Paintings - coloring by numbers. How to paint pictures by numbers It is better to paint pictures by numbers


Have you bought a painting and can’t wait to start working on it? Absolutely right, there is no need to put off creativity for later. The handmade market is regularly replenished with new products, offering needlewomen more chances to realize their talents and hidden capabilities.

Craftswomen who have experience in drawing note that the choice of a picture and the technique of coloring it plays an important role in the drawing process.

Before you start coloring by numbers, learn 6 simple but important points that will help you draw a real hand-made masterpiece!

  1. Buy paint-by-number kits only in trusted specialized stores (this store has a good selection of coloring books and decent service). This will help eliminate problems with the quality of components.
  2. Do not hurry. Before coloring, test the resulting color (if using mixed paints) on a piece of paper or cardboard. Haste is a bad advisor in such a delicate matter as art. Experiment with the palette, combine colors, dilute them, invent something unique, your own.
  3. Choose your technique. Sketchy and chaotic painting will confuse you and, most likely, will not give the expected result. Therefore, read the instructions, the procedure for painting a fragment of this picture and the recommendations of the manufacturer.
  4. Drawing should be comfortable. If you are the happy owner of an easel, there is no doubt that the artistic process will be comfortable for you. But for more modest artists, it is better to clear the surface of the desk and work in a position where the painting is fixed horizontally.
  5. Be careful. Many creative people note that they work much better to the “purring” of the TV, their favorite series, or just the radio. This is true. But don't relax too much! The wrong color applied to a painting can ruin the entire process. Before using paints, make sure they match the number printed on the canvas.
  6. Patience. Sometimes work does not progress as quickly as we would like. Remember that the greats of this world have been working on paintings for years. The main thing is quality work, and not a stopwatch counting the time spent on drawing.

Drawing pictures by numbers is by no means an activity only for children. Did you know that students of Leonardo da Vinci himself used this technique? Yes Yes! The apprentices painted over fragments of Leonardo's works based on the sketches he made. Therefore, not much, not little, you are joining truly high art. Which deserves nothing but praise. Any creativity can paint the world with bright colors, and when it comes to drawing, then it’s up to you to paint everything around. And what color your today or tomorrow’s mood will be depends only on you! Pick up a brush and start painting!


Ways to color paint by number books

Coloring by numbers games are not just entertainment, but a real find for many. There is a wide selection of virtual fun on creative topics, which contain different levels of complexity, so such an activity will be interesting not only for kids, but also for adults. Since many people prefer to spend time at the computer, you can not only have a great time, but also learn how to choose the right color for each fragment of the picture. In addition, coloring pages with numbers can teach a child to understand the relationship between digital records and encodings, which develops logical thinking. And in order to paint the required area, you don’t need to draw for a long time; you just need to click on a certain area with the mouse and first select the desired color.

Every person in childhood discovers a great desire to engage in creativity. There is no such child who would not like to draw. And for this, any available means are suitable, and little people, houses and cars can even appear on the wallpaper. Color by number games can be a great alternative. They are slightly different from the usual ones in that each fragment of objects is indicated by a number that refers to a certain color. Thus, not only is it easy and fun to complete tasks, but you can also learn new things and acquire skills that will help you develop and understand art in the future.

In addition, most of these applications offer to print a picture that can be used to decorate a child’s room. Depending on the complexity of the work, the children are given a certain number of colors in the palette. The older the gamer, the more shades and smaller the details. Some games are designed so that you can even develop your mathematical skills, adding and subtracting numbers, and the correct answer will indicate the required blue, red or green.

How did it come about?

Such entertainment was invented back in the twentieth century in America. While European countries were rebuilding after the war, the United States was actively developing in the creative field. What people could do themselves became in demand, so they began to figure out exactly how they could create a masterpiece without having any special skills in this matter. Once they came up with pictures that you could draw yourself at your leisure using numbers, they sold 15 million copies in just four years. After this, Europe also paid attention to this activity, and in the 2000s it became popular in Asian countries and in Russia.

At the moment, drawing by numbers has become more relevant in computer terms. Virtual coloring can be compared to hobbies such as cross-stitching or even knitting, as it requires perseverance and effort. Developers and authors of new similar flash drives come up with more and more games every year. The assortment becomes very wide and varied, themes, sizes, complexity, and so on change. Preferences are taken into account not only by age, but also by place of residence and interests. In each application you can find not only paints, but also any virtual materials, the same as in reality. Gradually, the picture begins to come to life and turn into a real colorful drawing, which depicts your favorite cartoon characters, cars, landscapes, still lifes and much more.

