Acrylic or oil paint: which should you choose?

For paint by numbers and for most beginners, acrylic is the practical choice. Acrylic dries in a few minutes to a few hours and cleans up with water, so you can work steadily without worrying about wet paint lifting or smudging as you move around the canvas. Oil dries over several days and allows longer blending, which suits slower, more deliberate work, but it needs solvents for cleaning and is less forgiving of mistakes.

Our kits are built around acrylic for exactly this reason. Each one contains a pre-printed numbered linen canvas, numbered pots of acrylic paint, three brushes (fine, medium and wide) and a paper colour guide.

If you are new to painting, start with acrylic and keep the paint pots closed when not in use, as acrylic skins over quickly. Work one colour at a time across the numbered areas, rinse your brushes in water between colours, and let each section dry before adding a neighbouring colour if the areas touch. Oil is worth trying later if you enjoy blending and want slower drying times, but it is not necessary for paint by numbers.