A good purchase decision always depends on your goal. Make sure you are clear what you need from paint by numbers, i.e., time passing? Decoration? Different goals have different decision-making criteria. check why Paint by Numbers here for more information.
When you are clear about what you want, then look at the following factors for decision making:
Costs:
If you just need a Paint by Numbers kit for passing time or to reduce stress, and you are relatively sensitive about the prices, then pick the Paint by Numbers kit with low prices and high complexity, canvas only, no need to get the canvas stretched over wood stretcher bars (framed) (just make sure your supplier will deliver the canvas rolled and not folded, folded canvas is terrible to paint with).
However, if you want to create a self-painted wall art or a valuable gift, then you need to make sure you choose the Paint by Numbers kit carefully to match the room & style the painting will be put in, and the canvas should be professionally stretched over wood stretcher bars. Costs come as second concern since you will be spending tens of hours on this art creation process and you would not want to save 10-20 dollars for the Paint by Numbers kit. In these cases, if the room spaces allow, do try with Large Format Paint by Numbers kits that fit best to the wall, or even try with Multi-Panel Paint by Numbers kits , that are suitable for large and impressive room decorations.
Delivery time and packaging:
Most suppliers in the European markets are so called dropshippers. Dropshippers operate online store selling the Paint by Numbers, and they let the suppliers in China send the products from China to end customers after products paid. That is why in many cases the delivery takes weeks or months to reach end customer, and in order to save transport costs from Asia, many canvas are shipped folded to save space. So, unless you do not mind the long delivery time and folded canvas, order the products that are physically in EU.
Quality (check here to see how to evaluate the quality of a pbn, canvas, paints, brushes):
We have a separated article regarding how to judge the quality of Paint by Numbers kit . To summarize here briefly, a Paint by Numbers kit normally includes canvas, acrylic paints, paint brushes and optionally wood stretcher bars.
The upmost important thing is that, before you make any decisions, you shall know what painting result you will really get when the canvas is painted. Many suppliers use nice photos as advertised results, but one gets a completely different painted outcome from what was advertised. This discrepancy can be quite frustrating after one spending days and weeks working on a Paint by Numbers kit.
Never underestimate the importance of the services from the supplier. From order status check to paint pots resending in case of drying out due to long duration of the painting process. You won’t be able to finish a painting which you have worked for weeks on, just due to one missing / drying paint pot and the paint pot can only be refilled by the supplier who sent you the kit. If you cannot even find a service call number of an online store, then be careful. It sometimes takes weeks to finish a painting and it is quite possible the paint pots get dried out if they are not sealed well after painting. If you have a supplier sitting in China, the Chance of getting the paint pot resent is tiny or painfully long.
Sometimes other issues could pop up, i.e. unclarity of the canvas print, or more detailed communication needed for a personalized Paint by Numbers kit, all the issues can be more easily clarified when the supplier service team is reachable and responsive.
Your own experience
Note we mean experience and not expertise. There is no prerequisite painting knowhow required to complete a wonderful Paint by Numbers artwork and beginner can also manage to paint advance kits well. However, sometimes you do need the experience and patience to complete a complicated Paint by Numbers artwork. The paintings can sometimes take a couple of weeks to complete, especially when some canvases have many very small areas to paint with. It can be therefore a challenge for a beginner to complete a complex Paint by Numbers kit and to start with simple kits is normally recommended for beginners. Furthermore, the paintings can also look great also with the simple / medium complexity level Paint by Numbers kits.
For quite some hobby painters the themes of the Paint by Numbers kits is by far the most important factor to consider, because you actually buy the theme and not the canvas and painting tools. It is the final outcome that counts. There are two perspectives you may want to consider:
1.Make sure you choose the theme that fits the target applications of the painting. Make sure the color, style and theme harmonize with the rooms and environment you want to decorate with or the person you want to give as gift. Try to find Paint by Numbers suppliers who have large collections of different styles and themes, and constantly refresh their collections.
2.Just like you shop for fashions, you always want to be different, so try different and creative themes that few people have, design the paintings on the wall yourself, and let the paintings and designs tell your taste and style. Try not to paint the mass-produced themes you can find everywhere (except for the most classic and known paintings). When you spend tens of hours to paint, try to get something stunning, inspiring and unique.
Sizes and designs
Most market offers of Paint by Numbers kits are in a size of 40*50cm for mass production and cost reduction purposes. But in real life one always has different needs and preferences for more formats and sizes, i.e. panoramic, large format or multi panel designed Paint by Numbers wall arts. So, try to look for suppliers that offer more alternatives in sizes & formats and optimize your decoration with the most appropriate sizes and combinations.
Stretcher bars
Basic Paint by Numbers kits are with canvas only, then you have the options to order the DIY stretcher bars to do the stretching yourself, or to order the canvas stretched. For decoration purposes you need to get the canvas stretched over stretcher bars. If you are fit in handcraft work and have the right tools at home, try stretching the canvas yourself. Otherwise let the profis do the work for you. Please note that especially for large format and multi panel paintings, there are very few online stores offer the stretching services. Make sure you watch out what is exactly included in the offer you buy.
New product developments
Frequency and quality of the new products development reflects a supplier’s capability just like in any other industry. Check out the new trends of Paint by Numbers and get updated once in a while. You always want to refresh your wall décor with different styles or for different seasons.
Personalized Paint by Numbers kits.
We have a separated article about how do Custom Paint by Numbers kits work and the guide to judge the quality of Custom Paint by Numbers kits . A key reminder is that you always want to first see the draft how the final painting effect will look like and confirm that. Any offer does not allow this possibility can end up with an outcome that is not what you expected.
All in all, you shall know what you will be doing with a Paint by Numbers kit and check out the different decision-making factors so that you will get what you expected. A good supplier will always welcome feedback from customers, talk to us with concrete feedback and we will be happy to help. We hope you will be successful in getting your ideal Paint by Numbers kit and happy painting!