Are you looking for a sensational activity to be indulged in with your better half?
How about paint by numbers?
There is nothing more therapeutic and interactive than making art, and it gets better with someone you celebrate.
Order yourself a custom paint by number kit now and fill beautiful colours in your relationship.
But before that, we have these top 10 paint by number tips and tricks that are going to make your painting experience even better!
These tips below will help you get the ultimate result with a well-painted picture.
This way, your painting could turn into a personalised gift as a memorial of an amazing day spent together.
1. Keep Your Canvas Sturdy
When you are painting by numbers, you need to have a strong surface because the chances of spillage are incredibly high.
Also, with a fine texture, you will be able to focus more on the numbers, and you won't go out of lines and numbers.
We suggest having a frame or foam board with your canvas set; it will allow you to mount your canvas before starting with the paint.
Keeping your canvas straight will help you concentrate on a more hearty adventure.
Also, using a foam board will allow you to paint in any location you desire, want to go on a painting picnic outside, or maybe painting with some songs on in your room?
Foam board will help you place your canvas anywhere according to your liking.
On the other hand, a frame with your canvas or paint sheet will help you keep it tight and in place.
This is very important because you can't afford any lines on your sheet, as it will affect all the markings in between.
2. A Clean Area Will help You Focus
Sure, paint dates are quite messy and fun, and it's good to get polluted with art every once in a while; it's quite restorative too.
But having a mess before you even start can tire you and your partner very quickly.
Whenever planning on having a paint date, make sure you tidy up the place you plan to keep the canvas on.
We would suggest you use an old newspaper to cover up the floor and nearby areas, so the splashes from the paint don't get your furniture or area dirty.
Won't you want your day to turn into a paint cleaning day, right?
3. Tidy Brushes Are Not an Option
If you are getting yourself a custom paint by number kit, then it probably comes with a set of brushes, too, but there is no harm in adding some of your own.
If you have old brushes and you forgot to tidy them out, and now the paint is stuck onto the brush hair, then don't worry; you can still make use of them.
Clean the old brushes out by using nail or paint remover and then keep them in water for a while.
Before you start with your painting, be sure to keep a water bowl along with a wet towel with you.
This will help you clean your brush when changing colours, and a towel will aid you to dry off the water off the brush.
A wet towel can be of use when you want a lighter shade of the same colour, just wipe off the excess paint rather than dipping the brush in water.
A pro tip for beginners: when you get new brushes from your kit, keep them in water for an hour or two; this will allow the brush hair to open up for a better stroke.
4. Use a Variety of Brushes
There is nothing such as too many brushes; you can always use your own along with your kit.
Having a good variety of brushes will help you paint generously.
The best thing about working with a variety of brushes is that you have brushes available in every size.
Brush Sizing is very important in painting, especially when you are painting by numbers, because there are very thin lines and details in between that you can't miss.
Having several brushes will help you come up with a more finished result.
You will be able to colour in between narrow lines with thin ones and cover the large spaces with thick ones.
Detailing will be much easier and more fun than hectic and time-consuming and you will be interested in working with shades once you have plenty of brushes.
Also, a variety of brushes means different textures in the brush hair.
You can get different textured and shape of brush hair in your local art store, they all have a different kind of strokes, and they all paint differently.
Get brushes according to your picture to make it framable.
5. Don’t Hesitate to Use Clear Gesso
If you are a beginner or working with your partner, the level of concentration won't be the same as an expert.
Keep in mind that acrylics can be hectic to work with, especially on a slippery surface.
We would suggest you stiffen up your canvas with translucent gesso.
Clear gesso gives roughness to the surface
It allows the surface to have a matte finish, not only that, your acrylic paint sticks better to the surface with gesso.
Using clear gesso is also better because it doesn't hide the numbers and lines and doesn't cause inference between your painting.
Clear gesso also gives a matte finish to your result overall.
This gives off a very professional look to your painting.
If you are having an issue with buying clear gesso, then don't break a sweat.
You can make clear gesso at home along with your partner.
6. Cover the Numbers
Most of the time, when you end up painting a beautiful piece with perfect colours, the result is still not something you can give as a personalised gift.
