WHAT THEY DON’T TELL YOU | Paint By Numbers Review 

They claim oil, but most of those Chinese paint by numbers kits actually come with acrylic paints, not oil.

Your canvas turned out gorgeous and the result doesn't look like a paint-by-number kit. Thanks for sharing!

We have the same paint by number kit and I actually got more colors than you I hope mine turns out like this too tho

There is NO WAY these paints are oil. They’re probably heavy body acrylic.

I'd treat it like a normal brush, have a cup of water and paper towels and simply clean the brush for whenever you are changing colour and use water to keep the paint watery(ish) in order to be able to paint with ease

Your intro sort of reminds of a game from girlsgogames

I have been using paint by number kits since I was a kid. My advice is to go to the nearest hobby store and purchase small detailed brushes you will be happy you did. As most brushes coming in PBN kits are too big. My best advice is to start with the darkest color in the kit.....take your time and if you make a mistake just wait for the paint to dry before fixing it. These are relaxing and fairly easy to do don't be overwhelmed by small spaces, take your time just enjoy your progress and have fun.

I tried one of these during quarantine and I was shocked at how long it took me. I think the one I did took me about 25 hours in total, but I usually spend 2-3 hours on a regular not paint-by-numbers painting. I did find that the paint-by-numbers felt more relaxing than regular painting because I wasn't thinking about how the painting would look for the end result or what my next step would be etc., so I could just zone out and paint and still get something cute at the end of it.

It seems simple and sensible, to me, to take a few pictures of the canvas on one's phone, before it's painted, as a reference. That way, there's no confusion, halfway through the project, about which paints go in a certain section.

I’ve done a few of these too and I think a few others may have pointed out that it’s actually an a acrylic paint, not oil like they list. At least it behaves like acrylic. Just a heads up. So yeah, it’s soluble in water and won’t mix with oil-intended products. Also, I can’t believe you got through a whole one us8ng their cheap-o brushes. I always end up using my due to the horrible quality of theirs.

While water soluble oils are a thing, I believe that’s just acrylic paint.

A few helpful things from a painter: *Many of the pictures shown on the website are very pretty, but the actual paint-by-numbers version of them will not be the same. The PBN version will have a more "impressionist" look because there is no blending. *Water soluble oils are a real thing, but they are expensive and a speciality paint; they wouldn't be in a kit like this. *The paint in all these kits is acrylic. *You can use an acrylic retarder if you want to slow the drying time of acrylic paint so you can blend. This will help on paintings that originally look very detailed. I wouldn't recommend this for beginners though unless you're willing to experiment/potentially mess up your painting. I hope this helps. I hope this helps.

Someone gave me my first paint by number. I loved loved loved it. I couldn't wait to find time to start another one. It was the most relaxing art I have ever I ever completed. I wish I could remember name brand, the type of canvas, and how I made the paint look nice. I excitedly purchased a paint by number with similar expectations, I was very disappointed. It was awful. I am so glad I had the positive experience though. I will try again at some point. The first was something like 10x12 and it was a hard material. I know that doesn't say much but when I find another paint by number I will make sure it has those characteristics- beginners beware!! :)

That is seriously one of the most beautiful paintings i have ever seen. That you for the wonderful video!

usually, at least that I've seen in stores, the paint by number kits are acrylic paints

My mum used to photocopy the canvas so she could go back and check what the colour number was in any area.. Helped alot sometimes she would colour swatch the paints, putting the number next to the swatch, which helped to if she had a mistake or colours which were closely alike. There are lots of ways to help yourself. I always had spare brushes and mum would borrow some. Once she got into doing these I bought her a decent set of brushes, and after matching up the brush numbers, she used these. Washing them out throughly after meant she could use them over and over.

I've done about 20 of these. What I've found helpful is to take a little paint from the container, and put it in the container's top with a toothpick. Then add tiny drips of water with the brush until you have it the right consistency. Remember to cover the container with something else so it won't dry out. These paints dry out really quickly when exposed to air.

One of mine came with a paper copy of the canvas, like a reference map. There were instructions down the side of it that explained about cleaning the brushes often, and how the paints were thick etc. Thanks for doing this video though. I wanted to see how well it actually turns out. Yours looks great!

