Best Personalised Paint by Numbers UK: 5 Options Compared
Finding the best personalised paint by numbers in the UK is not just about price. The bigger differences are how your photo is converted, how much choice you have over canvas size and colour count, and the quality of the canvas and paints you will actually work with.
We compared five established options: Paintarthub, Painting By Numbers Ltd, Figured'Art, Paint With Numbers UK and Davincified.
Disclosure: Paintarthub publishes this guide and sells one of the kits included below. Information about our own product comes from our current specifications, customer feedback and experience handling custom orders. Competitor information is based on their published product pages. We have not ordered and painted a new kit from every competitor specifically for this article.
Personalised Paint by Numbers UK: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Brand | Main difference | Colour options | Custom sizes | Photo preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paintarthub | Designer-adjusted custom artwork, broad size choice, special sizes by request and 300gsm Pro Canvas | 24 / 36 / 48 | 30×40 to 90×120 cm + special sizes by request | Handcrafted, not auto-generated. Each photo is checked and adjusted by a designer to preserve important details and keep the canvas practical to paint |
| Painting By Numbers Ltd | Simple fixed-colour custom format | 30 colours | 40×50 / 40×60 cm | Uploaded photo is converted into a personalised design; detailed photo guidance is provided |
| Figured'Art | Large standard size range with two detail levels | 24 / 36 | 40×50 to 80×120 cm | Graphic designer checks the submitted image before the custom canvas is created |
| Paint With Numbers UK | Straightforward four-size custom range | No selectable colour-count tier listed | 30×40 / 40×50 / 50×60 / 60×80 cm | Team prepares the uploaded image; the site provides specific photo-quality guidelines |
| Davincified | 24/36/48-colour system with several custom product formats | 24 / 36 / 48 | 40×50 cm standard custom format; separate large-custom options available | Uses its image-conversion system together with a stated human review step |
The table covers the headline specifications. The differences become clearer when you look at how each custom service handles the photograph and the physical kit.
Paintarthub
Paintarthub offers custom canvases from 30×40 cm to 90×120 cm, with 24, 36 or 48 colours and rolled, DIY-frame or pre-stretched formats. Special custom sizes are also available on request.
Its custom artwork is handcrafted, not auto-generated. Each photo is checked for resolution, clarity, contrast, composition and cropping, then manually reviewed and adjusted by a designer to preserve important details while keeping the canvas practical to paint. If the selected size is unsuitable, the customer may be contacted to change the canvas size or provide another photo.
Customers can also request a free preview before production, with revisions available before the artwork is confirmed.
Paintarthub uses a 300gsm Pro Canvas, a heavyweight cotton-linen blend designed to resist paint bleed-through while keeping printed numbers clear. One customer working on a 100×80 cm tiger painting specifically praised the smooth paints and found the large canvas easier to handle than thicker canvases they had used before.
For pet-specific designs, see our custom pet paint by numbers. You can also compare all custom paint by numbers from your photo sizes, colour options and canvas formats on the main product page.
Painting By Numbers Ltd
Painting By Numbers Ltd keeps its personalised kit relatively simple.
The current custom product is available in 40×50 cm and 40×60 cm, with 30 colours. Buyers can choose the canvas alone or add framing and brush options.
Its product page gives detailed guidance for selecting the source photograph, covering resolution, lighting, subject distance and composition. Customers upload the image and it is converted into the numbered design for the selected canvas.
The fixed 30-colour format makes this a different proposition from services that ask buyers to choose between several colour counts. There is no need to decide whether the photograph should use 24, 36 or 48 colours.
The kit uses a cotton canvas with acrylic paints, and the painting difficulty varies with the image supplied.
Figured'Art
Figured'Art offers one of the broader standard size ranges in this comparison, from 40×50 cm to 80×120 cm.
Its custom system offers 24 and 36-colour configurations. The company asks for a clear photograph of sufficient resolution and states that a graphic designer checks the submitted image before the custom design moves forward.
The physical kit uses a numbered linen canvas, acrylic paints and three nylon brushes, with rolled, DIY-frame and already-stretched canvas formats available.
Because the custom range starts at 40×50 cm and extends well into larger formats, its product configuration is relatively focused on conventional medium and large paint by numbers canvases rather than small custom pieces.
Paint With Numbers UK
Paint With Numbers UK offers four custom canvas sizes:
- 30×40 cm
- 40×50 cm
- 50×60 cm
- 60×80 cm
The current custom product does not list different colour-count tiers for the buyer to select.
Instead, the ordering process focuses on canvas size and format, with options for canvas without a frame, a DIY frame or a stretched frame.
Its photo guidance asks buyers to use a high-quality image with clearly visible faces. It also recommends keeping group photographs to a limited number of subjects and using close-up pet photographs where possible.
The kit includes a pre-numbered coloured canvas, coded acrylic paints, brushes, instructions and a reference sheet.
This makes Paint With Numbers UK relatively straightforward to configure: the buyer chooses the photograph, one of four sizes and the preferred canvas format without making a separate 24/36/48-colour decision.
Davincified
Davincified's standard personalised kit centres on a 40×50 cm canvas, with rolled and stretched formats available.
Its colour selector offers:
- 24 colours
- 36 colours
- 48 colours
Davincified describes 24 colours as its beginner option, while the 36 and 48-colour versions increase the palette and expected painting complexity.
Its standard kit includes a numbered canvas, acrylic paints, brushes, colour guide, reference sheet and reference image card.
The company describes its photo-conversion process as combining its own sectioning algorithm with a human review step. It also operates a separate Large Custom Paint by Numbers product for customers looking beyond the standard custom format.
