After the mowing, weeding, and watering are done, the hardest part of yard life is switching off. Phones pull you back into the day’s to-do list, and a rainy weekend can leave you staring at the lawn from the kitchen window.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Paint by numbers fits that gap well. The canvas arrives with numbered shapes and matching paints, so you don’t need drawing skill, and a finished piece can hang indoors or sit on the porch. We compared four companies on canvas quality, design originality, paint supply, and how easy each is to pick up for an evening or an off-season afternoon.
1. Number Artist
NumberArtist builds its range around creative kits based on artist-created designs, which sets it apart from catalogues full of recycled stock images. It also offers custom kits made from your own photo, so a picture of your garden in full bloom can become a canvas you paint yourself.
That mix makes it our top pick for anyone who wants something more personal than a generic stock scene. Garden scenes and floral designs suit the garden-minded crowd, and the numbered format keeps the process calm. The tradeoff is that a custom kit takes longer to arrive than an off-the-shelf one, so order ahead of the slow season, not during it.
2. Canvas by Numbers
Canvas by Numbers has one of the larger catalogues in this group, with more than 900 designs by its own count, plus custom photo kits. Its kits come on a rigid canvas board, which is easier to work on at a patio table than a rolled canvas that curls at the edges.
It’s a solid choice if you want variety and aren’t sure what subject you’ll enjoy. Its size can also make browsing a bit overwhelming.
3. Figured Art
Figured’Art leans toward a premium feel. Its kits use a pre-stretched linen-blend canvas on a wooden frame, and the box includes brushes, acrylic paints, and wall hooks, so a finished piece is ready to hang right away.
That polish shows in the result. You pay for it, though, and a framed canvas is less forgiving of mistakes than a flat board.
4. 1001 Canvas
1001 Canvas website
1001 Canvas is a retailer with a broad catalogue, which makes it handy for comparing subjects, sizes, and difficulty levels in one place. A shop that sells many styles is useful when different people in the household want different projects.
Because it’s a retailer, quality can vary more from one kit to the next than it does with a single-brand maker. Read the product details before you buy.
What to Look for When Choosing a Paint by Numbers Company
Start with the canvas. Rolled canvas ships cheaply but needs flattening; a board or pre-stretched frame is easier to work on and display. Next, check paint quality and how many pots you get, because running short of paint mid-project is easy to avoid if you check the pot count first. Then look at design originality and difficulty levels, and decide whether a custom photo option matters to you.
The market has grown quickly around these choices. Growth Market Reports estimated the paint-by-numbers kit market at about $1.06 billion in 2025, though market estimates vary, so treat any single number as a rough guide.
Finally, think about where the finished piece will live. A canvas that will hang on a covered porch or in a garden room needs sturdier stock than one headed for a bedroom wall, and a larger design takes more evenings to finish, so match the size to the time you actually have. If you plan to give a kit as a gift, a custom photo option adds a personal touch that a standard design cannot match.
Why Painting Pairs Well With Time Outdoors
A kit is a good way to extend the calm of garden time into the hours when you can’t be outside. In a 2016 Drexel University study, cortisol fell in about 75% of 39 adults after 45 minutes of art making, regardless of prior experience. A systematic review of nature-based activities found that sessions of 20 to 90 minutes improved adult mental health.
You can combine both. Set up the canvas on a table in a corner you’ve turned into a calm yard retreat, and keep a comfortable seating area nearby for breaks. If you’d rather spend less time on upkeep, our list of easy-care plants frees up more of that evening for painting.
Final Thoughts
Pick by canvas quality and design originality, not by the longest catalogue. For most people, NumberArtist’s artist-made designs and custom photo option make the strongest starting point, with Figured’Art worth a look if you want a sturdier finished piece. Whichever you choose, start with a small canvas and a quiet hour; you’ll know quickly whether the hobby suits you.