Home > Blog > Is Paint By Numbers Worth It? The Honest Canada Guide
The Short Answer
Yes, paint by numbers is genuinely worth it, especially for adults in Canada who want a creative hobby with real mental health benefits and a finished piece of wall art to show for it. This guide covers whether it's legit, what the science actually says, how to pick the right kit, how to get the best results, and how custom kits from your own photo work.
What you will find in this guide
Finding a hobby that is creative, genuinely relaxing, and produces something you are proud of is harder than it sounds. Most options are either passive, like watching TV or scrolling, or they require years of practice before the results feel rewarding. Paint by numbers sits in a rare middle ground. It is structured enough that anyone can do it from day one, and open enough that what you make still feels like yours.
I get asked all the time whether it is actually worth it. People want to know if the kits are good quality, whether it holds your attention past the first session, and whether the brain health claims are real or just marketing. This guide gives you honest, specific answers to all of it, backed by what we have seen across thousands of completed kits.
A quality kit, the right technique, and realistic expectations are what separate a frame-worthy result from a frustrating one.
Is Paint by Numbers Legit in Canada?
The hobby itself is completely legitimate, but kit quality varies enormously depending on where you buy. A cheap import kit from an overseas marketplace will look and feel completely different from a quality Canadian kit, and that difference shapes your entire experience, sometimes the difference between finishing a painting you're proud of and abandoning one halfway through.
Four things actually determine whether a kit is worth your money. The canvas should be a linen or cotton-linen blend with crisp, clearly printed numbers that do not bleed when paint touches them. The acrylic paints should be pre-mixed and thick enough to cover in one or two coats, not watery and translucent. Brushes should come in at least three sizes so you have the right tool for large background sections and tiny detail areas. And the reference image should be clear enough that you can actually see what the finished painting is supposed to look like before you start.
When you buy from a verified Canadian seller like Paint On Numbers, you get all of that plus domestic shipping in five to eight business days, non-toxic materials, and real customer reviews with photos of finished work. That last part matters more than people realise. If a store cannot show you what their kits actually look like when completed, that tells you something worth paying attention to.
| What to Check | A Good Kit | A Poor Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas | Linen blend, crisp printed numbers | Thin cotton, blurry or bleeding numbers |
| Paints | Pre-mixed acrylics, good coverage | Watery, wrong colours, barely enough |
| Brushes | Three sizes: fine, medium, wide | One cheap brush, plastic bristles |
| Reviews | Verified purchases with finished photos | Generic text reviews, no images |
| Shipping | Ships from Canada, 5 to 8 business days | Ships from overseas, four to six week wait |
A legitimate kit should arrive looking and feeling like this, not a thin, flimsy canvas with smudged printing.
Is Painting by Numbers Actually Good for Your Brain?
This comes up constantly, and the answer is yes, with real research behind it rather than just feel-good marketing. Here is what is actually happening when you paint.
When you sit down with a paint by numbers kit, your brain is doing three things simultaneously: reading and interpreting the visual information on the canvas, coordinating fine motor control through your hand and brush, and making a continuous stream of small decisions about colour order, pressure, and coverage. That combination of visual processing, motor engagement, and low-stakes decision-making is what makes the activity genuinely cognitively stimulating rather than just relaxing.
Cortisol Drops
Research on creative activities and stress consistently shows that around 45 minutes of focused making measurably lowers cortisol levels, regardless of whether the person doing it considers themselves artistic. Paint by numbers is particularly accessible because the structure removes the anxiety of a blank canvas, so you stay in the activity rather than in your head.
A Real Dopamine Loop
Every time you complete a numbered section, your brain gets a small reward signal. It's the same mechanism that makes puzzles satisfying, and it's why paint by numbers tends to pull people back for another session far more reliably than other creative hobbies.
Easier Access to Flow State
For people who have tried meditation and found it too unstructured, or who struggle to switch off after a stressful day, the focused and procedural nature of paint by numbers offers a more reliable path to the same mental rest that mindfulness aims for. The numbered structure removes decision paralysis that often blocks deep focus in freehand creative work.
Used in Clinical Art Therapy
Structured painting activities are used in clinical art therapy to support recovery from anxiety and depression. If you want the deeper clinical picture, our guide on paint by numbers for anxiety and depression covers the specific mechanisms in detail.
