be able to better connect with your thoughts and memories, be at peace and calm, relax and focus on your project.

5. Extra tip for the numbered sections

Your personalized paint by numbers kit comes with a custom-made numbered canvas. Each section is delimited by an outline, and inside each of them, there is a printed number.

With all our custom kits, we offer different colors that are all numbered according to your own photo. Especially for lighter colors, it is possible that the outline and numbers will still be slightly visible after applying the first layer of color.

To prevent this from happening, we recommend pre-painting these guides with a white primer or white eyeliner.

In addition, you can also apply more than one paint coat to your paint by numbers kit to enhance the brightness and contrast of the colors. This will ultimately make your kit look much more professional, with a greater amount of detail, and colors will be right on spot. 

If you happen to have covered a number guide and you are not sure of the paint color you were supposed to use on that section, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us asking for the Digital Version of your paint by number template.

6. Paint in order and by colors

We provide high-quality paints with every paint by numbers painting kit. There are multiple artistic abilities and techniques you can put into practice when painting.

One technique that even the most professional painters use is to work in order and by color. A common “rule” when engaging in oil painting is to paint dark to light.

Even though you should not take this as a painting rule that applies in every single case, it might allow you to achieve better results if you are just starting with painting and ultimately turning your canvas into perfect personalized gifts. .

7. Start with a single coat applied evenly.

Remember to cover the number that you will no longer need if you are going to apply a second coat in a certain section since you will have the color to guide you. 

Make sure that the first coat is completely dry so that the paint does not run to areas that you do not want color.

Don’t load the paintbrush too much, wring out the excess, so that you only use the exact amount of paint you need.

For a more realistic effect, you can blur the edges of each section. This technique will enhance the color deepness and make up for a beautiful DIY home decoration piece of art.

As soon as you finish with one color, wash and dry the paintbrush before starting with another color. By doing this, you will avoid staining your canvas accidentally with a mixture of paints that can spoil your artwork.

8. Use creative painting techniques and ideas

Our custom paint by numbers kits come with numbered colors that match the labels (numbers) placed on the canvas. This will easily allow you to apply the right paint to corresponding areas to paint the image correctly.

However, if you want to change the tones to enhance the painting and make it more realistic, you have a wide number of options you can try, for example, you can mix and blend colors!

Additionally, you can use other tools aside from brushes:

• Q-tips for placing accents on leaves
• Scrapers to create fine and straight lines
• Dabbing cotton to highlight the layers of clouds.

These techniques are not complicated and can be done even by a first-time painter or one with no painting experience whatsoever. Plus, mixing and blending colors can turn painting by numbers into creative activities.

9. Take your time

We take our customers' satisfaction very seriously. Although it is good that you set yourself personal challenges, in the case of painting a custom-made canvas we highly advise you to take the necessary time to enjoy the experience.

There is no need to rush the process.

From our customers, we know that a 15 x 19 inches personalized paint by numbers kit, would take on average one or two weeks to finish depending on the time you spend on it.

Work your painting with love and dedication so the result is exactly what you imagined.

10. Take notes - Leave your mark

There is a process of ideas and a journey of introspection in every single artistic form.

Whether you are painting a family picture, a personal portrait, or one of our various designs; we have heard from some of our customers how satisfying it is to take down some notes in a journal throughout the painting process.

This will not only motivate you to pay great attention to your art, but it is so special to share these thoughts, memories, ideas later with your loved ones, friends and family.

Kind of a brief ceremony once you are done with your custom paint by numbers kit, explaining everything that came along your mind while painting.

Once you have finished, make sure to leave your mark. Your signature, handprint or a postal card signed with the date and a short thought about the painting will ensure the memory perdures in time.

Let's Wrap-Up!

Custom paint by number kits can be great gifts for anyone, regardless of their painting skills. With our easy-to-follow guide, even the novice painter without prior art experience can create a masterpiece.

Plus, with our wide selection of designs and canvases, you can find the perfect kit for any occasion. Our kits are fully personalized, so you can always add a touch of your own personality and creative thinking to your own beautiful piece of art.