You know the basics - fill numbered regions with matching colors. But these 10 tips will take your results from "nice craft project" to "wait, you painted that?"
1. Use a Damp Brush, Not a Wet Brush
After rinsing your brush, touch it to a paper towel to remove excess water. A damp brush carries paint smoothly; a wet brush dilutes it and creates streaky, translucent coverage.
2. Mix Colors to Match Hex Codes
Our paint-by-number designs include hex color codes in the palette. You can use these to mix precise custom colors:
- Start with the closest tube color you have
- Add small amounts of other colors to adjust hue, value, and saturation
- Test on a scrap of the same paper and let it dry - acrylics darken slightly as they dry
- A color mixing app (like "Color Mixer" on iOS) helps you figure out what to mix
3. Paint Backgrounds First
Large, light-colored background sections should be painted first. They're faster to cover, and if you accidentally overlap into a foreground section, it's easy to paint over light colors with dark ones.
4. Outline Borders Before Filling
For each section, use your finest brush to paint a thin line along the border first, then fill in the center with a larger brush. This gives you clean, precise edges without the stress of trying to stay inside the lines with a bigger brush.
5. Keep Paint Consistency Right
Acrylic should flow off your brush like heavy cream - not runny like water, not thick like paste. If it's too thick, add a single drop of water and mix thoroughly. If it's too thin, let it sit uncapped for a minute.
6. Fix Mistakes Immediately
Painted outside the lines? Wipe it off immediately with a damp cotton swab before it dries. Once acrylic dries, you can paint over it, but it takes 2-3 coats of a lighter color to cover a darker one.
7. Use a Toothpick for Tiny Spots
Some regions are so small that even a size 0 brush is too big. Dip a toothpick in paint and dot it precisely into tiny numbered areas. This is especially useful for eye highlights, flower stamens, and star fields.
8. Don't Trust the First Coat
Almost every color needs two coats for proper coverage. The first coat will look patchy and you'll see brush strokes - that's normal. Let it dry (10-15 minutes for acrylics), then apply a second coat. The difference is dramatic.
9. Paint in Good Light
Natural daylight or a 5000K daylight LED lamp lets you see the true color of your paint. Under warm indoor lighting, you might think a color matches when it actually doesn't. This matters most when you're mixing colors to match hex codes.
10. Varnish Your Finished Painting
A coat of clear varnish (matte or satin finish) after the painting is completely dry does three things: protects the surface, evens out the sheen between different paint colors, and makes the colors look richer. Spray varnish is easiest - hold the can 12 inches away and apply 2-3 light coats.
Put these tips into practice with our free paint-by-number designs. Start with a simpler design (lower region count) and work your way up to the complex ones.