It’s been a year since the beginning of quarantine, and since then, a lot has happened. While the world is on its way back to some degree of normalcy, some people are still choosing to stay inside, which is a good idea until everyone is able to get vaccinated.
Without a doubt, the quarantine period has unlocked skills like baking, crafts, choreographing TikTok dances, and learning new art forms. Painting was the biggest craze, and this could be done with the use of digital art or through more traditional methods using acrylic and watercolor paint.
However, not everyone is blessed with natural art skills, and that’s okay. If you want to get into the painting trend without learning art theory, you might want to start with a Paint by Numbers Kit.
A Brief History of Paint-By-Number Kits:
Dan Robbins, a Detroit-based artist was given orders by his boss Max Klein to produce a product that would promote the company’s paint materials. When asked how Robbins came up with the idea of Paint by Numbers Kits, he claims that he draws inspiration from Leonardo Da Vinci whose teaching system used numbered sections on the canvas to indicate what his students needed to fill in to complete the painting.
With that idea, Robbins produced the first Paint by Number Kits after the war. He was able to do these concepts by first painting on a canvas and placing a plastic sheet on top. Once Robbins was satisfied with the template, he produced his first kits.
They were released to the masses, and people enjoyed these kits as they had more time for leisurely activities. But still to new people they will always ask "how to do paint by numbers?". We'll get more to that point!
Now that we know the brief history of Paint by Number Kits, here are some benefits you get when you start on them.
Benefits of Paint-By-Numbers Kits:
While there are more benefits, these are the ones we want to focus on because this is a guide on how to start on it. These are only one of the benefits on Paint by Numbers.
Comprehensive Guide on Paint-By-Numbers Kits:
There are six steps to starting your Paint by Numbers Kits and while you can forego paint primer because you are using acrylic paint, some people like to use transparent gesso to prep their canvas for painting. Here we'll learn more on how to do Paint by Numbers. To start off, let’s go about prepping your workspace.
Choosing A Work Area:
One important factor when it comes to painting is that you have adequate lighting and a comfortable setting. Lighting is essential in the outcome of your painting, which is why you should choose a working area that has an appropriate amount of lighting, or you have a light source that you can use. Natural lighting works best for most paintings, but you can benefit from using a lamp with warm tones as the yellow tones of the lamp will not strain your eyes.
Another factor to consider when choosing a workspace is if you will have a comfortable place to sit. Being comfortable while you work will allow you to focus on your work, and give you a good amount of time to de-stress.
Having a comfortable chair with a nice desk to work on will make it easier for you to work on your kit, but make sure that the desk you use isn’t too short and that you won’t strain your back to see the kit while you work.
When you have found a work area that is comfortable and has an adequate amount of lighting, you can now move on to preparing the materials you need to start on your paint by numbers kit.
These three items are necessary for prepping your canvas before you start painting. The water will be used to activate the paint, and you can also use this to dilute a color if you want it to be more muted. The tissue paper is necessary for cleaning your brush when you wish to change colors, and the tape is for keeping your canvas taut while you work on completing the final picture.
When you have these materials ready, you can move on to the next step, which is priming your canvas. However, this step is optional as the colors that come with your kit are capable of producing bright pigments. Although, we understand that some people want to embrace their creative liberties.
Using Gesso:
Gesso is an excellent paint primer that most artists use to prep their canvas, While this is helpful if you want the colors to come out, paint-by-number kits don’t need too much priming, so this is not an essential step if you want to follow a kit step-by-step.
But if you want to go through with Gesso make sure to use Clear Gesso for your paintings. You need to apply the gesso before painting so the colors stick out more.
Once you have prepped your canvas, it’s time to start painting. Here are helpful tips to make sure that you get the best experience from your paint-by-number kits.
Helpful Tips:
- Start painting the larger details, and then move into the smaller portions of the painting.
- Paint with dark colors first before the lighter ones-- this reduces the chances of you accidentally mixing dark colors in sections that are meant to be light.
- Work in sections and allow these sections to dry before you move on so that your hand doesn’t smudge the finished parts.
Try Custom Paint by Numbers
Being in quarantine doesn’t have to be difficult, and painting with a kit may be the thing you need to take up time. There's so much patterns to choose from in Paint by Numbers Kits. And thanks to technology, you can even turn your favorite photos into one! Here in MiiCreative, we make things possible with our Custom Paint by Numbers Kits. Just choose your photo and we'll do the rest.
Now that you know how to do Paint by Numbers. What's stopping you from painting anything you want? Try it out and you might just get hooked.
