You spend a quiet, relaxing evening unwinding as you work on your Opalberry paint by numbers kit - but what’s that? oh, no! you used the wrong paint color on an area. Fret not, you can still turn this painting booboo around!
Take a deep breath and read up on how you can fix paint by numbers mistakes.
What Are the Most Common Paint by Numbers Mistakes?
With delicately detailed designs to paint on, sooner or later we all make the mistake of filling an area with the wrong color. Another common mistake is putting too much or too little paint, or worse, spilling paint all over your canvas!
While practice eventually makes perfect, these little mistakes can drive PBN beginners away. Luckily, most of these mistakes can be fixed easily and can even be completely avoided with the right tips and tweaks.
How Do I Set Up My Painting Station?
You can put your framed Opalberry PBN kit on an easel like on the setup above if you already have one at home. Otherwise, you can lay your canvas down on a table like on the setup below.
More than finding a well-lit, comfy spot to paint in, it also helps to be prepared with the tools to keep your painting project as easy and as worry-free as possible.
For a more worry-free painting experience, your Opalberry PBN kit already comes with everything you need to paint straight from the box: a complete set of tools that include your chosen design printed on your choice of canvas, ready-to-use acrylic paint, and 3 pieces of wooden-handled paint brushes.
Also prepare your paint water for rinsing your brushes and paper towels for wiping. You may even cover your desk or counter with newspaper to help keep it free from stains. Having a well-functioning painting station keeps you from stressing over spills and lets you focus more on your painting.
Where Do I Start? Up or Down, Left or Right?
While PBN painting is supposed to help you relax and unwind, having a well thought-of painting flow doesn’t hurt. To help avoid painting smudges, start from the top and work your way towards the bottom.
Right-handed people should go from left to right, while left-handed people are advised to start from right to left. Begin painting larger areas before working on the smaller, more detailed areas to keep your painting free from smears and smudges.
Help! I Used the Wrong Color! What Do I Do?
As simple as it may sound, using the correct color on the correct area is easier said than done. If you’ve accidentally filled a number with the wrong paint color, let the paint dry completely and cover the area with the correct one. Do note that depending on your paint’s opacity, you may need to add one or two more layers to completely cover the area.
To help you avoid this mistake, especially when you’ve covered some numbers on your canvas with paint already, your Opalberry Paint-By-Numbers kits have a reference sheet of your chosen design and a colorful image of a finished one.
How Do I Keep My Painting Smudge-free?
Although acrylics dry quickly and there's very little risk of smudging the paint in your canvas, the best way to keep your painting free from smears and smudges is to paint away from the areas you've just painted on. You can start to work from outside going in, top to bottom. Right-handed people can also try to paint from left to right, while left-handed people are advised to start from right to left. We also recommend that you hold your paint brush far from the bristles to avoid your hand touching any wet paint on the canvas.
Another concern is the paint colors bleeding and mixing together. To avoid this, let the paint dry completely before painting on the adjacent area. Rinse your brush thoroughly to wash any traces of another color.
My Paints Are Dry, Can I Still Use Them?
Yes, you can! To keep your paints from drying out, make sure to close the lid on tightly. Exposure to air and moisture affects your paint’s consistency. If your paint jars have been left opened, mix a little bit of water into the paint until you achieve your desired consistency.
Keep these tips and tweaks in mind and let your creative juices flow! Have fun creating!
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