Some have become accustomed to the fact that coloring has become a common meditative activity, the purpose of which is to calm. But flash drives, where the process occurs digitally, are much more interesting and more active. Before our eyes, an ordinary drawing is transformed into a bright creation.

Do you want to feel like real artists and paint their famous masterpieces? Then you need to familiarize yourself with how to paint pictures by numbers.

How to draw paintings by numbers on canvas?


Do you want to feel like real artists? Then you need to buy a painting by numbers template, but it’s easier and cheaper to download it. For beginners, it is better to color the outlines of larger objects for the first time. The following example is perfect for this.

So that you will soon see juicy strawberries with emerald leaves and white flowers, then we suggest downloading the following diagram for such a picture by number.


In the background there is a chicken, which is watching the harvest or trying to drive away the pest so that it does not eat the berries. But the snail cleverly hides in the foreground, away from the hen.

It’s not at all difficult to complete such paintings by numbers. As you can see, the palette is presented on the right, each shade is assigned a number. So:

  • one is red;
  • deuce pink;
  • 3 light green;
  • 4 green;
  • 5 dark green;
  • 6 even darker green;
  • 7 light green;
  • 8 yellow;
  • 9 light brown;
  • 10 blue;
  • 11 brown;
  • 12 dark brown.
So, to draw such masterpieces, you will need:
  • diagram of the painting with numbers and palette;
  • paints;
  • acrylic lacquer;
  • canvas or cardboard sheet;
  • brush.

At the beginning of your creativity, you can use a variety of paints: gouache, acrylic, watercolor. Even colored pencils and markers will do.

  1. Looking at the palette tips, you need to paint specific areas of the picture with a certain color. It is better to first use one shade, for example, in this picture, paint over the berries, the chicken’s comb, and its beard in red. Then shade around her eyes using pink paint.
  2. To make the strawberry leaves look as realistic as you can see, they are depicted using different shades, from light to dark green.
  3. This painting is perfect for beginners, as there are quite large elements. Sometimes there are small ones too. If it is not possible to indicate their color, then extension lines are used for this.
  4. To draw a picture by numbers, you need to download two identical copies if you will paint on one of them. Then you can look at the second one at any time to make sure that you used the right color when painting.
  5. You can download one diagram and decide whether you will draw on canvas or cardboard. Then it is necessary to transfer the outlines to some of these materials. To do this, you can use carbon paper, placing it on this surface, and the downloaded diagram on top. If the artistic detail is large, he can draw all the cells on the canvas, and only then transfer each fragment to canvas or cardboard.
  6. But the easiest way is to start with a sheet of thick paper on which you simply print the presented diagram. You can enlarge it to clearly see even small fragments.


Subsequently, you can draw pictures where several colors are used, each of them is indicated by a specific number.

To get darker or lighter shades, mix two colors at a time. So, to turn green into light green, you need to add white to it. Red will turn pink if you add a little scarlet to white.


These issues also need to be addressed when creating such masterpieces. To make the colors more saturated, wait until the first layer dries and apply the second one.

If you want to buy a painting by numbers, then pay attention to the level of difficulty, it is indicated by asterisks. The more there are, the more colors you will have to use and the higher the complexity. Usually there are from 1 to 5 stars.

What paints, brushes, finishes to choose for paintings by numbers?

About paint

Acrylic paints are an excellent option for creating such artistic masterpieces. The intermediate layer will dry in just a couple of minutes. Once you have used the paint, seal it well enough and it will keep for several months. If you are putting off starting the creative process for now, you bought paint in a can but didn’t open it, don’t worry, it can be stored in this form for several years. But keep in mind that acrylic paint, if it has dried, cannot be diluted with anything.

Therefore, after opening the container, it must be closed very well. If there is a dried layer on the lid of the jar or on its edges, remove it, and only then tightly seal the container so that the seal is not broken.

As mentioned above, it is better to first cover the fragments of the picture with paint of the same tone. This is due not only to the convenience of painting, but also to the fact that then you will not have to open a jar of paint of a certain color several times, which will significantly extend the shelf life.

About brushes

It is important to choose the right brush. If you need to paint a large area, then use a flat one. If you need to draw individual details, in this case take round brushes. To ensure that the paints are the desired shade, rinse the brush well in water after using a certain color, then blot it with a napkin. If this is not done, water may get into the already applied paint and change its tone.

It is necessary to wash the brush every 5-7 minutes if you paint with one color for more than this time.


