Paint by Numbers for Beginners: Print and Paint Tips

You have a numbered outline. Now comes the calm part: printing it cleanly and painting without muddying the colours. This guide assumes you made the template with PhotoPBN – a free, on-device paint by numbers generator – and downloaded the PDF (or PNG/SVG). PhotoPBN does not sell paints or canvases; you bring your own supplies.

Before you print

On the tool, confirm:

• Paper: A4 or Letter
• Orientation: Auto, Portrait, or Landscape (wide photos default toward landscape on Auto)
• Colours: Standard 32 (recommended) is a solid first kit; the slider runs from 8 simple to 56 detailed
• Detail: Balanced by default; Bold for larger areas; Fine for small parts

Glance at the Numbers view and the Colour preview next to the original. If the kit looks right on screen, download the PDF. The download button shows the paper size and that the file is two pages – the outline plus the colour key.

More on getting the file: How to turn a photo into a paint-by-numbers kit. More on picking a photo: Best photos for paint by numbers.

Printer settings that matter

• Scale: 100% / actual size. Do not use “fit to page” if you can avoid it. Shrinking the page makes numbers harder to read and areas smaller than you expect.
• Orientation matches what you chose in PhotoPBN (portrait or landscape).
• Colour printing for the colour key page helps when you match paints. The outline page is mostly lines and numbers; it can be greyscale if you need to save ink, as long as the numbers stay sharp.
• Draft vs normal quality. Normal or best keeps thin lines from breaking up. Draft is fine for a test print on cheap paper before the “real” sheet.

If your home printer fights thick paper, print on standard paper first as a practice sheet, then print the final copy on better stock – or take the PDF to a print shop.

Paper weight (general craft advice)

PhotoPBN outputs a PDF sized for A4 or US Letter. Paper choice is up to you:

• 80–100 gsm (typical copy paper): fine for practice and kids’ first tries; paint can wrinkle thin sheets if you flood them with water.
• 160–200 gsm card or mixed-media paper: sturdier for acrylic and craft paint; less buckling.
• Watercolour paper (cold press): if you like a bit of texture and plan to thin paints with water.

Tape the sheet to a board or clipboard so it stays flat. If you plan to frame the piece, leave a small margin when you paint, or mount the finished sheet on card afterward.

Paints and brushes

The colour key lists each number with a swatch and a hex code. Match acrylic, gouache, or craft paint by eye, or mix toward the hex if you want a closer colour.

You do not need a full art-store set for a first kit:

• A fine round brush for edges and tiny numbered areas
• A medium flat or filbert for larger fills
• A cup of water, a paper towel, and a palette (a white plate works)

Acrylic dries fast and covers numbers well. Gouache is opaque and rewettable. Craft paint from a hobby aisle is enough for many kits. Whatever you use, shake or stir well so the pigment is even.

Paint order that keeps edges clean

A simple order most beginners find forgiving:

1. Scan the outline. Find the largest areas and the lightest colours.
2. Paint light colours first, then darker ones. Light paint over a dark spill is harder to fix than dark over light.
3. One number at a time. Finish (or at least pause) all areas of that number before switching, so you are not rinsing the brush every few seconds.
4. Large areas before tiny neighbours when they share an edge – or let the large area dry first so a slip on a small region is easier to wipe.
5. Edges with the fine brush, fills with the larger brush. Stay inside the line; a thin line of unpainted paper looks better than a blob over the neighbour.

Every area with the same number uses the same paint. If two distant regions share a number, they should match when dry.

Covering the numbers

Numbers should disappear under opaque paint:

• Use enough paint to hide the digit in one or two coats rather than scrubbing.
• If a number still ghosts through, let the first coat dry and add a second.
• Avoid flooding the area with watery paint; that pushes pigment into neighbouring regions and can wrinkle thin paper.

If you printed a test sheet, practice covering a few numbers there before the final print.

Drying, mistakes, and finishing

• Let wet areas dry before painting a shared edge if your paint is thin.
• A small mistake: wipe quickly with a damp towel while wet, or wait and paint the correct colour over once dry (easier with opaque acrylic).
• When everything is dry, optional: a thin clear acrylic varnish for scuff resistance – only if your paint type allows it; check the label.
• Sign the margin if you like. You made the template from your own photo; enjoy that.

Kids and first-timers

PhotoPBN has no separate kids mode. For younger painters, use Simple 10 or stay near Standard 32 with Detail on Bold, pick a clear subject, and print a bit larger if your printer allows (still at 100% scale on the chosen paper – crop the photo first if you need the subject bigger). An adult should handle the hot printer and any varnish. Supervision matters more than special software.

A short beginner checklist

• PDF from PhotoPBN, printed at 100% on A4 or Letter
• Colour key nearby (page 2 of the PDF)
• Fine brush + larger fill brush
• Light colours first, one number at a time
• Opaque coats to cover digits
• Patience between wet edges

When you are ready for another kit, open the tool, try a new photo, and adjust colours with the colour-count guide if the last one felt too easy or too fiddly.