This is most of the time due to the numbers still showing through the paint.
You can make this go away in a jiffy by using a white paint marker.
A white paint marker will completely cover the numbers or lines on the canvas but make sure you use the white paint marker before you start to paint on the numbers.
This is because you won’t be able to use the marker on your finished result or wet paint.
Make sure you choose your paint and the shade wisely.
Once you are done with choosing the shade for the specific number, cover it with a marker and paint that bad boy up.
We would suggest you get at least two paint markers when working with your mate as there are several markings on the canvas.
In case you run out of paint marker, white paint can also work as an exceptional cover for the markings, but it could cause your paint to run.
So, it's better to plan out and get your supplies beforehand.
Using a white paint marker will also make your painting look, expert-level like you painted the thing on your own! Perfect for a personalized gift.
7. Flow Improver Along with Water is a Must-Have!
When you buy a custom paint by number kit, the kind of paint you are most likely to get is acrylic paints.
For sure, acrylic paints are an amazing choice when it comes to painting on a canvas, but they dry out very easily, in a matter of minutes and hours.
Make sure to keep an eye out on your paint; the best way to keep your paint fresh and work with new shades is to take the paint out on a painted board.
Apart from that, don't hesitate to use just two to three drops of water in your paint before starting to paint.
This will not only improve the paint quality, but it will also make the paint look more finished and shiny.
If your paint is starting to get extremely hard and tough to work with, then just a single drop of flow improver will work its magic.
It’s not important to use a flow improver but using one will make your task easier and less hectic.
Make sure not to overuse, or else your paint will start to flow, and that will ruin your canvas entirely.
8. Have Fun, and Make Mistakes!
Painting is supposed to be fun, no matter what level you are doing it on.
Don’t be stressed out if you make any kind of mistake in choosing the right paint for a specific area or something similar.
Be patient and let that area dry out completely.
Yes, let it dry out, don't ever wipe your canvas with a wet cloth or brush, this will not only smudge your paint all over the place.
But it will also damage your canvas; after all, it's just paper, a wet cloth will wear it out completely.
Once your paint is dried out, repaint it with the right colour if the initial colour is lighter; if the background colour is still showing, then try a thicker layer.
If the initial colour is, however, darker, then paint white over it, or you always have the option to use a paint marker over it and then colour your shade.
Whatever you paint correct, make sure you are not overdoing it.
Overdoing anything, like using a lot of paint on a specific part of your paint canvas will spoil the space completely and make it look like spit-up.
Painting is supposed to be fun and relaxing
If you make a mistake, then no need to stress yourself out; there is always a solution because it's a flexible hobby.
9. Keep Your Instructions and Camera Close
This is very common when it comes to numbers to the number painting; it's easy to get lost in numbers and lines once you start painting.
If you have a miniature instruction paper with your kit, then it's well and good, but
If you don't have one or if it's hard to read, then it's better to take some pictures of your canvas before you start.
This is helpful because if you get lost in painting at any point, you will have the option of going back to your instruction picture and starting over.
The best tip to stay with the instructions is to start from the top and not to rush.
When you start from the top, the picture will start to form; this way, it will be easier for you to paint efficiently with little help from the instructions.
Don't rush out, yes, it's a paint date, but you don't have to finish on the same day.
You can designate certain chunks for the next day, too, to make it more fun and easier for you to handle.
10. Practice Blurring Shades in Between
When you are working with painting with numbers, the worst issue that we have heard from most clients is that the painting looks sharp and blocky rather than smooth and natural.
This is because you are painting along the lines, which can't be ignored; the best solution to this is blurring the shades on the line; this way, the painting will look more aesthetic and natural than a child’s colouring book.
But, we will suggest you practice blurring on a piece of paper before you try it out on your canvas.
It will take a few tries before you get ahold of it but trust us, and you won't regret learning it.
Finally...
Painting is probably the best activity that you could choose for a date day, especially in between the current situation of Covid, where going out is dangerous rather than fun.
So relax with your loved one, take a day off everything and chill out by paint by numbers.
