How to Do “Paint by Numbers”: Easy Oil Painting Just by Coloring!

You might think oil painting is too difficult to get into, even if you have a bit of artistic talent. But have you heard of “Number Paint” (commonly known as Paint by Numbers)? By simply painting the numbered areas with their corresponding paint colors, you can easily create an incredibly high-quality oil painting! It’s basically the oil painting version of an adult coloring book.

It comes as a complete, authentic kit. Real oil painting supplies can be quite expensive, but these kits are super affordable…!

I highly recommend this for people who love to draw and paint, as well as those who just want some beautiful art to decorate their home. Today, I’ll introduce this project to you along with a time-lapse video of my actual painting process!

Enjoy Authentic Oil Painting Just by Coloring Numbers

Where Can You Buy Paint by Numbers?

You can buy these painting kits on Amazon or Rakuten.

If you just search for “Paint by Numbers,” you’ll often get a lot of “frameless” options. I recommend searching for something like “Oil Painting Number Kit with Frame” to find the perfect set!

What’s in the Kit?

Here is the one I’ll be trying out today!

It arrives in a surprisingly compact package, making you wonder, “Wait, is there really a canvas in here?” But don’t worry!

Inside, you’ll find instructions, a wooden frame, brushes, paint, the canvas with the numbered line art, a backup reference copy, and a picture of the finished design.

By the way, I keep calling it an “oil painting,” but the paints included are most likely acrylics! (lol)

It might be a little hard to see, but the canvas is filled with very detailed line art and numbers. All you have to do is apply the matching paint color to the numbered areas. It’s designed so even absolute beginners can easily paint a masterpiece.

It feels so much like a coloring book that even kids could probably do it! It also makes a fantastic gift for anyone who loves hands-on crafts.

…Or so I thought, but the “painting” part is surprisingly tough!

Let’s Start Painting!

I took a time-lapse video for my YouTube channel, Kogatei Channel, so you can see what the painting process looks like!

The process itself is simple, but the sections are so tiny that even with the thinnest brush, my hand was shaking… (lol)

As I mentioned in the video, it took me about 3 days (roughly 8 hours) to finish. If you were being extremely careful, it would probably take even longer.

Oh, and don’t forget to iron the canvas on a low setting to remove the wrinkles before you start painting!!

Even though I ironed it, you can still see some fold creases like this…
It’s a bit disappointing to have a beautifully finished painting with visible wrinkles, so I highly recommend being very thorough when ironing it out at the start!

The Hardest Part is the Frame!!

I also mentioned this in the video, but the absolute hardest part is… attaching the wooden frame!!

If you don’t do this, you can’t hang it on the wall, and it loses 50% of its visual appeal. So you definitely want to put in the effort to frame it, but the wood of the frame is incredibly hard…

The instructions say, “You can push the pins in by hand,” but even the fingers of my muscle-brained gorilla of a husband couldn’t do it! The tips of the pins just end up bending. Save yourself the trouble and have a hammer ready from the start! (lol)

If this framing process sounds like a nightmare to you, another option is to buy a “frameless” kit and simply put the finished canvas into a store-bought picture frame.

Tips for a Beautiful Finish

There are a few tricks to paint your Paint by Numbers beautifully:

• Apply the paint thickly without watering it down too much (the paint spreads surprisingly well).
• Don’t worry if you paint outside the lines a bit (you can always layer the correct color over it later).
• Use the right brush: Just because a brush is small doesn’t mean it paints thin lines. It’s easier to use a fine-tipped brush for thin lines, and a small flat brush for tiny areas.

If you already do oil painting, these are probably obvious, but I only realized them while doing it! 💦 Keep these tips in mind, and you can create a beautiful painting even on your first try!

The finished painting is practically a work of art (lol).

Display It in Your Entryway for Good Luck!!

You can use it to decorate your home or office, and it makes the ultimate gift for crafty friends!

If you love hands-on projects, why not give it a try?

＼＼ Check out my other Coloring Book series articles here!／／