Even with all those issues the kit had, you still made it look amazing!! Thank you so much for the review! 💙 Paige

Thank so much for this video. I purchased two one with a frame one without. I was so confused about pretty much everything you addressed in this video so I put it aside and I haven't looked at it since. With this information maybe I will give it a go again. Thanks

I was thinking to buy a kit like this for making myself calmer but I stumbled on your video and found your voice very relaxing. Subscribed. :)

I suspect it to be acrylic paint. They are water soluble and dry quick.

Wow you did a great job with the cheap brushes that come with the kits. Gorgeous picture choice! Flow Aid is awesome to thin the paints. Alone or diluted. Face moisturizing wipes help to prolong brushes. White Sharpie marker works to cover the numbers so you do not have to paint and repaint. Also if you gesso the canvas before you start with clear, not white, it helps the paints cover better. Thank you for the video.

I always have a bowl of water near so I can clean the brush frequently as you paint. The brushes aren’t good but you can work with them. I keep my brush damp with water so the paint flows better. Keep the lids closed after use or they will dry out. Some paintings are really detailed so I usually work in sections so I don’t drive myself crazy. Change of colour keeps your interest up. Color fatigue can be averted by this tactic 😘 Enjoy and smile. Teaches you patience and persistence as a spiritual bonus.

🙏Belinda. It looked great when you finished this canvas.👍👏 While the base is not the same decades ago I used to paint tshirts with thick oil paints to sell so I have a little experience with thick paints and brushes. If ppl intend to do more than one or two of these colour by numbers I’d strongly suggest they buy better quality brushes. At least you won’t get bristles falling out and brushes breaking. I’m talking about 35 years ago😱and those brushes are as good now as they were back then and sometimes albeit rarely I use them for my watercolouring. They have a harder bristle than we use normally for painting and hold the thick oil paint better and spread it easier as well. Possibly with your advice and finding it easier to use ppl may like doing these colour by numbers more often and hanging them on their walls as yours looks terrific 🤗🌹

Painting by number is still easy, TRY to paint something from scratch, that is not easy....wow...and people are still here complaining, crazy! NO this would not be oil painting, for oil you need some kind of knowledge to use the paint,so acrylics and tempera are best to start out for paint by number. For oil painting YOU need a lot of time and patience for all the coats of paint to dry. Some colours can take up to 3 to 5 months to completely DRY up enough to be able to Varnish the oil painting and still after that 2 yrs to fully dry 100%. To belive that these companies would be sending oil is just ignorant. Some oil paint tubes -depending on the colour and some brands its $35 for a medium size tube-too expensive. So for someone to say they HAD A BAD experience with paint by number is crazy. It's like SAYING: I had a bad experience making a puzzle that had 100 pieces. HOW?????

Water based oil paints? What¿? 😂

Did you blend the edges? I feel like your colours blend into each other

Just as a general sort of tip regarding assembling the stretcher frame (which can be a bit tight-fitting): take the four frame pieces and using a candle (that is big enough to handle, ie bigger than a birthday cake candle), RUB the candle on the front and back of the stretcher piece TABS (the skinny parts that are meant to go into mating slots in the adjacent pieces). Since these joints will be stapled and NOT glued, it is fine to rub a little wax onto them. They will then assemble MUCH easier.

How long did it take for you to finish this painting?

There is an artist currently on display at the Tacoma, WA art museum whose art works are huge... and all actually resemble huge paint by number art works - he was very much influenced by pbn works in his childhood... ( To the previous comments... acrylics can also resemble oil paints... but the scent of oil paint( usually) can be overt... noticeable )... nice demo video!

Thanks for your review, I have seen these advertised, but was unsure as to how they would really turn out. I loved paint by numbers when I was younger, I will probably have to buy one now.

Its acrylic and there’s several kinds of acrylic thinner but water is the easiest and cheapest way to thin acrylic. Also if it doesn’t come with a tiny color numbered version just take a good photo of the canvas before painting and then you never will forget which colors you used where. 🥰

Taking a picture before painting helps to look back and find what number is what 😉

Is the best tutorial about this thechnic congrats!!!!!