Honest Verdict: Who Gets the Most From It
Paint by numbers is worth it for most adults, but the experience is not identical for everyone. Here is an honest breakdown so you can judge exactly where you land.
| Your Situation | Worth It? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Adult with zero art experience | Absolutely | No skill required and results look impressive from the first kit |
| Dealing with stress or anxiety | Absolutely | Screen-free focused activity consistently lowers cortisol levels |
| Looking for a meaningful gift | Absolutely | Custom kits from a photo are among the most personal gifts you can give |
| Experienced artist wanting complexity | With the right kit | Standard kits feel guided; 48-colour and expert kits are a proper challenge |
| Wanting to learn freehand painting | Partly | Builds brush control and colour confidence but doesn't replace freehand practice |
If You Have Never Painted Before, This Is Probably Your Best Entry Point
The numbers remove the intimidation of the blank canvas entirely, and a quality 40×50 cm kit will give you something genuinely frame-worthy after about 12 to 15 hours of painting. Most people report that an hour of painting clears their head in a way that screen time simply does not.
Ready to See for Yourself?
Start With a Design You'll Actually Want to Finish
Browse our adult collection and pick something that genuinely excites you. The kits people finish are always the ones they wanted to look at every evening.
Browse Adult KitsHow Paint by Numbers Compares to Other Hobbies
People often come to paint by numbers after trying something else that didn't quite work for them. Here is how it honestly stacks up against the most common alternatives Canadians compare it to.
| Hobby | Skill Needed | Starter Cost (CAD) | What You End Up With | Stress Relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paint by numbers | None | $29 to $60 | Frameable wall art | High |
| Diamond painting | None | $25 to $50 | Sparkling mosaic | High |
| Jigsaw puzzles | None | $20 to $45 | Usually taken apart again | Medium |
| Freehand painting | Medium to high | $80 to $200 | Original artwork | High |
| Adult colouring books | None | $15 to $30 | A coloured page | Medium |
| Knitting or crochet | Low to medium | $30 to $80 | Wearable or home item | High |
Value Per Dollar Spent: Engagement vs Starter Cost
How much genuine ongoing engagement each hobby delivers relative to its entry price
The combination of zero skill barrier and a genuinely displayable result is what sets paint by numbers apart from every comparable hobby.
The Techniques That Actually Make a Difference
Most beginners start by working through the numbers in order from one to however many colours the kit has. It feels logical but it produces patchy results and makes the process harder than it needs to be. These are the approaches that genuinely change the quality of what you paint.
Paint Dark Colours Before Light Ones
Dark acrylic paint covers light sections cleanly. Light paint over dark sections almost never covers properly in a single coat, and often requires three or four coats before the underlying colour stops showing through. Start with your blacks, deep blues, and dark browns, and work toward the lighter tones and highlights last.
Two Thin Coats Beat One Thick Coat Every Time
This is the single biggest quality difference between a flat-looking amateur result and something that looks finished. One thick coat looks uneven and shows brush strokes. Two thin coats, applied after the first is fully dry, give you smooth and opaque coverage that completely hides the printed numbers.
Get the Paint Consistency Right
If your paint feels too thick to flow smoothly off the brush, add a single drop of water and mix it in. Adding too much water makes the paint transparent, which means you will see the printed numbers showing through no matter how many coats you apply. If your paint has dried out in the pot, our guide on how to revive dried acrylic paint walks you through exactly how to fix it.
Work in Sections, Not by Number Across the Whole Canvas
Jumping to every section labelled with the same number across the whole canvas wastes time and leads to paint drying on your brush between strokes. Pick an area about the size of your hand and complete every colour within that section before moving on.
Use the Right Brush for Each Type of Section
Your kit includes multiple brush sizes because they serve genuinely different purposes. The wide flat brush covers large background areas quickly. The medium brush handles most mid-sized sections. The fine detail brush is for small numbered sections only.
Finish With a Coat of Varnish
A single coat of clear acrylic varnish applied after everything is fully dry takes your painting from a craft project to something that looks professionally finished. It protects the surface from dust and UV fading and evens out the sheen across different colours.
