Paint by Numbers For Adults – Instructions and Designs

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Painting by numbers for adults is becoming more and more popular. In our modern times of stress and hectic lifestyles, painting offers a calming and fulfilling balance. However, not everyone is a born artist and has the time and desire to invest a significant amount of time. Painting by numbers is a fun place to start, and it enables beginners and even those rather artistically untalented people to create their own works of art without previous knowledge. This article will show you how the principle works, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and we will reveal the most beautiful and popular designs.

History of Painting by Numbers

A little more than 45 years ago Jürgen Schipper saw a Walt Disney painting system in a toy store in New York. It was the theme of the Last Supper. This fascinated Schipper immediately.

Schipper was the son of a toy manufacturer and therefore had the opportunity to develop this idea further. He hired draughtsmen to create new designs and put together oil paint sets for new artworks. But in Europe, his idea was met with little interest. He had to do a great deal of persuasion first before the first department stores included his painting sets in their range. Particularly in food discount stores, he celebrated his first successes with small paintings for children.

Something then surprised many: suddenly adults appeared in toy shops and looked for painting kits for themselves. Painting by numbers that is. Thus began the triumphal procession of Schipper and his images with numbered areas for painting. Other manufacturers also offered Schipper’s own number painting pictures in their offering, and a separate branch for these manufacturers was established.

What is Painting by Numbers?

But what is painting by numbers? With painting by numbers, you buy an appropriate set which consists of a canvas, brushes, and paints. So you get exactly the right material for the corresponding painting and don’t have to worry about it in advance. The outlines of the design are printed on the canvas.

Within this outline, different colored areas are pre-printed. Each of these colored areas carries a number that corresponds to a color tone. This means that all fields with the number “3” are painted with the hue light green. In the beginning, the mixture of these fields can be quite confusing. However, the more fields that are carefully painted, the more the work of art can be figured out.

© by antiksu – stock.adobe.com

Accordingly, the success curve is quite steep. Because little by little, details of the design or scenery become visible. And this is tremendously motivating and is what makes the whole thing so appealing. There are different levels of difficulty, from very simple designs for children to complex sceneries and fabulous, detailed paintings for adults.

Paint by Number Kits For Adults

“Real artists” may turn their nose up at this idea, but adult paint by numbers has nevertheless developed rapidly and has found many fans. A noticeable trend towards creative balance is also visible among adults in particular.

The followers of adult paint by number kits do not see themselves as artists. Instead, it is more of a fun activity to relieve the stresses of everyday life and to introduce a feel-good moment through creating something by hand. This handcrafting is something that many people long for. This is because at the end of a regular day, depending on your job, people have nothing visible to take away.

And here too, the method is the goal. Depending on the degree of difficulty and the size, the completion of a painting can take up to 35 hours.

The best thing, however, is the prerequisites you need to have for painting such an artwork. Apart from patience and the necessary will, you do not need any artistic talent at all. Over time you will even improve your painting skills and learn how to use a brush and paint. Who knows if this might not even be the start of your artistic career?

In the end, you will have a colorful work of art. You have painted this yourself and which will certainly become an ornament for your living room.

How to do Adult Paint by Numbers

© Irina – stock.adobe.com (Title image)

1. Preparation

You can basically do painting by numbers anywhere. The dining table is a good example. But you should cover it with plastic foil, in case you mess some paint.

Remove all materials from the package. Place the painting template or canvas in the middle in front of you and place the paints around it. Ideally numbered from left to right. So color 1 on the far left, then color 2, and so on. This will help you later when you paint the individual numbered fields. You can now open the paints.

Place the brushes on the left or right side of the canvas because you will need them often. Depending on the type of paints, you can prepare a small container with some water to dilute the paints if necessary, or to store the brushes in it.

2. Getting Started: Painting For the Soul

On the painting template, you will now see many areas that are numbered. Concentrate on areas with the same numbers, choose the appropriate color, and paint the fields carefully and as accurately as possible. Then move on to the next fields with the number 2. Finally, the individual fields will merge into a work of art and the design will become more and more visible as you continue to paint.

3. Protect Your Artwork From External Influences

Now let the paints dry well. It is advisable to apply a final coat of varnish to the painting afterwards, so that it is protected from sunlight and does not fade.

4. Enjoy Your Work

Now you can hang your artwork in your home or give it away to someone. Enjoy the good feeling of having created something by hand.

An Overview of Painting by Numbers

To give you a better idea of the whole process, you can view the creation of one of these paintings below.

Adult Paint by Number Kits – Popular Designs

There are a number of great brands producing paint by numbers kits for adults. Unfortunately, there are also some dubious suppliers from China, who offer inferior quality. Some of them do not even match the numbering with the colors. Therefore, pay attention to ratings and if in doubt, rather choose paintings from well-known manufacturers.

There is a very large selection of themes and subjects for paint by numbers kits for adults. Below are some of the most popular themes.

Images and Templates For Printing

If you first want to find out whether this kind of leisure activity is right for you, you can also print a template on paper from the internet and color it in with colored pencils or watercolors. You can find a large number of templates for printing and coloring on Google or Pinterest. This makes a great starting painting kit for adults.

Paint by numbers for adults is a fun and easy way to spark your creativity. If you want to start painting but are entirely sure where or how to begin, then adult paint by numbers kits are a great place to start. Not only is the process highly enjoyable, and you will get to keep a beautiful artwork to be proud of once you are finished.