FAQ

Paint your Photo products contains everything you need to paint a photo of your pet or portrait, depending on the product. This includes access to tools to create a paint by number design, 2 printable canvas sheets, 2 paint brushes, and 48 paints. The 48 paint colors are specifically chosen to meet the color palette of either your pet or your 1-2 faces.

The product is designed to be used by adults and teens, given some of the steps required may be too complex for children. The formal age grading for compliance and safety purposes is 9+.

This product is designed to be usable for inexperienced and experienced painters alike.

We offer two types of kits: the Pets Edition and the Portraits Edition. The Pets Edition includes a set of 48 paints curated for animals, while the Portraits Edition has a paint palette specifically designed for human portraits. For the best results, we recommend using the appropriate kit for your subject. You may attempt to create designs for other subjects or scenes, but you likely will not achieve a similar quality result. Typically pets work pretty well still with the Portrait edition paints. But the reverse (people subject with pet product), is not as good.

Yes! You will preview every design in the website tool before printing. And you can attempt as many designs as you’d like.

The website tool can be found at magic.paintablepictures.com. It a step by step tool that walks you through each of the steps needed to create a paint by number.

Once you open that website address, review the tips and hit ‘next’ and ‘continue’ until you arrive on the ‘Choose a photo’ screen. Tap the ‘Choose a photo’ button simply select a photo from your phone’s camera roll.

We take each photo uploaded to the website tool and make our best possible paint by number design for that specific photo. If the design doesn’t look good, try a difference photo and try some of these tips in selecting another photo:

1. Make sure the photo is well-lit, and that your pet is brightly showing without large shadows.
2. Use a photo taken at the eye-level of the subject. This will help create a more natural looking painting design.
3. If there are multiple subjects in the photo, try using a photo of just your subject. Additional elements in the photo beyond your one subject can impact the detail of the painting.

Generally, we recommend:

1. Photos where light is shining evenly on your subject's face, as opposed to lights that are behind your subject, shining on the back of their head. We also advice against any sort of colored light like red or neon green.
2. Having your subject looking straight at the camera/phone when you take the picture.
3. Just one subject per painting. There's nothing stopping you from doing something other than one subject on your canvas, but the product is designed specifically for one subject.

Yes! Feel free to try out images until you find one you want to paint.

We zoom in to get more facial detail in the painting.

With a paint by number, there is a tradeoff between having lots of detail in the painting and having the painting be easy or possible to paint. Zooming in allows us to get facial detail while still making the painting process fun and accessible. If you want a more zoomed out version of your photo, email it to us at support@paintablepictures.com and we can do it for you manually. However you will get a less detailed result that typically looks worse.

Your two canvases are tucked securely under the paint insert in your box.

Here's a couple things to try:

1. Wait at least one minute after you triggered the email within the website tool for the email to be delivered to you.
2. Check your spam folder. If you find it in there, mark as "not spam" to move it back to your inbox.
3. Ensure you typed the correct email.
4. If none of those work, contact us at support@paintablepictures and we'll be happy to help you out!

Yes, this canvas is designed only for use with an ink jet printer. If you're unsure what kind of printer you have, Ink jet printers take ink, while laser jet printers take toner. Most people have an ink jet printer at home. Laser jet printers are more common to have in an office or commerical setting.

If you only have access to a laser printer, you can try printing at your own risk. In our testing, the toner from some laser printers doesn't bond properly to the canvas, causing smudging. However some customers have had success printing on laser printers with no issues.

The second canvas is intended as a backup, in case there are any printing or painting mishaps with the first one.

You want to print (and paint) on the side that has the rougher and courser texture. If you're not sure which side your printer prints on, take a blank sheet of paper (not included) and mark it with a pen or pencil. Then print the design to see which side the printer prints on. 

If you do print on the back side, you should still be able to use the correct side to print, you will just have the uncompleted paint by number design on the back of your painting. Alternatively, you can use the second canvas.

Do a test print on a blank sheet of paper (not included) to verify that your design prints as intended. Once it looks good, proceed to print on the canvas.

For your painting to result in a final 8x10 size, make sure your print settings do not scale the image. Select “Actual size” or “Scale: 100%”. Scaling to a smaller size will result in a smaller canvas after trimming.

Yes, you can purchase more canvases directly from our website at this link: https://paintablepictures.com/products/one-printable-canvas.

Yes! You can create a reference sheet by printing the canvas design on a blank sheet of paper (not included). This can be helpful to refer to as you start to paint over the numbers on your canvas.

While painting and changing to a new color, use a glass filled with water and rinse out the brush. Pat down with a nearby paper towel.

When finishing a painting session, wash the brush more thoroughly in a sink. Shake them to get out excess water. Pull the brushes tightly forward and leave to dry so that the bristles stay in good shape.

Typically about 5-10 hours, but it depends a bit on the complexity of the painting and your speed as a painter.

Mistakes happen! The paint by number design is a guide, not a law so feel free to make the painting your own. Bob Ross calls these mistakes happy little accidents.

You can also use a reference sheet or refer to the PDF in your email to simply paint over the mistake.

You shouldn't! The product is designed to ensure you don't run out of paint on your first painting. If for some reason, that's not the case, contact us at support@paintablepictures.com.

The numbers do tend to be small in any paint by number kit. This is to allow for small regions that enhance the detail of the finished product. You can either refer to the PDF (from your email) on a phone or tablet and zoom in, or print out a seperate paper copy of your paint by number design to refer to while painting.

The included acrylic paints should be dry to the touch within 30-60 minutes and fully cure within a few days.

The included 48 paints are acrylic paint.

The numbers have to be dark enough to see while painting, but that can make them harder to cover on the first coat with especially whites and yellows. Simply do a second coat for those lighter colors, perhaps only over the numbers that you can see to cover them more thouroughly.

Currenly, we only ship within the United States.

Estimated delivery times will be provided at checkout, typically ranging between 2-4 business days from the time your order is placed. Should you wish for expedited delivery, options are available at checkout. Orders placed before noon EST will be shipped the same day, while those placed after will ship the following business day. The estimated delivery time reflects this schedule.

We offer free standard shipping on all orders. There are also options for expedited delivery at checkout.

You will recieve an email with tracking information when your order ships. Orders placed by noon EST will ship the same day. Otherwise orders will ship on the next business day.

Yes! There are options for expedited shipping at checkout.

We at Paintable Pictures prioritize your satisfaction. If for any reason, our products did not meet your expectations, contact us at support@paintablepictures.com and we'll try to make it right.

Eligibility for Returns:

• Returns are accepted within 30 days from the receipt of your shipment.
• Items should be in original condition, unused, and retained in the original packaging.

Return Process:

• To initiate a return, please email us at support@paintablepictures.com with the reason for the return.
• Upon approval, we will provide you with the return address and any additional instructions.

Refunds:

• Once your return is received and inspected, we will notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund.
• If approved, your refund will be processed, and a credit will be applied to your original payment method within 10 business days.

Contact us at support@paintablepictures.com. We will typically respond within 1 business day or sooner.