For those who like to drink a cup of tea or coffee during a break from creating their masterpiece, the following recommendation: before you go to relax this way, rinse your brush, otherwise the paint will dry out and the painting tool may become unusable. At the end of the work, this also needs to be done, wipe off excess water, dry the brushes well, then they will last you a long time.

How to draw color by number paintings


For beginners, it is better to use cardboard, it is cheaper than canvas. It has less grain, making it easier for beginners to create their first masterpieces. It is a cheaper material than canvas. To make a picture on cardboard look complete, it needs to be framed. To do this, you can take a photo frame, which is relatively inexpensive.

A canvas requires a more expensive frame and the canvas itself costs more than cardboard, but if it is already stretched on a stretcher, then it is not in danger of deforming due to moisture, like a painting with a base on cardboard, if it is not framed. When you become more experienced in this craft, you will be able to draw on canvas and feel like a real artist.
You can choose a frame for your work based on the following tips:

  1. The frame should fit first of all to the picture itself, and secondly to the interior.
  2. For small artistic masterpieces, choose thin frames. If the canvas is medium or large in size, then wider and more voluminous frames will be very appropriate here.
  3. If you hang your work not close to the wall, leave a gap of 0.5–1 cm, then the painting with a stretcher, made on canvas, will look more voluminous.


The following recommendations will help the painting remain in great shape for a long time.
  1. If you want your finished piece to shine brightly for as long as possible, protect it from UV exposure. To do this, coat with matte acrylic varnish.
  2. If you want your painting by numbers to shine, then use a glossy varnish. But in this case, you will need to hang it correctly, since too bright lighting and a switched-on light bulb can glare on the canvas when viewing the image.
  3. To ensure that your masterpiece retains its original appearance for a long time, do not store it in a humid place or where there are temperature changes. Otherwise, the canvas tension will weaken and the stretcher may become deformed.
  4. If you bought a set for paintings by numbers, then cover your art with its packaging to protect it from mechanical influences, light, and dust.

Examples of paintings by numbers on cardboard

To paint by numbers, take:

  • a printed diagram of the painting in two copies;
  • acrylic paints;
  • tassels;
  • a jar of water;
  • napkins;
  • sheet of cardboard;
  • photo frame

  1. Print out the pattern you like on a printer; you can use the suggested colors or colors that you like best. If you prefer pink and lilac coloring, then use these colors.
  2. As you can see, a similar flower draws from the core. Traditionally it should be yellow, but in this case pink is used. It harmonizes perfectly with the lilac used to paint the petals.
  3. The veins between them, in this case they are designated by the number 8, you can make lighter or darker using the same color scheme.
  4. Lilac paint goes well with green, so the leaves of the plant will be exactly that color.
If you want to use paintings for painting by numbers so that those who come to visit you will be surprised, then take the plots of famous painters as a basis. Only you will know how you created the Mona Lisa painting, which was once painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Also, this masterpiece has a second name “La Gioconda”.


Of course, to make a masterpiece look like the original, you need to practice for a long time. There are many shades used in such art, so these paintings are quite challenging for beginners. They can be advised to use a more simplified version, for example, this one.


This Mona Lisa portrait idea uses fewer colors, so it will be easier for you to replicate such a masterpiece. If those who come to your house have a good sense of humor, then you can do work on such a topic to make them smile. In this case, you don’t need to try very hard to convey the features of Gioconda. This person will be a parody of the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci.


If you still want to draw a picture by numbers so that it is as close as possible to the original, then you need to print a thematic image with numbers arranged. Then, relying on it, gradually paint your masterpiece.


Start with the background, use sand and shades of green here. The heroine's hair is black, her robe is dark brown. The face, hands and area from the neck to décolleté are painted with flesh-colored paint. To make it, you need to take white, yellow and a little brown paint.

After it has dried, coat the work with varnish and frame it.

If you like rural landscapes, cozy houses that look like fairy tales, then for your next paint-by-numbers picture, use the proposed plot.

  1. Start with the pre-sunset sky, which is depicted here in pink tones, it itself is light, and the clouds are darker. The roof of the building is depicted in the same color scheme. Like this, gradually move from top to bottom, fill the space of the canvas with paints.
  2. To make it look like the path is illuminated by the setting sun, use light green paint. Paint its areas in the shade with green and dark green paint.
  3. The stone path also has varying degrees of illumination. Where it is lighter, use white or beige paint. The shadows on the stone path are drawn using brown, dark brown, the outline between the elements - with the addition of black paint.
  4. The bright yellow windows eloquently indicate that the lights were turned on in the house to sit in the cozy atmosphere of a fabulous evening.
  5. The positive mood of the painting is conveyed by bright flowers, to create which you will use white, blue, pink, and crimson paint. Trees are created using white and green from light to dark shades.
This is how you can create a painting by numbers.

