Essential Supplies for Paint by Number Projects
Paint by number kits are designed to contain all the paints and tools needed for the project. In most cases, they contain larger quantities of paint to cover for mistakes that individuals might make, several brushes, and one canvas. For the most part, these supplies should be more than enough. However, this is often only the bare minimum that is required to complete the painting.
As artists and professional painters will tell you, creating a painting is a lot easier if you have a few quality-of-life tools. Some of these can be purchased from stores that sell craft supplies, while others may already be in your home. Here is what you need to take painting by numbers to a whole new level:
A Clothes Iron with Accurate Temperature Controls
Most Painting kits come with a canvas that is prepared for painting. Unfortunately, if you’ve bought the kit a while back and stored it or transported it over a long distance, there is a chance
that the canvas has become wrinkled. This is especially probable in the case of kits that do not come with framed canvases.
Luckily, there is a way to restore a deformed and wrinkled canvas. Simply iron it with a regular clothes iron. This will strengthen it and get it ready for painting.
This having been said, make sure that the clothes iron that you use has accurate temperature controls and that you set it to the lowest possible setting. Furthermore, do not use steam or water as it may damage the canvas.
It is also important to mention that you should always cover the canvas with a piece of cloth before ironing it. You should never apply heat directly to the material as it could damage it.
A Small Magnifying Glass
Pay attention to details, especially when approaching very complex designs. Even if your eyesight is near-perfect, there is still the possibility that you will miss one or two small areas that have even smaller numbers printed on them. This is where a small magnifying glass becomes very useful.
However, this is only useful when painting highly complex designs. The ones designed for beginners should be easy to see with the naked eye.
An HB or HH Black Pencil and an Eraser
An HB or HH pencil can be extremely useful, especially if you like taking creative liberties when painting. Use the pencil to mark areas that you want to paint with a different colour than the one indicated by the kit. This will give you a better view of what areas will share the same, altered, colours.
An Apron or an Old T-shirt
Painting is always a messy job. Use an apron to protect your clothes from accidental spills, splashes and stains. While most paints included in kits such as the ones from https://paintingkits.net are easy to clean if you stain your clothes with them, it is better to be safe than sorry.
If you do not have an apron, wear an older t-shirt that you no longer care about and black pants. Furthermore, if you do stain your clothes with paint, do not wait for them to dry and set. Clean them as soon as possible.
A Napkin or a Piece of Soft Cloth
Use a napkin, a piece of soft cloth or paper towels to clean your brush every time you change colours. This is especially important if the set comes with acrylic paint because it tends to be more difficult to get out of the brush than other products.
Clean your brush every time and then wipe it on the napkin or paper towel. If the brush leaves a paint trail, you will need to clean it again.
A Makeup Brush Cleaning Mat
Most kits come with the brushes that you need to paint the design. However, this doesn’t mean that you should throw them away once you’re done. There is a big chance that they will be useful for future projects.
Once you’ve completed the painting, you will have to make sure that no pain is left in the brushes. Use a makeup brush cleaning mat to get all the paint out and then leave them in a dry room. They should be completely dry after a few hours.
If the brushes are not soft to the touch, it means that they still have paint in them and you will have to repeat the process.
These are some of the most useful tools to have if you want to get into painting by number projects. They are not necessary to complete a painting, but having them on hand definitely makes things easier.
