Paint by numbers: Our customers samples!

There is nothing we love more than the photo a customer sends us of their finished canvas hanging on the wall. Below are some real custom paint by numbers examples from people who painted their own — pets, partners, whole families, wedding days and trips they never wanted to forget. If you are wondering what your own photo might become, this gallery is the best answer we can give: custom paint by numbers bring pleasure to people of all ages, and these are genuinely easy to paint.

A gallery of customer canvases

Every one of these started as an ordinary photo on someone’s phone. What you see is the finished canvas, painted at home, number by number. Notice how varied the subjects are — that is rather the point. If it means something to you, it will make a wonderful canvas.

In our customers’ own words

We could tell you it works, but we would rather let the people who painted these speak for themselves. Here are a few notes we have been kindly allowed to share:

What makes a great result

Look closely at the canvases above and you will notice they have three things in common. None of them require any artistic skill — just a good starting point and a little care. Here is what makes the difference between a nice result and a genuinely stunning one:

• A good photo. Bright, in focus, and close enough to see the face clearly. Soft window light beats a harsh flash every time. This one factor matters more than any other, which is why we put together our custom photo tips to help you choose the best shot.
• The right colour detail. Faces carry emotion in subtle shifts of tone, so portraits need more colours than a simple landscape — usually around 36 to 48. That extra detail is exactly what makes skin and expression look real rather than flat.
• Proof approval before printing. This is the quiet step that saves everything. Before we print a single canvas, we send you a proof to approve, with free revisions until it is right. Nothing goes to print until you are genuinely happy — and if the finished portrait somehow misses the mark, our re-do guarantee has you covered.

Get those three right and the painting itself is the easy, joyful part. You are simply filling in shapes, one number at a time, watching someone you love appear on the canvas.

How to start your own

If any of the canvases above made you think of a photo of your own, that feeling is the whole beginning. You do not need a steady hand or an artist’s eye — every person in this gallery started exactly where you are now, with a picture that mattered to them and no painting experience at all.

The process is simple. You choose your favourite photo, upload it to our custom paint by numbers page, and we turn it into a numbered canvas. You approve the proof, we print and pack your kit, and then the calm, satisfying part begins. Before you upload, it is worth two minutes on our custom photo tips to pick the shot that will paint up best.

Want to see how a raw photo becomes a numbered canvas, step by step? Our guide on how to turn a photo into a paint by number walks through the whole journey. Whichever photo you choose, we would be honoured to help you put it on your wall.