Some canvasses come with a sheet with a copy of the canvas (unpainted). That’s great to refer to your colour numbers when touching up some areas. If you don’t receive a sheet with your canvas, take photos of the blank canvas before starting so you can refer back to the photos when touching up the paint.

Around how long did it take you to finish the whole painting? 🤗

Can you tell me as a beginner, how to put that frame together? I have just received my kit and want to ensure I put the frame together correctly and then put the canvas onto the frame correctly? Thanks in advance :)

I haven’t seen a paint by number kit since I was young! Out of curiosity, have you ever done these with quality paint/brushes? Like, match the colors in those plastic tubes with a nice, good quality acrylic paint and some wonderful brushes of a similar size? I would love to see if there’s any improvement since I remember those paints being pretty awful.

Might be a silly question, but do I necessarily need to be an artist to do a paint by numbers? I have no knowledge with brushes or how different paints work, so..

i just discovered paint by numbers a few minutes ago and it really got me interested. how long did it take you to finish this piece?

I think I’ll take a photo of the canvas before painting so that you have the numbers after painting over them

thanks for taking the time to do this video, I started my first one last night which was a total disaster but now I know it's due to crappy brushes and the paint being too thick. Your painting looks great!

I’ve just started a one and I’m so afraid I won’t stay in the lines

Thanks for these tips!! I'm sure they'll help when my first PBN arrives. :-)

EXCELLENT review!! And fantastic tips! Thank you so much for posting this. And what a fantastic finished painting. WOW! You are an inspiration. I am definitely going to give this a go. And i will be keeping this video on hand to go over the tips again. Subscribing now!

Very nice painting, thanks for sharing.

I didn’t hear a single thing you were saying because my sisters were screaming their heads off in the background but this was very satisfying to watch

I actually went out a bought some brushes to do these. It’s hard to do the more detailed sections with the brushes they provide sometimes, and the brushes I bought were pretty good quality so they lasted several paintings!

In the middle of doing my first paint by numbers, & loving it! Got it as a Christmas present. It came with instructions & 3 decent brushes. Would happily recommend MASTERPIECE BY NUMBERS . COM I’m doing the wolves painting 👌 I too watered the acrylic paint slightly ......happy painting x

Hmmmmm, I cannot imagine it being oil based. If it's oil then water would be the last thing you'd add, you'd add a bit of paint thinner. Also, if it were oil you would not have been able to do the painting as you did. Oil paints take quite a long time to dry so you would have smudged the heck out of this thing. Absolutely an Acrylic based paint. If our were able to clean your brush with water it's acrylic. BTW, I NEVER use the bushes that come with the kits. I toss them straight in the trash. I tell anyone doing these to buy a decent brush. You can get one at the craft store for a couple bucks and it will save you a ton of heartache! Some sections may have had a color but you did one color at a time and it's possible you colored over indicators. Many sections are too small to print a number so there will be a number with an arrow pointing to that section. It's possible you painted over that without realizing. I have personally never seen anyone do one by doing one color at a time before. Don't know if that's what happened but I've done so many PBN kits in my life and have never had this happen to me. Just my 2 cents. P.S. If you were able to go in and paint over and resolid lines over anther color it was acrylic. You don't get those results with oil.

I've always wanted this but it's too expensive for me loll

You really do this in one sit?? It took me 2 days and I haven’t even finished half of it, lol

The painta are acrylics and thins with water.

I love paint by number. Its relaxing and I enjoy doing it. Most of the ones I have done were from Plaid.

Great advise, gorgeous finished product. Looks tempting to try

You said they don't send instructions, but in fact they send you a email before you receive your "paint by number" product that explain everything. How to paint, how to wash your brush, how to use it, etc...

Most paint by number kits use acrylic paint and be sure to do your kit soon because those paints dry up quickly if they sit around for awhile even though they are in plastic cups. Use the paints sparingly. They don't give a whole lot extra in kits. Buy a few better brushes, it might be worth while.

Would it be easier if i paint with the canvass standing and not laying on a table? I need your advice please. Thank you!

