Drawing by numbers is a way of creating a picture, in which the image is divided into figures, each of which is marked with a number corresponding to a certain color. You paint in each area with the desired shade, and in the end the picture becomes finished. The completed image by numbers will help you learn how to analyze an object and observe how a whole composition is obtained from colored areas.
The art of grouping spots
The "drawing by number" approach is often ridiculed as simplified, not creative, and formal. But it is worth noting that the picture is created using many color spots. They often seem meaningless separately from each other and do not look like something “real”, but together they form a group. The next step in the development as an artist is to learn to see such color spots in a picture yourself, without the help of a printed circuit. This will help you focus on how the finished object will look, without looking at small areas and not wondering what colors they should be painted.
Start with the darkest color and end with the lightest or vice versa, leaving all segments that have a mixed color until the rest of the shades finish. This will help you learn a little about the tone and semitone in the painting.
The composition of the set for drawing by numbers
Paintings for coloring can be found in almost any needlework store. The “Painting by Numbers” set will include a brush, small jars of paint of any required number of colors, and a drawing scheme printed on canvas or a cardboard base. It may seem to you that there is little paint in it. But it should be enough to complete the picture.
Each set contains a certain type of paint, the most common are acrylic and oil, but there are options with watercolors and pencils. And yet, the last option suits a few, because drawing by numbers is an excellent exercise in brush management. In this case, you know exactly where the paint should go, and you can completely concentrate on applying it.
The advantages of painting by numbers
Controlling a brush for accurate drawing to the edges or a specific point is an important skill that every novice artist should develop. In sets, it is usually small so that you can draw the tiniest figures in the picture. Just follow the pattern and you will be amazed at what you can create. In the process, it may turn out that some figures have two numbers, and not just one. This indicates that two colors should be mixed together. The benefit is that you learn to divide the paint into equal portions to create a suitable color.
But do not immerse the brush from one container of paint into another, since then the colors will become dirty. Mix a large amount on a non-porous surface, and then paint over the desired area. If you try to mix the two colors in the picture itself, you may get too much paint that will come out over the edges of the figure.
How to create a set for painting with numbers yourself?
Wanting to save money or not finding a suitable version of the picture, many artists begin to think about how to make paintings by numbers with their own hands. This is not as difficult as it seems. Pictures by numbers with your own hands from your own photos can be made using special services and programs. If you know how to use graphic editors, such as Photoshop or Illustrator, and you know what tracing is, then you can parse the picture into fragments with a certain color and number them manually, placing each color on a separate layer.
But this process is quite laborious and takes a lot of time. Therefore, to process images and create a picture by numbers with your own hands, it is easier to use ready-made programs. Paid versions are usually more convenient and contain more functions, for example, the selection of colors indicating the proportions for mixing. Such programs include Coloring and Stoik Color by Number. Free services are usually only able to parse a picture into areas, but they do not offer a selection of colors. These options include mozzz.art and PhotoPad Photo Editor.
Selection of art materials
But to begin with, it is worth deciding on the appropriate type of paint. Acrylic is preferable to oil, as the paint dries quickly and is washed off with water, so it is easier for a beginner to start with it. But to draw so that you can finish part of the image at a time, it will be problematic. Acrylic dries quickly on the palette, and will have to work very quickly.
Also in the process you will need to wash the brushes many times, and the paint consumption will increase. Therefore, when working with acrylic paint, it is more convenient to paint in one color at a time, starting from the largest areas and ending with the smallest. Starting with larger ones, you will practice more with brushes and paints. And by the time you get to the smallest spots, which are quite difficult to draw, you will already have developed a skill and the process will go easier. Top-down operation helps prevent accidental ink from entering areas intended for a different shade.
How to mix shades?
To create a picture by numbers with your own hands, you need to be able to mix the material in the right proportion to get the desired color. Paid programs usually indicate how much what color to take in order to get the desired shade. But a lot depends on the paint manufacturer. At different companies, pigments may vary and give different results. Therefore, before you make a picture by numbers, it is advisable to experiment and try to mix the colors on the palette to compare with the image.
It is worth remembering that on the monitor all colors will look brighter and more intense than on a printout made by a photo printer. Therefore, you should not expect exactly the same rich colors as on a computer screen. But the advantages of this method include the fact that you can print any image. For example, make a picture by numbers with the hands of lovers on Valentine's Day and give it to your soulmate or turn a friend’s photo into a work of art and hand it to him for his birthday.
How to choose a brush?
We figured out the paints, but what about the main tool? It is advisable to choose a fine brush for details and a large brush for large areas. It is important that it matches the paint you have chosen for the project. You can do with one thin brush, but this can make painting large areas very tiring. And when using acrylic will lead to overuse of paint. Therefore, if you have a large brush, use it to draw a picture by numbers with your own hands.
How to stretch a canvas and assemble a stretcher?
After creating the scheme and selecting colors, a new problem arises - how to transfer the scheme to the material and make a picture out of it. To do this, it is easiest to contact specialized canvas printing companies in your city. Perhaps there will also be a service for stretching it on a stretcher. Otherwise, you will have to do it yourself. To do this, you need a stretcher itself. It can be disassembled, then the parts should be connected before work.
A subframe for painting by numbers with their own hands is sometimes done independently, using wooden planks. To stretch the canvas onto it, you will need a furniture stapler with brackets, a pencil, a spray gun to moisten the canvas and hammer. First you need to put the face on the picture and smooth it with your hands. Then place a stretcher on top and mark the borders of the canvas with a pencil.
DIY subframe for painting by numbers: step-by-step instructions
After this, you can begin to stretch, before it, the inside can be slightly moistened. The first bracket is attached to the center of one of the long sides. Then they pull the canvas on the other side as tight as possible, but not so as to tear, and fasten the same way on the other. Sometimes a hammer may be needed to drive the staple deeper into the canvas. A stretched strip should appear in the center. Then the same is repeated with the remaining parties. Next, the brackets are placed on the sides of one of the sides, then the other so that uniform tension is obtained. In this case, the corners are left free, not reaching about 5 cm, so that the canvas in them can be tucked in and neatly fixed.
After everything is ready, it should be moistened on the reverse side, so that after drying it straightens. If it did not work out to pull the picture straight the first time, you can moisten it again and remove some of the staples to correct the flaws. After that, start drawing your personal work of art. Now you know how to make paintings by numbers with your own hands.