You've never held a paintbrush in your life. Or almost. You've watched videos, Instagram accounts with beautiful paintings hanging on the wall, and you thought, why not me? Then the doubt. What if it's too complicated? What if I mess everything up? What if it's not for me?
That's exactly where this guide begins.
Paint by numbers requires neither talent nor technique. It just needs a little patience - and the desire to create a moment that truly belongs to you. In this guide, you will learn how to choose your first kit, prepare your space, hold your brush, and finish a painting you'll be proud of. Step by step. Without pressure. At your own pace.
What a paint-by-numbers kit really contains
Before you start, it's helpful to know exactly what to expect when you open the box. Good news: nothing surprising.
A pre-printed canvas with numbered areas
This is the heart of the kit. A Monalulu canvas measures 40×50 cm, with the design already sketched out. Each area is marked with a number. This number corresponds to a specific color. Your role: fill in the areas with the correct shade, one after another.
No lines to draw. No composition to invent. The canvas guides you.
Acrylic paint pots
Each Monalulu kit contains 24 small pots of acrylic paint, also numbered. Acrylic paint is water-based: it dries quickly, has no odor, and is easy to clean. You don't need specialized equipment. A glass of water and a cloth are enough.
Brushes
Three brushes of different sizes are included in the kit. A wide one for large areas, a medium one for intermediate areas, and a fine one for details. You won't need to buy others for your first painting.
Instructions and color chart
A small reference sheet allows you to find which color corresponds to which number, without having to open each pot to check. Keep it handy throughout the session.
Do you need to know how to paint to start paint by numbers?
No. And that's not just a polite phrase — it's literally the foundational principle of the activity.
The numbering system does the artistic work for you
The composition, proportions, contrasts, palette: everything is already designed. You don't have to make any artistic decisions. You choose a color, fill in the corresponding areas, then move on to the next. Your brain is freed from all the mental burden related to "is this beautiful" or "is this right" — because the answer is already integrated into the kit.
What remains? The pure joy of painting.
A stunning result, even on the first try
What beginners don't see coming is how much the final result exceeds their expectations. Not because they suddenly have talent. But because the designs are created to be beautiful once completed. The precision of the area cutting does the rest.
The only variable you play with? Patience.
How to choose your first paint by numbers kit
Not all kits are created equal — and choosing the right first kit can make all the difference between an exciting experience and a discouraging one.
Opt for a design with fairly large areas
For your first painting, avoid designs that are very busy with small details — ultra-realistic portraits, dense cityscapes, very fine compositions. Prefer a design with relatively large areas: a floral arrangement, a natural landscape, a clean lifestyle motif. The larger the areas, the more comfortable you'll be painting and the faster you'll see results.
Monalulu's Floral and Nature collections are ideal for a first canvas.
Choose a subject that truly resonates with you
You're going to spend between 10 and 30 hours with this canvas. It might as well be a subject that inspires you. A peony you adore. A landscape of Normandy that reminds you of a vacation. A motif that caught your eye. This emotional connection with the image you're going to paint makes each session more enjoyable — and gives you the drive to come back the next evening.
Opt for a premium kit, at least for the first one
The quality of the paint and canvas completely changes the experience. Poorly pigmented paint leaves numbers visible and requires multiple coats without achieving a good result. A low-quality canvas wrinkles, doesn't hold paint well, and creases. This is not the time to save money on your first kit — it's the experience you'll be judging, not the price.
Preparing your space before you start
Two minutes of preparation can prevent a lot of frustration. Here's how to set up for an enjoyable first session.
Lighting: essential
The small numbers on the canvas must be legible. Set yourself up in a well-lit area — natural light if possible, or a white lamp. Insufficient lighting tires the eyes and leads to mistakes. It's as simple as that.
The work surface
A stable, flat table, protected by a sheet of paper or a small tablecloth. Acrylic paint dries quickly, but it's still paint — better to protect your surface. Place your canvas flat in front of you. If it arrives slightly rolled, place small weights on the corners for a few minutes to flatten it.
Additional supplies
- A glass of water to rinse your brushes between colors
- A cloth or paper towel to wipe them
- The kit's color chart, placed nearby
That's all. You don't need anything else.
Where to start on the canvas? The rules that change everything
This is often the first question — and it paralyzes more than one beginner. The good news: there's no wrong answer. However, a few simple principles give you a real advantage.
Start with the large areas
Always start with the colors that cover the largest surfaces. They are quicker to paint, help you see the overall pattern take shape quickly, and make you want to continue. Finishing the fine details first would be discouraging — the image wouldn't reveal itself and frustration would set in.
Large areas first, details later.
Work color by color
Instead of painting random areas, choose one color and fill in all the corresponding areas before moving on to the next. This method reduces the number of times you change brushes, avoids accidental mixing of still-wet paint, and significantly speeds up the work.
Order light first, then dark
If the question arises, paint light colors before dark ones. The logic is simple: if you slightly spill a light color onto a neighboring dark area, you can easily cover it up. The reverse is much more difficult to correct.
If you are right-handed, start at the top left
And bottom right if you are left-handed. This small habit prevents you from resting your arm or hand on still-wet paint as you work on the canvas. A detail — but one that prevents many mishaps.
Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
They won't ruin a painting. But anticipating them will save you a lot of worry.
Too much paint on the brush
This is the most common reflex. You load the brush generously, and the paint overflows. The rule: load lightly, apply in a thin coat. If the number is still visible through the first coat, let it dry and apply a second coat. Acrylic paint covers better in two thin coats than in one too thick.
Pots left open
Acrylic paint dries quickly on contact with air. Get into the habit of closing each pot as soon as you have loaded your brush. If a pot starts to thicken, one or two drops of lukewarm water are usually enough to restore the right consistency.
Wanting to finish everything in one session
It's not a race. Paint by numbers is to be savored over several sessions—that's its charm. An hour in the evening, two hours on the weekend. Each session is a moment in itself. The painting progresses. And you, you relax.
Forgetting to let dry between coats
If you go over an area that is still wet, you risk moving the paint or mixing the colors. A few minutes are enough for acrylic paint to air dry—but these few minutes are important.
How long does it take to complete a paint by numbers?
Between 10 and 30 hours depending on the design
This is the honest range. A simple design with large clear areas can be completed in about ten hours. A more detailed composition, with fine and numerous areas, will require more.
Most common: 2 to 3 weeks, with one 1 to 2 hour session per day or evening. Some people spend more time and that's perfectly fine. Others paint intensely during a weekend. There is no right way. There is just your way.
Patience: not a constraint, a reward
We'd like to tell you it's quick. That would be lying. Paint by numbers takes time, and that's precisely why it does you good. To settle down. To advance slowly. To see the painting appear gradually. This feeling of progress, of seeing something beautiful emerge under your hands, is at the heart of what the activity offers you.
It's not a chore to finish. It's a moment to inhabit.
And once the painting is finished?
Allow to dry completely
Before doing anything with your canvas, let it dry completely flat—for at least 24 hours. Acrylic paint hardens as it dries and gains durability.
Frame and hang your canvas
This is where it all makes sense. The painting you just finished is a true decorative object. A 40x50 cm canvas, hung on the wall of your living room, bedroom, or entryway, becomes something unique: a work that you painted, with your hands, at your own pace.
Many of our customers are surprised by the result. They expected something "correct." They end up with a painting they would have bought in a decoration shop.