Anyone who loves animals will probably like the next one.

  1. First paint the cat's head using a sand color. Cover part of her back, chest, and paws with the same tone. Don't forget to rinse your brush if you paint for more than 5-7 minutes.
  2. Using brown tones of various shades, decorate the cat figurine, and highlight the shirtfront, some places on the head and around the nose with white paint.
  3. The shading under the chin will be created by using black paint and adding white paint to create a dark grey.
  4. All that remains is to depict the sky in blue, the greenery in various shades of green.
This is how you can create a painting by numbers and develop your artistic abilities. After drawing a masterpiece, you will hang it in your home or give it to loved ones.

If you are interested in this type of needlework, then watch the intricacies of creating works included in the video. From the first one you will learn how to draw pictures by numbers to depict your parents or other loved ones here. The plot shows the intricacies of such work and what is required for this.

So that you also enjoy the process and result of creating a painting by numbers “Golden Autumn”, watch another video.

In 1951, Max Klein and Dan Robbinson created a universal drawing tool. Everyone, even without a hint of talent, had the opportunity to create masterpieces. Not only that, but also copy paintings by famous artists. Inspired by the practice of Leonardo da Vinci, the creators numbered the paintings by numbers so that those wishing to paint the canvas step by step.

At first, Americans fell in love with this type of hobby. Afterwards, Europeans began to massively buy painting kits for their children, give them to their loved ones, and even resell the painted paintings. A few years ago we also liked this activity. A lot of different areas of painting by numbers have appeared - landscapes, still lifes, love themes. Painting by numbers has become an indispensable and favorite hobby.

How to draw pictures by numbers

There are several types of drawing techniques. You can paint with oil or acrylic paints, which affects the appearance of the product. The basis for applying the pattern is matched to the paint - canvas or cardboard. It is also important to mix paints and colors correctly.

The most popular paints are acrylic. Once they decided to use them for painting by numbers, a problem arose. Acrylic dries quickly and must be diluted with a solvent. But diluted paint does not adhere well to the canvas. Therefore, the owners of the painting business came up with special round tubes for storing paint.

The canvas is completely white with marked and numbered outlines. Some are 2-3 cm in size, others are up to 1 cm. There are also a few millimeters. Paint-by-number pictures are carefully numbered and designed, so accurate coloring is very important. Any stroke, even a light and imperceptible one, creates the overall tone of the picture. In particular, paintings by Leonid Afremov. When I painted his picture, at first I didn’t understand why there were so many small markings on the base. Subsequently I saw that the contour creates overflows. Up close, there is no originality in his works, but if you move five meters away, it seems as if the drawing is alive. Therefore, you need to carefully color each number. They are marked on the margins and tubes, so there will be no mistakes.


Don't worry about not having enough paint. Everything is calculated and numbered, so there are enough tubes for one painting.

The value of paintings painted by numbers

The art value of such paintings is quite low. Most critics insist that paint-by-numbers painting should not be considered art. They note that this type of activity can be called a hobby or a pleasant pastime. It can be done by people who do not know how to draw and create. But it is impossible to classify paintings by numbers as artistic culture. Famous works of art are made by professionals. They express the artist's inner world. All his feelings, emotions, hopes are represented in colors. Although paintings by numbers on canvas look like real masterpieces, they still remain coloring.

The drawing is selected according to the amateur. A huge assortment allows you to choose the most suitable picture. It’s interesting that despite criticism, paintings by numbers hang even in the White House. Once upon a time, the enterprising Thomas Stephens forced White House employees to draw these pictures fraudulently. Since Stephens was the president's secretary, everyone thought this was an indirect order from the head of state. To this day, the gallery of paintings created by employees of the American government pleases the eyes of posterity.

After this incident, painting by numbers became the rage of fashion. People started buying them en masse and hanging them all over their homes. Enterprising comrades came up with instructions on which painting is suitable for each home, even advising what height to choose in order to hang the finished masterpieces.

Yes, paintings by numbers cannot be classified as real painting. Artists spend a lot of time and inspiration to create real works of art. They are admired and inspired.

On the other hand, if we classify such a hobby as a type of hobby, then why not make a living from it? The originals are expensive, and their high-quality copies are also unavailable to the average person. It is much easier to buy a canvas with paints for a few hundred rubles, spend a couple of days painting and enjoy your work. Painting by numbers on canvas looks impressive in country houses, in the living room or office. How nice it is to show others something you created with your own hands! Therefore, some amateurs begin to paint by numbers in order to show off to their friends the suddenly revealed potential of the artist.

