Last updated: · Written by Marcus Richardson, founder of Paint A Moment
In short
Numbers show through because the printed ink is darker than the paint going over it. Here is how to cover the numbers in paint by numbers: use two or three thin coats of the correct colour rather than one thick one, let each coat dry fully before the next, and expect pale yellows and reds to need the extra layer.
Why do the numbers show through the paint?
The numbers and the outlines are printed in ink that is darker than most of the colours going over them. One coat of acrylic, brushed out thin enough to lie flat, is often just translucent enough to let that ink read through. That is normal, and on most sections a second coat is the whole fix.
Two other things make it worse. The first is the colour itself, because some pigments are simply more see-through than others whatever brand you buy. The second is timing. Acrylic looks lighter and patchier while it is wet, so a coat that seems to have failed the moment you put it down has usually covered fine twenty minutes later. Judge it dry, not wet.
Which colours let the numbers show through most?
Paint makers rate every colour they sell for opacity. Winsor and Newton publish the rating for each colour in their Galeria acrylic range on a scale from transparent to opaque, and the pattern holds across brands: Crimson is rated transparent, Lemon Yellow semi-transparent, Titanium White opaque. Nothing about a paint by numbers kit changes that chemistry. It is why the numbers vanish across most of a painting and then refuse to go on the one pale patch of sky.
| Colour in your kit | How it usually behaves | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Whites, creams, greys, blacks | Strong coverage, often opaque | One careful coat is frequently enough |
| Yellows and oranges | Often semi-transparent, especially the pale ones | Two or three coats, dried between each |
| Reds, crimsons, pinks | The most likely to let a number read through | Build slowly, and spot the number itself last |
| Blues and greens | Mid-tones cover well, deep clear ones less so | Second coat only where you can still see ink |
| Browns, ochres, earth tones | Usually cover in one pass | Do not over-work them |
How to cover the numbers in paint by numbers, step by step
- Load less paint than feels right. Enough to flow off the brush, not enough to pool. A thick blob dries with a ridge and still lets the ink read at the edges where it thins out.
- Paint the number first, then work out to the edges. Most people do the opposite and arrive at the number with the least paint left on the brush.
- Stop and let it dry. Fifteen to twenty minutes in a warm room is usually enough to judge it. Acrylic dries slightly darker than it looks wet.
- Add the second coat the same way. Same thin consistency, brushed across the direction of the first coat so the two layers fill each other's gaps.
- Spot anything left with the fine brush. Touch the number alone rather than repainting the whole section, which only builds texture.
- Check it at arm's length, in daylight. A number you can find with your nose against the canvas will not be visible once it is on a wall.
Some colours will surprise you by needing nothing at all. One customer, Melissa, wrote after her kit arrived: "The paints were very high quality and had great coverage with one coat." That is common on mid-tones and rare on pale ones, which is the whole point of the table above.
Should you use a white base coat or a white pen first?
It works, and it has a cost nobody mentions. White underneath lightens whatever goes on top of it. If you prime one region and not the two next to it that share the same colour, that area will dry a shade paler than its neighbours and the shading across the section will look patchy. So if you do it, do it to every region that carries that number, and keep the white layer thin enough to be a veil rather than a coat.
White gel pens and paint pens are the quicker version of the same idea. They cover a printed number well, though some inks sit waxy on the canvas and make the acrylic crawl away from the mark. Test one on the blank margin of the canvas before you use it on the picture.
For most kits neither is necessary. Two thin coats of the actual colour is both simpler and truer to the design.
Why is the number always in the middle of the shape?
We built a prototype of our own paint by numbers template generator earlier this year, so this answer comes from the code. Each number is placed at what geometry calls the pole of inaccessibility: the point inside a shape that sits furthest from any of its edges. On a long thin sliver that lands in the centre of the widest part, on a round shape it lands dead in the middle. The outlines are drawn at twice the final print resolution so they come out as hairlines rather than borders.
That placement explains the coverage problem. The number sits exactly where the paint is thinnest and most worked over if you fill a shape from the outside in, because it is the last spot you reach. Reversing the order, number first and edges after, fixes more coverage complaints than any pen or primer does.
What if the numbers still show after three coats?
First, check you are not over-thinning. Dipping the brush in the rinse water between sections carries enough water into the next pot to weaken the paint noticeably by the end of an evening. Dry the brush on a cloth before it goes back in.
Second, check whether what you can see is the number or the outline. An outline between two similar tones often stays faintly visible and is meant to. It reads as a pencil line from a metre away and disappears entirely once the painting is sealed.
Third, mix a small amount of the kit's white into the colour for the final pass. That lifts the opacity, and it also shifts the shade slightly, so commit to it across every region of that colour rather than one patch.
If a line still catches the light when the paint is fully dry, a coat of varnish evens out the surface and takes most of it away. There is a full walkthrough in our guide to sealing a finished paint by numbers.
What if a number is printed wrong?
Occasionally it is not a coverage problem at all and a number has printed badly or in the wrong place. It is rare, and it is fixable. Stacey left this after we sorted hers: "Really good product, turned out fab, slight issue with 2 parts of it misprinted numbers but the seller was so helpful and it was resolved straight away".
Send us a photograph of the section before you paint over it and we will work out which colour belongs there. Every kit is covered by our 30-day happiness guarantee, and where something is genuinely wrong with a canvas we put it right, starting with a replacement.
Frequently asked questions
Will the numbers disappear completely?
On almost every section, yes, once two thin coats are dry. Very pale colours over a dark printed number are the exception and may need a third pass or a touch of white mixed in.
Can you paint white over the numbers before you start?
You can, but white underneath lightens the colour that goes on top. Do it across every region that shares that colour, or not at all, otherwise the shading goes uneven.
Why do the numbers show through more on light colours?
Pale pigments are physically less opaque than dark ones. Paint manufacturers publish this as an opacity rating, and the pale yellows, pinks and clear reds sit at the transparent end of it.
Do the outlines need covering as well?
Not deliberately. They are printed as hairlines and are covered by the normal painting. A faint line between two close tones is normal and stops being visible at viewing distance.
Where to start if you have not bought a kit yet
Coverage is much easier on a design with larger, simpler shapes, which is most of what sits in our beginner kits. If you are weighing up how fiddly a design will be before you order, our guide to how hard paint by numbers really is breaks down what changes between 24, 36 and 48 colours. New to the craft altogether, start with the complete beginner's guide. For a painting of somebody you love rather than a stock scene, a custom kit from your own photo is made the same way, with the same printed numbers and the same fix. Our best sellers are a reasonable place to browse if you would rather be shown than choose.
If your canvas arrived rolled and has kept a crease, flatten it before you start rather than after, because paint over a wrinkle sets the wrinkle in. That is covered in our guide to getting wrinkles out of a canvas.
Written by Marcus, founder of Paint A Moment. Paint A Moment grew out of MegaPaws, the pet portrait business Sarah and I ran on Etsy, where we produced thousands of custom paintings and heard every version of the question above. Our kits are made and dispatched in the UK.
