Paint by numbers
A blank canvas turns into a finished picture even without any artistic training — you simply apply the paints to the numbered fields. Paint by numbers usually comes as a kit with a pre-printed canvas or board, acrylic paints in pots, brushes and a colour reference. The individual kits differ in motif, size and difficulty, from simple pictures for children to detailed canvases with dozens of shades. You choose them by the subject, the painter's experience and whether they are meant for relaxation, as a gift or as wall decoration.
Paint by numbers
This is a popular creative technique in which the surface of the picture is divided into small fields marked with numbers, and each number corresponds to one shade of paint. Paint by numbers gives a finished picture even without drawing skills, so beginners, children and more experienced makers all enjoy it. The individual kits differ mainly in content, motif and difficulty.
The basis is formed by complete kits — a pre-printed canvas or painting board with numbered fields, a set of acrylic paints in pots, one or more brushes and a colour reference. Some kits add a wooden frame or stretcher, hanging hooks, a protective varnish layer against the paints drying out, or a magnifier and a stand for more comfortable work.
The choice of motifs is wide as well — landscapes and the sea, flowers and still lifes, animals, portraits and figures, cities and architecture, as well as abstract and fantasy themes. Reproductions of famous paintings are also popular, along with the option of having a picture made from your own photo. The motif decides the mood of the finished work and also where it will fit.
When choosing, difficulty and format help most — the number of colour fields and the fineness of the details determine how demanding the painting will be, and it is worth matching them to your experience. Smaller formats and simpler motifs are within reach of children and beginners, while large, detailed canvases please the more demanding. It also pays to look at the surface, that is canvas or board, at the size of the picture to suit the wall and at whether a frame for hanging is included.