I do these all the time and I just put a drop of water on the numbers that show through the really light colors and lightly scrape it with a knife and I can actually scrape the number off so that way there’s no number underneath it

I've done these years ago and I remember they provided a copy of the printed painting with numbers so you'd know what color belongs in what part of the painting. Cause it's hard to see the number obviously cause you painted it. Another trick would be to take a picture before you start and that could be your map. 🤗

That's really cool. I'm about to start my first paint by numbers project. Thanks for the tips.

My favorite brand of paint-by-numbers is Plaid. In my opinion, Plaid kits are well made, and there is no blending required. However, I buy my own higher-quality brushes individually. Paint-by-numbers have been a life long source of serenity for me. I prefer oil over acrylic, but oil kits are harder to find these days.

I'm visiting you from 2023, just to let you know I found this super helpful. I started doing these last year (my son was stumped about what to buy me for my b-day and went for one of these) and I got hooked quickly. All I really had to go on, since I'm not an art person normally, was feelings and intuition. So, you telling me I can and should water them down? SWEET! And starting with dark colours first? I feel validated. But I do grump at some of the paints not covering the numbers, no matter how many layers I put on. Many googles later, I found out that's to do with how much pigment (?) is in the paint. But! I'm happy! My son is happy-ish, because now he has to keep buying me new ones to do.

I’ve heard of water soluble oil paints, they are supposedly not much different than acrylics and don’t perform like true oil paints but have a great place all their own. This painting confirms that they can give gorgeous results as well!! I’m gonna go ahead and order myself one!! I’m sick of the cheap store ones that are on cardboard!!

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I have managed to buy quite a difficult one for my first go and I was hoping there would be some sort of tips and tricks sheet that came with it. I was wondering if there was a best way to do it, like by number, by dark to light, light to dark etc. so this video has defs helped me out 👍🏻

Your picture is super! I am so impressed with how you did the tiny spaces - the thinnest brush they sent me was not strong enough to lay the colors in properly, I felt, and I ended up using my own brushes, which, though not as thin, held paint longer and were real workhorses. But this is my first try, so maybe I’ll get better. I had lots of those half finished spaces, where I had to go back and figure what color it was supposed to have been! But my main complaint was that half the colors they sent me did NOT match the small pictures’ colors at all. And I really liked the little pictures colors, much richer and definitely totally different than what was in the little pots. So, i either had to mix some of the sent colors together, or go to my own acrylic paints, which were not premixed, and come up with the right color quickly before they dried up, a constant problem with acrylics... So the whole process took a bit longer than I expected, but I loved what I ended up with - my greens were a perfect mix and the yellow orange of the flowers was gorgeous, not at all like what the numbers in the spaces requested, a weak pale yellow! I guess it’s hit or miss. Thanks for your video, it’s the first I’ve watched for Helpful Hints!

Its not oil, its acrylic. The site says that. And the site also says that they provide a PDF with instructions.

Great tips. A paint by number kit I did was from a photograph of our dog that my wife sent to a company that will make a paint by number print plus a smaller print as a guide ,so if you do touch up you find the right color. This kit didn't come with instructions either ! I did clean my brushes but didn't know about using a water to thin the paint a little .It was acrylic water color as well. One thing you could do is take your smart phone and a picture of the print before you start. Put it on your computer as an image file and print it out with your printer if you have one .

Thanks! I just got mine from the mail and was completely dumbfounded on how to start. Your video answered all my queries.

I REALLY don't like the paintbrush, i got mine too with a cherry tree eith a red bridge on it. i know it looks satisfying but the paintbrush pisses me off.

Your kit came with THREE brushes? I have a horse painting that has about 24 paints and only ONE brush , and I wish I had a big table, like you.

I had a paint by number kit too twice. My first One was a small rabbit one and i got it when i was much younger. I remember being too Scared to paint because i was afraid i would ruin it. The image was on cardboard too and had a nice brush. My Second One is a bigger swan One. I started painting and halfway through i just gave up. I kept going over the lines and getting paint on the wrong spot and onto the number of the wrong spot. It had a lot of very small Spots. I regret Not getting a smaller One with bigger Spots since the One i gave up had swans on Water on it with a lot of green plants and it was Beautiful. Im not Sure where it is Now but im Sure that if i found it Again that some of the paint might have dried up.

