How to Paint by Numbers: A Complete Beginner's Guide

Last updated: 25 September 2026 · Written by Marcus Richardson, founder of Paint A Moment

What is paint by numbers?

Paint by numbers is a pre-printed canvas divided into small outlined sections, each marked with a number. Every number matches a pot of pre-mixed acrylic paint. You fill each section with its matching colour, and as you go the separate patches blend into a finished painting. No drawing or colour-mixing skill is needed.

It is one of the most forgiving ways into painting, which is exactly why it has stayed popular since it first took off in the 1950s. The canvas does the hard part (the composition and the drawing) so you get to enjoy the calming, satisfying part: laying down colour and watching an image appear.

Who invented paint by numbers?

Paint by numbers was invented in the late 1940s by Dan Robbins, a commercial artist working for the Palmer Paint Company. His boss, Max Klein, had asked him for a children's product. Robbins remembered hearing that Leonardo da Vinci gave his apprentices numbered patterns to work from, and built a painting kit around the same idea.

Palmer Paint began selling the kits under the Craft Master name in 1951, and by 1954 it had sold more than 12 million of them, a figure recorded by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History when it exhibited the kits in 2001. Robbins himself did not call it art. "I never claim that painting by number is art," he said. "But it is the experience of art, and it brings that experience to the individual who would normally not pick up a brush, not dip it in paint." (Source: Smithsonian Magazine.)

Seventy-five years on, a kit still works the way he designed it: printed outlines, numbered sections, paint already mixed. Robbins drew the first few dozen designs himself. Today you can have a canvas made from a photograph of your own.

What comes in a paint by numbers kit?

A standard kit gives you everything you need to start straight away. There is nothing extra to buy. A typical Paint A Moment kit includes:

• A pre-printed canvas with numbered outline sections
• A set of numbered, pre-mixed acrylic paint pots
• Two or three brushes, usually a fine, medium and broad tip
• A printed reference image and colour key
• Hanging hardware or a frame, depending on the option you choose

That is the whole appeal: you open the box and you can paint. If you want to see what a real set looks like, every kit in our best sellers collection comes with the full set above.

How to paint by numbers, step by step

The short version: work top to bottom, do all of one colour at a time, and let each section dry before painting next to it. Here is the full process for your first kit.

1. Set up a calm, well-lit space. Daylight or a bright lamp makes the small numbers far easier to read. Lay down some newspaper and keep a jar of water and a cloth nearby.
2. Lay the canvas flat and check it. If it has been rolled, it may have gentle creases. Lay it under a few heavy books for an hour first, or tension it onto the frame if your kit includes one.
3. Match your paints to the key. Line the pots up in number order so you are not hunting for them mid-flow.
4. Start at the top of the canvas. Working top to bottom keeps your hand and sleeve off wet paint. Within that, going from the pale colours to the dark ones makes stray marks easier to tidy up.
5. Paint all of one number before moving on. Find every section marked "1", paint them all, rinse the brush, then move to "2". This is faster and keeps colours clean.
6. Use thin coats. Two thin coats cover the printed numbers far better than one thick, streaky one. Let the first dry, then go again if a number still shows through.
7. Switch brush sizes to match the section. Fine brush for the tiny gaps, broader brush for open areas like skies and backgrounds.
8. Finish, dry, and tidy the edges. Once dry, touch up any thin spots and clean up the lines between colours. Then step back and enjoy it.

Should you paint light or dark first?

Work from light to dark if you want your mistakes to be easy to fix. Dark acrylic is more opaque than pale acrylic, so a dark colour covers a stray light mark in a single coat, while a pale colour going over a stray dark line usually needs two or three. Painting the pale sections first means the darker colours beside them tidy your edges as you go.

It is not a rule, and plenty of painters do the darkest colour first so they can judge the mid-tones against it. Either order finishes the same canvas. The two habits that make a bigger difference are working top to bottom and finishing every section of one number before you start the next. If a printed number still reads through a coat that has dried, our guide to covering the numbers on a paint by numbers canvas goes through the fix properly.

How long does a paint by numbers take?

Most beginners finish a standard kit over a few relaxed sittings rather than in one go, and that is the point. As a rough guide, expect the following based on canvas size and difficulty.

There is no rush. Many people treat a kit as a wind-down ritual, half an hour an evening, and that is often when it does the most good.

Beginner mistakes worth avoiding (from thousands of kits)

Since our early days creating custom kits for customers on Etsy, we have packed and shipped thousands of paintings and heard back from just as many first-time painters. The same few stumbling points come up again and again, and all of them are easy to sidestep:

• Loading too much paint on the brush. It pools, dries unevenly, and hides detail. Less paint, more coats.
• Skipping drying time between neighbouring sections. Wet edges smudge into each other. Give it a few minutes.
• Leaving paint pots open. Acrylic dries fast. Close each pot the moment you finish with it so it is still usable next time. (If one does dry out, a drop of water and a stir often revives it.)
• Painting under warm, dim light. It makes similar numbers hard to tell apart. Good light prevents most "wrong colour" mistakes.
• Choosing a kit that is too detailed for a first try. A complex portrait can feel like a slog. Our guide to how hard paint by numbers is compares the three detail levels, so you can start a little easier and build up.

Which paint by numbers kit should a beginner choose?

For your first kit, pick a beginner-level design with larger sections and a subject you genuinely like looking at, because you will be spending happy hours with it. Bold, simple compositions are far more enjoyable to start with than fiddly, high-detail scenes.

If you are not sure, our easy paint by number kits are designed specifically for first-timers, with larger numbered areas and clear colours. Already painted a few and want more of a challenge? Our advanced paint by number kits add finer detail and richer shading for experienced painters. Drawn to a particular subject? Browse our animals and landscapes collections. And if you want to paint something personal, like a pet, a place, or a moment that matters to you, you can turn your own photo into a kit with a custom paint by numbers kit.

What do you do with it when it is finished?

Once your painting is dry, you can seal it with a thin coat of acrylic varnish to protect the colours, then frame it or hang it straight from the canvas. A finished kit is not just a craft project: it is something you made, and a lovely thing to keep or give. That is the whole idea behind Paint A Moment, turning quiet hours into something you get to keep.

Frequently asked questions

Is paint by numbers good for complete beginners?

Yes. Paint by numbers is one of the best entry points to painting because the canvas handles the drawing and the colours are pre-mixed. You only need to fill in numbered sections, so no prior art experience is required at all.

What kind of paint do paint by numbers kits use?

Almost all modern kits, including ours, use acrylic paint. Acrylics are water-based, quick-drying, low-odour, and clean up with water, which makes them ideal for beginners and safe to use at the kitchen table.

Do I need to seal my finished paint by numbers?

Sealing is optional but recommended. A thin coat of acrylic varnish protects the surface from dust and fading and gives an even finish. You can choose a matte varnish for a soft look or gloss for richer, brighter colours.

Can I do paint by numbers from my own photo?

Yes. A custom kit converts your own photograph into a numbered canvas with matching paints, so you can paint a pet, a person, a place, or any moment that means something to you. It is our most personal and most gifted product.

What if I paint outside the lines or make a mistake?

It is easily fixed. Let the area dry, then paint over the mistake with the correct colour. Acrylic is opaque enough to cover small errors completely, which is part of why paint by numbers is so forgiving.

Ready to start your first painting? Browse our beginner-friendly kits and pick a moment to paint.

Written by Marcus, founder of Paint A Moment. Paint A Moment grew out of MegaPaws, our previous Etsy brand, where we created thousands of custom pet paintings for customers. We believe a finished kit should be a keepsake, not just a craft.