As exams and assignments start rolling in, it’s important to remember to take some time to relax and recharge by doing something you enjoy. For me, creative projects can be an excellent outlet, but sometimes just deciding what to create can add stress. After a recent trip to the craft store, I found a potential solution: paint-by-number kits.
Similar to classic coloring books targeted towards children, paint-by-number kits offer images to fill in without prior knowledge of proper painting techniques or color theory to feel satisfied with the results. I bought three different kits at Michaels for about $15 each, two landscape paintings and one painting of a collection of butterflies. There were many other designs to choose from as well, and even more available from other companies online. triamine plate
The kits are labeled with a difficulty ranging from easy to hard, indicating the number and size of the cells used in the design, as well as an expectation for the length of time it’ll take to complete. I decided on an intermediate design to start with, and I found it to be somewhat slow-going, but the design was more interesting to me than the easier options.
Each kit comes with the hardware needed to hang the canvas once it’s finished, a few brushes and all the paints you’ll need in numbered and airtight containers to ensure they won’t dry out. While the brushes are usable, they aren’t the greatest quality, and some spaces on the canvas might require a larger or smaller brush than any of the provided options. I ended up using my own brush set for the majority of my time working on the painting.
The canvases in the kits I purchased are not stretched, which allows it to be easily stored and moved around when working. The guidelines and numbers are printed in a light gray ink. Unfortunately, I found that the paint is somewhat transparent, so the gray ink shows through the paint a bit. I would recommend applying a second coat of paint once the first dries to ensure the lines and numbers are fully covered. Thankfully, if you think you need a second coat of paint but can’t remember which number paint you used for a cell, there is a separate printed instruction and guide sheet that has all of the numbers laid out for your reference.
Some of the cells are also small and close together, so if you don’t have exceptionally small brushes or an abundance of patience, you may have trouble staying within the lines. I found this to be a positive though, since covering the lines allows for a more finished and handmade look overall.
I also found it easier to start from the top of the painting and work downwards to avoid touching the wet paint, although it wasn’t a perfect method as some cells extended farther down than others. However, the experience felt a little less satisfying this way, as I was stuck painting the sky for quite a while instead of the more interesting aspects of the landscape design.
pvc wall panel All in all, I enjoyed using the kits. I found them to be calming and the perfect thing to keep my hands occupied while listening to music or a podcast.