Paint by number art is iconic in its own kitschy way, but it’s also a tool that we can use to paint large images to large art boards or directly to walls to create a mural. We have a thing for vintage Volkswagens, so we found an image online that we liked, changed it up to our satisfaction, and then created a large piece of art for our daughter’s bedroom.
Find Your Donor Image
Search the internet, or elsewhere, for an image that you’d like to reproduce, or at least use as your starting point. Paint by number works best with fairly simple images that don’t have huge variations in color, or shading. Be respectful of other artist’s work and request permission to reproduce if you select a piece of copyrighted art.
Art Board or Wall?
We chose to use 1/8” tempered hardboard for our paint by number art piece rather than painting directly on the wall. We made this decision not because we were squeamish of painting on the wall, but because the hardboard panel is portable. If we decide we want to move the painting, we simply take it off of the wall and move it to its new location. Plus we can paint anywhere we want versus having to stand in our daughter’s bedroom to finish the piece. Hardboard is inexpensive and easily accessible at most hardware stores and home centers.