Painting By Numbers Accessories Worth Buying: Brushes, Easels, Lights and Varnish
If you've bought Painting By Numbers UK kits and want better results, buy four things: a set of fine-tipped brushes, a tabletop easel, a daylight lamp and a water-based acrylic varnish. Everything else is optional. The brushes and lamp make the biggest difference to accuracy, while the varnish protects the finished piece.
Key Takeaways
Fine detail brushes matter more than any other upgrade.
A tabletop easel saves your neck and keeps the canvas flat.
A daylight lamp helps you see tiny numbers on dark UK evenings.
Varnish is optional but worth it for anything you plan to hang.
Kids and diamond painting kits need different accessories from adult canvases.
Brushes: The Upgrade That Pays Off Fastest
Most Paint By Numbers For Adults UK kits come with two or three thin brushes, and the bristles often splay after a few sessions. Replacing them is cheap and worthwhile.
What to look for:
Size 0 or 00 round brush for tiny numbered areas
Size 2 or 4 flat or round brush for larger blocks of colour
Synthetic bristles, which hold their shape with acrylics and are easy to clean
A brush with a short handle, which gives more control for detail work
Rinse brushes straight after each session. Dried acrylic ruins bristles quickly, and it's the most common reason people think they need a new set.
Easels: Comfort and Flat Canvases
Paint By Numbers For Kids and adult kits both work fine on a kitchen table, but long sessions strain your back. A tabletop easel tilts the canvas towards you and keeps it stable.
Choose based on space:
Tabletop easel: best for small flats and shared living spaces
Floor-standing easel: suits larger canvases if you have a spare corner
Foldable beech or pine easel: light, easy to store in a cupboard
Check the maximum canvas height before buying. Popular kit sizes such as 40 x 50 cm fit most standard easels, but larger pieces need a sturdier frame. If your kit arrives rolled up, flatten it under heavy books for a day or two before you start.
Lights: Essential for Long UK Evenings
From October to March, natural light fades early across most of the UK, and painting under a dim ceiling bulb makes similar shades hard to tell apart. Personalised Painting By Numbers kits made from photos often have busy, closely printed numbers, so good lighting matters even more.
A good lamp should have:
Daylight colour temperature (roughly 5000K to 6500K) so colours look true
An adjustable arm to keep light off your hand's shadow
Dimmable brightness to reduce glare on wet paint
A clamp or weighted base so it stays put on the desk
A magnifying lamp is a useful alternative if you find the numbers hard to read.
Varnish: Protect the Finished Painting
Acrylic paint dries with a slightly uneven finish, and varnish evens it out. It also shields the surface from dust, sunlight and kitchen steam. Damp British homes especially benefit from that extra layer.
Your options:
Gloss: boosts colour depth and looks vivid
Matt: cuts reflections, ideal for rooms with big windows
Satin: a middle ground that suits most designs
Leave the paint to dry fully for at least 24 hours first. Apply with a wide, soft brush in thin, even strokes, and let the first coat dry before adding another. Spray varnish is quicker but needs ventilation, so use it near an open window or outdoors.
Accessories Worth Skipping
Not everything sold alongside kits is useful. You can usually skip:
Expensive brush sets with 20+ pieces, since you'll use three or four
Extra paint pots unless a colour has run out
Decorative frames sold as "essentials" before you've seen the finished size
Accessories for Diamond Paintings and Kids
Diamond Paintings UK kits need a different toolkit from paint kits:
A multi-head applicator pen for larger areas
Wax pads to pick up the drills
A tray to sort and hold the gems
A roller or flat book to press drills down evenly
For children, choose washable acrylics, a wipeable table cover, and an apron. Chunky brushes with a comfortable grip work better than fine ones for small hands.
FAQs
Q1. Do I need to buy extra brushes for a painting by numbers kit?
Not always, but fine detail brushes make small areas much easier. The ones supplied are usually basic.
Q2. Is varnish necessary for painting by numbers?
No, but it protects the finish and evens out the sheen. It's worth doing for anything you plan to display.
Q3. What kind of light is best for painting by numbers?
A daylight lamp at 5000K to 6500K shows colours accurately and makes small numbers easier to read.
Q4. Can I use the same accessories for diamond painting?
Only partly. A lamp and tray help, but you'll need an applicator pen and wax pads instead of brushes.
Q5. What size easel should I buy?
Pick one that holds your canvas comfortably. For standard 40 x 50 cm kits, a small tabletop easel is enough.
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