Just did a fox one, the paint was oil... But so thin and felt more like acrylic. And half the numbers are missing, so I've had to try and figure it out :/

Haven’t done a “by numbers” project since childhood. Fun to watch n can understand the attraction. Thank you.

Maybe it's so thick so the paint can cover the numbers?

Thanks very helpful!

I was bugging out how I have to go every time to print on a A3 or A2 size papers. Then I remember I have smart TV. Voila ! I just trace it and paint. Tracing on tv have it's own satisfaction.

Here in Australia Aldi sell paint by numbers kits that are made up of a hard Masonite type of material plus a printed paper practise sheet. However, there is not enough paint supplied to do both (why would you anyway?), and also the pots are extremely small and the paints dry out. Like your yours there are no instructions on how to care for the one and only paint brush supplied! Approx 10 pots included but more than 10 colours required to complete the picture which means mixing two colours together to obtain a secondary colour again using the miniscule paints given. I used to like doing paint by numbers, before everything was 'Made in China'!

It may be worth photographing the canvas (using a phone), before colouring, in case you need to figure out where the numbers are after they have been painted over.

I have noticed most of the paint by number kits state oil based but are actually acrylic paints. It normally states in the list of items included that it is indeed acrylic paint. It looks wonderful, well done 👍

That's truly beautiful. We just ordered 3 for a birthday party for my daughter during COVID. I appreciate your tips!

My daughters boyfriend ordered her a paint by number photo of her dogs. It didn’t come with wood. I want to get her an easel but was wondering if I can just pin the canvas to a poster board, or just make a temporary frame? I imagine she would want to frame it for hanging, but that would mean the canvas has to be removed from the frame so it can be placed in a regular frame. The pinning to a poster board seems logical to me but I have no idea or experience in this so I defer to people who know. Thoughts? Thank you in advance. Great video BTW, it looks beautiful.

they haven't really made oil based paint by numbers in years. You can still find them online but for the general public they are acrylic based.....it is very easy to tell the difference..the oil literally floats on top and they paint has a different scent.

i got the same exact paint by number & i felt like #12 was too bright of an orange & the colors ended up not really matching the picture :/

Just started my first pbn. Great video. Thanks for doing this.

I PAINTING THIS ONE RIGHT NOW

Quality PBN's always come with a full-sized printed guide, a full sized image of the actual image, not the "inspiration" image on the BOX it comes in. There is a big difference in the quality of paint between a quality brand kit and the typical cheap Chinese "company" kits. Even the paint brushes in a quality PBN will last beyond the kit, although buying a set of detail paint brushes is what most painters will do. Also, many Chinese companies will state it's oils to make their kit sound special as oil paint is more expensive than acrylic paint. However, you will also see that they state you clean your brush with water. Big clue! You would never use water with normal oil paint.

I only use acrylic paints, so that makes it a lot easier. You can thin with warm water. I do NOT like the canvas! That does make it harder to paint. I find the texture board works so MUCH easier than canvas. I hate that so many of the paint-by-number companies are all moving to canvas. I hate it. Plaid was a fantastic company. They used acrylic and pre-mixed paint and texture boards. Now, I'm back to Dimensions Paintworks. I like them as well with the texture boards, BUT, you do have to mix some colours that use letters and you need extra, empty, paint pots with lids to buy. They say you can use palettes and mix the paints on them but they dry out really quickly while you are using them and you waste more paint. So I buy on Amazon empty paint pots and mix the colours in those and paint the colour letter on the lids. Then if I quit that colour overnight or for a break, I can close the lid and it keeps the paint nice and fresh. Makes it much easier. But I'd rather have all the colours come with the paint-by-number. Mixing doesn't make it seem more realistic, just makes it a little more difficult. I also buy more expensive paint brushes that last longer. Meeden makes a brand of paint brushes that I really like. Usually a size 2/0, 1/0, 1 and 0 round are the sizes I work with best. Also Bob Ross has paint brushes you can buy in the same sizes. They are more expensive but it is SO worth it. The point of a paint-by-number is to do something that relaxes you, that soothes and feels good to you while you are doing it, if the tools you are using are not the best, you won't enjoy it. Thanks for you tutorial. I enjoyed that and it's great to share ideas! You have a lovely voice and I love the way you sped up the film when you needed to! :)

Hey..hey!.....HEYY!!!!!! I HAVE LIKE THAT BUT THE PICTURE is DIFFERENT BUT I JAAAVVVEEE LIIKKEEE THAT

There are such things as water soluable oil paints. You use soap and water to clean the brushes and water to thin down the paint, not thinners. I can't imagine that these kits would use that though because it's expensive. More likely acrylic which again, is soluable with water and cleans with soap and water.

