KOMI Paint by Numbers Kits for Kids 4-8, Paint by Numbers Kids with Frame, Owl Painting with Numbers Art Craft for Kid 8x8inch

This review is for Black Dream Girl by KOMI. One of the frequently sited drawbacks of this kit is that they didn’t include enough paint. Well, that’s a conditional truth. I’m a professional painter (houses not numbers). One cardinal rule is to prime any surface before painting it. That’s the problem. If you start painting this picture without priming the canvas first then you WILL run out of paint. You can mitigate this problem by buying Artecho Clear Gesso Primer for Acrylic Painting. Apply it using a foam brush to the front of the entire painting. Allow it to dry for a day and then begin painting. The paint goes on like butter. This presents another issue though, it has a matte finish which can result in coverage being less than optimal with the lighter colors (1 through 6). What I do is put a glob of paint in the middle of the space to be painted and draw from that instead of heading back to the paint pot every time I need to reload the brush. If the coverage is thin, I wait for a few minutes, allow the first coat to get tacky and then put another thin coat on top. Yes, sometimes it does require two coats, but the application is such that this two-step process still uses less paint than trying to paint on the raw canvas. Another complaint involves the brushes provided. This one is valid. You really need a good set of brushes. I purchased Golden Maple Miniature Paint Brushes, 15 Piece. I’m using every one of them, the quality is great, and they are holding up. Next, practice good paint management. If you are painting a large area, get in the practice of using your free hand to close the lid (not snap it closed … just close it). This prevents/retards the paint from drying out during the painting process. Another complaint is that the canvas arrives folded and it is hard to get the wrinkles out. This is a problem, but it is easily solved. I brushed a thin coat of water on the BACK of the canvas. Then I let it set for a spell and then ironed it, gently, with the iron set on cotton. Don’t press the iron down too hard or it will deform the canvas. Also, once the piece is completely dry, and you then apply the primer to the front, this also relaxes the canvas and further solves the wrinkle problem. Next, many of the areas are quite small. You will be well served by purchasing a magnifying glass if you are older, like myself. I bought the Drdefi 10X Square Magnifying Glass with Light and Stand, Real Glass LED Lighted Magnifier. It does wonders for the painting process. Also, try to paint with the tip of the paint brush. Don’t load the brush so much that the paint reaches the top of the bristles. This makes painting tiny areas harder and wastes too much paint. Finally, if you do run out of paint, buy another one, finish the painting with the newly arrived paint. It is up to you to determine whether you will return the second one and get your money back or eat the cost. That’s about it. I’m having a blast with the painting and I hope this review will help make your purchase more enjoyable. Oh yea, this is VERY detailed and extensive work ... good for kids ... I'm dubious of that, depending upon the age of the "kid" that is. Another reason I like this painting is it is rather abstract making it easy the fudge any mistakes you may make. It will take me from 30 to 40 hours to finish this thing.

I love it! I was hesitant to buy this, because last time I bought a paint-by-number with a lot of colors, it wanted me to mix some of the colors together to make the other colors needed, and the paint pots were so small, there wasn't enough paint for the project. That was not a problem here. The pots are large, and there are multiples of the paints that are used the most, so there is no fear of running out. Also, each of the twenty colors has its own pot, so no mixing paints required. The quality is excellent. The paint was the correct consistency. (I've bought some kits where the paint had mostly dried out.) There are a few small places where a number was left out, but it's easy enough to guess what color belongs there. If I remember right, it came with two brushes, one small and one slightly larger. If you're a perfectionist, you may need to put a second coat on the canvas where some of the light colors don't completely cover the numbers and lines with the first coat. I will eventually buy more, but my family gave me two more kits from this company for my birthday, so it will be a while before I need more!

Thus was a fun piece! I thought for sure it would be easy since it doesn't look to have too many color changes but I was wrong. It took quite a while. This one I chose had 24 colors. The finished product looks lovely. I like abstract with the incorporation of a face some where. The numbers were readable and it was a relaxing project. Overall it was a great value. The only complaint I have is the paints seemed a bit thin so I had to go over the same area a few times. No biggie though, just took a little longer but I am also a bit obsessive in making sure it is actually finished before putting on the varnish. Highly recommended!!

Absolutely do not buy from them. The paints were all dried up.

This is my 6th paint by number and probably my favorite one so far! The spaces to paint can be small but when you step and look at it, all of a sudden you can see it come together. I look forward to doing more of them

This is the first paint by number (my 6th project) that came with more than enough paints! Black and white came in double (for white) and triple (for black). Amazing because in the previous ones I always run out of the color or was barely enough but had to be very much in saving mode... Final effect is great. I highly recommend it.

It was awesome project to paint

Me encanta que los números se puedan distinguir ya que me ha sido más fácil de pintar.

First paint by numbers. Next time I'm going to put a primer overtop to cover app the bumps in the canvas to make my life easier. I had to add water to and mix the paint before it was at a preferred consistency. I modified some colour's and went out of the lines in multiple areas trying to shape it a bit more in my image.

I absolutely loved doing this. It reminded me of myself, coming out of the darks of my depression. It was cathartic