How Custom Kits From Your Own Photo Work
Turning a personal photo into a paint by numbers canvas is one of the most asked-about things we do, and the process is more straightforward than most people expect.
Custom kits work for any photo: pets, couples, family moments, landscapes, and more.
You upload your photo, choose your canvas size, and choose how many colours you want in your kit. A human designer then reviews and refines the colour mapping rather than leaving it entirely to an algorithm, which makes a significant difference in how paintable and accurate the final result is. Your numbered canvas, matched paint pots, and brushes are then printed and shipped directly to you.
The photo you start with shapes everything. Sharp focus, natural light, and a clean or simple background produce the most paintable result. Our guide to choosing the right photo covers exactly what to look for before you upload.
Custom kits make genuinely meaningful gifts because there is nothing quite like handing someone a kit and then seeing the finished painting of their dog or their wedding day hanging on their wall. Our custom kits start from $34.99 CAD and everything you need to complete the painting is included.
How to Choose the Right Kit
With hundreds of designs across different sizes and colour counts, the choice can feel overwhelming the first time. In practice it comes down to three straightforward questions.
Who Is Doing the Painting?
Complete beginners and children do best with a 24-colour kit in a simpler design with larger painted sections. Adults wanting more of a challenge should look at 36 or 48 colour options where the detail and colour gradation reward the extra time. Our guide to 24 vs 36 vs 48 colour kits explains the practical differences in detail.
Does the Design Genuinely Appeal to You?
This sounds obvious but it matters more than people realise. If the design excites you before you open the box, you will come back to it session after session until it's finished. Browse all our designs by theme in our adult collection.
What Size Fits Your Time and Space?
A 30×40 cm canvas takes around 8 to 12 hours and fits standard frames from most Canadian home stores. A 40×50 cm is the most popular size and takes 12 to 15 hours. A 60×80 cm large canvas takes 25 to 35 hours across many sessions. If you're unsure, start with 40×50 cm.
A 40×50 cm kit offers the best balance of detail, time commitment, and display impact for most first-time painters.
Common Questions About Paint by Numbers
Do you paint over the lines?
You can, and most people prefer to. Painting over the printed outlines gives the finished piece a cleaner, more unified look. Apply two thin coats over each section and the lines will disappear completely. Some people deliberately leave the outlines visible for a more graphic, illustrative effect. Both approaches are valid.
How long does a kit take to complete?
A 30×40 cm kit typically takes 8 to 12 hours. A 40×50 cm takes 12 to 15 hours. A 60×80 cm large canvas takes 25 to 35 hours spread across multiple sessions. Most people paint for one to two hours at a time, which makes a standard kit a three to four week project that fits easily into a regular evening routine.
Should you go in number order?
No. Work by colour family starting with the darkest tones, not by number across the whole canvas. Complete all colours within a local area before moving to another part of the canvas. This produces better results and makes the process feel faster.
Can you sell a finished paint by numbers painting?
Finished paintings based on licensed artwork such as famous paintings or branded characters may have copyright restrictions on commercial sale. A custom kit made from your own original photo is yours completely and you can do whatever you like with the finished piece.
What is the difference between paint by numbers and diamond painting?
Paint by numbers uses acrylic paint and brushes to fill a numbered canvas. Diamond painting uses small resin beads pressed onto an adhesive canvas to create a sparkling mosaic effect. For a full side-by-side comparison, read our paint by numbers vs diamond painting guide.
What paint by numbers was on Shark Tank?
Several paint by numbers brands have appeared on Shark Tank over the years. Paint On Numbers is a Canadian-owned business, not a Shark Tank company. If you saw a paint by numbers kit pitched on the show, it was a different brand.
The Bottom Line
Paint by numbers earns its reputation. It genuinely works as a creative hobby, as a stress relief tool, and as a way to produce something meaningful to put on your wall. The experience depends heavily on kit quality, so buying from a verified Canadian seller with proper materials makes a real difference to how the whole thing feels from start to finish.
Whether You Want a Personal Escape or a Meaningful Gift
Browse our full range of adult kits or turn a favourite memory into a custom canvas that is completely your own. All orders over $75 CAD ship free across Canada.
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