There are many people who want to buy paintings created in this way, which allows them to earn a living by honest labor.

Why do you need paintings by numbers specifically for you?

I am sure that if you were an excellent artist, you would have been able to achieve success in your career long ago. I'm sure you liked to draw at school or color in coloring books with pencils. The opportunity to study with the best masters - artists - goes to only a few. But then you heard or saw an advertisement and wondered - what is this, paintings by numbers? How can you draw like this? There is no need for prior training, buying materials or thinking about details. Therefore, coloring pictures by numbers will replace everything that was missing before. You will be introduced to beauty. Your hands will produce a new, beautiful creation. As soon as you see the painting begin to appear on the plain, numbered canvas, your eyes will light up.

This is the same as knitting, embroidery or fishing. This is what you like and brings inner satisfaction. This is a luxurious gift and a real home decoration. And an indispensable practice for you, as a future artist.

I wish you success in your endeavors. Share with us images of paintings you have drawn. We will be glad to see your achievements!

This is a picture with a specific image, which is pre-divided into numbered zones, each of which should be painted with the paints included in the set.

By painting all the numbered zones one by one with the colors corresponding to them, you get a finished image that will look like a real masterpiece of a professional artist. After drying, the picture can be placed in a frame and decorated with any interior, or presented as a gift to friends.

Surprisingly, Leonardo Da Vinci himself used the paint-by-numbers method; his students painted numbered areas on the sketches he drew.

The Paint by Numbers kit includes:

  • water based acrylic paints
  • canvas with printed contours
  • drawing-scheme
  • brushes depending on the size of the painting (3-4 pcs.)

1. Before you start coloring pictures by numbers, choose a comfortable and well-lit place to work.

2. In addition to the coloring set, prepare:

  • glass of water - for washing brushes
  • sponge or cloth - for wiping excess paint from the brush and hands
  • toothpicks - for stirring paints (if this is intended)
  • saucer or plate - container for mixing colors

3. Depending on the manufacturer, the paint jars may either already be numbered, or the kit contains a set of stickers for the lids of the paint jars, which should be applied to them before painting. If the set includes 2 jars of the same color, then you can use a permanent marker or pen to mark the second jar; for convenience, you can duplicate the numbers on the side of the jars.

4. Before starting work, prepare paints for painting.

5. Open cans of paint carefully, without using force, otherwise you may damage it, break it, or spill some of the paint.

6. After opening the jar, a small amount of paint may remain on the inside of the lid, which should be removed back into the jar with a brush. After this, thoroughly stir the paint with a toothpick.

7. Before you start painting, you need to adjust the viscosity of the paints. If the paint is too thick, it must be thinned with water by adding water using a brush. There is no need to try to make the paints too liquid, otherwise they will become too transparent and will not be able to paint over the outline on the coloring page.

8. Work with the brush correctly! The brush should be held like a pen. And the picture must be positioned so that it is convenient to color it.

9. Try to dip only the tip of the brush into the paint, and not the entire brush.

10. Be patient! Paint with the tip of the brush without bevelling it to paint the area faster. Do not press the brush too hard, use gentle pressure to glide it easily across the canvas.

11. The sets, as a rule, come with brushes with a small base diameter for easy painting of small areas of the picture. Painting large areas with a small brush is not always convenient, so if you have larger diameter brushes, you can use them.

12. Rinse your brush thoroughly before you are ready to take a different color so that the paints in the jars do not mix, because even the smallest drop of dark paint will turn a light color into a completely different shade. If you accidentally stain light paint, carefully remove the dark shade from the surface of the paint using a cotton swab.

13. Do not try to put a lot of paint on the brush; it is better to dip the brush into the paint a little at a time and more often than to drop a drop of paint on the drawing, thereby ruining it. If you do accidentally drop paint on your drawing, you can carefully wash off the drop with water, removing the excess with a dry sponge.

14. After drying, the picture will acquire a slight gloss. In order to “extend the life” of your creation, you can optionally coat it with varnish, which can be purchased at any art store. You can choose 2 types of varnish: glossy - will enhance the brightness of colors, or matte - will remove glare.

15. To preserve the effect of the painting, you should not place it under glass, just frame it. Do not forget that you need to look at the picture and evaluate it from a distance of about 2-3 meters.

If you think that only artists can draw, then you are mistaken. Holding a brush in your hands and moving it over the host is very popular even for those who do not know all the intricacies of this art. Using paint-by-numbers kits, even schoolchildren can become real artists.

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