My recent kit arrived. The canvas and the reference sheet has a significant amount of areas with no number indicated. How should I deal with these?. The kit is Bling Painting RSB8481. I've attempted to contact them via text and emai. As yet, I've not received a reply. Thanks.

Unfortunately the Ipicasso site is no longer shipping to the UK. Pre-framed satin finish canvas with perfectly mixed water-based acrylic paints, printed with paler grey numbers that any other manufacturer. Sadly I only got to paint one canvas before they stopped shipping. I'm still searching for a product as good. Your picture is gorgeous though, I'll see if I can find it 😊😊

What good informative. I’ve just started my first paint by number and was having issues with the very small sections and the paint being so thick. Thanks for this video.

Try buying your own brush

Can you recommend a good supplier that.sends canvasses wrapped around a foam roll? All I've received recently are folded and even ironing doesnt take out.creases. ordered max novelty which used rolls first.time. my subsequent multiple orders in may ever came and tracking number was bogus. Recommended to friends who have same experience. Better Business Bureau reviews have.logged 76 compaints.

Water based oils are recommended for beginners by some art teachers who want to paint from scratch before moving on to oils using white spirit /turps . Acrylics dry fast and have to go wet on wet to blend. Paint number kits are mainly acrylic. Gouache Paints are a good alternative to acrylics, they are water based and give better coverage.

Great review! some really helpful tips before i start my first ever PBN. I wish i had included a frame with my purchase now though. I'm thinking i should wait and get one before starting it.

Love way you paint but have just white snow top of a mountain & few blossoms & none of my white acrylics will cover anything? It’s a Schipper & have used white before but on a canvas & has no problems? Could I use white gouache in it’s place as my white gesso is not opaque & used an artist grade titanium white & still can’t finish it?

From watching the first 5 seconds I learned i messed up my painting I did my light colors first like light blues greys off set whites and so on first then did my dark colors then did my white colors it looksreally good actually cuse i was able to blend better but if I did dark first it would look better blending wise. I'm not a artist by any means my first time ever painting on a canvas was at a painting drinking place with my gf where you have a artist tgat teaxhes you how to paint the oai ting that was planned for that night. The teaching style was just like Bob Ross tell you the color where to put eachbrush stroke how to make the flowers abd leaves and shadow in the water below and reflections and measure by saying two fingersover to the left right up or down for reference where to putcertain stuff. Mine actually looked better then the pro artists that was there I caught on very fast abd it was easy for me after about 25 mins in I got the hang of it completed the painting on my own and was done way before everyone else I just got in a weird state of mind where it was like my brain put a reflection of the whole painting on my canvass and i just painted in what my brain was seeing before i knew it i had a exactly of the origional better then the artist there. My gf who sells her art for a living brought me so i could see and try wgat she loves cuse she cabt teach very well cuse it just natural for her and hard to explain and she was speechless and excited that she helped me discover my true hidden talent painting. I'm 9 months into painting as a artist i guess and all my origional paintings of rivers abd land scape abd animals are amazing abd sold on ebay and at a art gallery most expensive one I painted sold at a live auction for 15,760 USD at a live high end art auction where my gf / newly fiancee has been selling her art at for last 4 years and my first time selling painting there i only had 4 to auction and she couldn't believe it they all sold for over 4k dollars she said and auction house said theynever seen a first time seller and new artist sell any origional for more then 800 dollars and its rare. I see my blank canvas as a complete projection of the completed painting im wanting to paint its weird its like when someobe looks through that new luci thing that uses mirrrors to project a exact image of. A object in front of you on to your paper so you can just trace and use the projection you see through the eye piece to draw what's in front of you perfectly. Look up luci drawing AID shark tank that's how I naturalky see my painting when i start a new origional piece of art that im painting