This means the standard Davincified custom kit is relatively easy to understand: one main canvas format with a clear choice between three colour counts, while larger projects sit within a separate product line.
What Actually Separates These Custom Kits?
The product pages can look similar at first glance. Three differences are more useful than generic claims such as “premium quality” or “perfect results”.
1. Photo Preparation Is Not the Same Across Brands
A custom paint by numbers kit begins with the same input — a photograph — but the published conversion processes differ.
Paintarthub explicitly uses a designer-led process. The original image is checked for resolution, clarity, contrast, proportions and cropping; adjustments are made where appropriate; unsuitable image/size combinations can be referred back to the customer; and the converted artwork receives a further manual review for detail and paintability. Customers can also request a free preview and ask for revisions before confirming production.
Painting By Numbers Ltd converts the submitted photograph into a personalised design and provides detailed requirements covering resolution, lighting, composition and subject distance.
Figured'Art states that a graphic designer checks whether the uploaded photograph is suitable.
Paint With Numbers UK provides detailed source-image guidance and states that its team prepares the image for the custom canvas.
Davincified describes a process combining algorithmic image sectioning with human review.
These descriptions should not be interpreted as proof that one finished painting will always look better than another.
What they do show is that “custom from your photo” is not a standardised conversion process. How much checking, correction and manual adjustment takes place can vary between services.
For guidance on choosing a suitable source image, see our photo guide for custom paint by numbers.
2. Colour Count Is Much Easier to Compare When You Use Actual Numbers
The five services do not use the same colour system:
| Brand | Colour count |
|---|---|
| Paintarthub | 24 / 36 / 48 |
| Painting By Numbers Ltd | 30 |
| Figured'Art | 24 / 36 |
| Paint With Numbers UK | No selectable colour-count tier listed |
| Davincified | 24 / 36 / 48 |
This is more useful than describing one brand as having “multiple colour options”.
It also shows why colour count should not be treated as a universal quality score.
A 48-colour Paintarthub kit and a 48-colour Davincified kit both use 48 paint colours, but the number alone tells you nothing about how each photograph was converted, which details were retained or how the individual colour areas were mapped.
Likewise, a fixed 30-colour design is not automatically worse than a 36 or 48-colour design.
Colour count is one component of the conversion, not a complete measurement of quality.
For examples of how palette size changes the design, see our 24 vs 36 vs 48 colours comparison.
3. Canvas Specifications Are Not Equally Detailed
Canvas quality affects the part of the product you spend hours actually painting on, yet brands do not publish the same level of material information.
Paintarthub specifies a 300gsm Pro Canvas made from a heavyweight cotton-linen blend. It is designed to reduce paint bleed-through while maintaining clear printed numbers.
Painting By Numbers Ltd specifies a cotton canvas.
Figured'Art describes its custom product as using a numbered linen canvas.
Paint With Numbers UK describes a pre-numbered coloured canvas but does not state a canvas weight on the current custom product page.
Davincified describes its standard custom canvas as high quality but does not publish a gsm weight on the main custom product page.
Published specifications cannot tell you everything about how a canvas feels in use, but they make material comparisons more concrete than labels such as “premium”.
Which Personalised Paint by Numbers Should You Choose?
Start with what matters most for your photograph rather than choosing by brand name alone.
| Your photo or buying priority | Best match from these five | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complex composition, several subjects or a non-standard canvas ratio | Paintarthub | Designer reviews the source image and converted artwork; special dimensions can be requested and a free preview can be confirmed before production |
| Broad size choice plus clearly specified canvas material | Paintarthub | Standard range from 30×40 to 90×120 cm with 300gsm heavyweight cotton-linen canvas |
| You want to choose directly between 24, 36 and 48 colours | Paintarthub or Davincified | Both offer all three selectable colour counts |
| You want a fixed colour count without deciding between detail tiers | Painting By Numbers Ltd | Current custom kit uses a fixed 30-colour design |
| You want a conventional medium-to-large range with 24/36 colours | Figured'Art | Custom range covers 40×50 to 80×120 cm |
| You prefer a simple four-size ordering process without choosing colour count | Paint With Numbers UK | Four fixed sizes and no separate colour-count selector |
If two options still meet your requirements, compare equivalent configurations rather than starting prices alone.
The provider and the configuration are separate choices: the first determines how the service handles your order, while the second determines how your particular photograph will translate onto the canvas.
Before You Order
Once you have chosen a provider, the remaining question is whether your selected canvas size suits the photograph.
Our personalised paint by numbers canvas size guide explains how subject count, composition and canvas dimensions affect the level of detail you can realistically preserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best personalised paint by numbers UK?
There is no single best kit for every photograph.
For buyers who want extensive size choices, 24/36/48 colours and designer review of both the source photo and converted artwork, Paintarthub offers one of the most complete customisation combinations in this comparison.
What is the difference between personalised and custom paint by numbers?
They normally describe the same product: a paint by numbers kit created from a photograph supplied by the customer.
“Personalised paint by numbers” is common UK wording, while “custom paint by numbers” is also widely used.
Is 48 colours always better for personalised paint by numbers?
No.
A larger palette can represent more colour variation, but the result also depends on canvas size, the original photo and how the design is prepared. Colour count alone cannot tell you whether one company's conversion will be better than another's.
Which brands offer 48-colour custom paint by numbers?
Among the five compared here, Paintarthub and Davincified explicitly offer 24, 36 and 48-colour custom options.
Painting By Numbers Ltd currently uses 30 colours, while Figured'Art offers up to 36 colours. Paint With Numbers UK's current custom page does not list selectable colour-count tiers.
Can I order a custom paint by numbers size that is not listed?
With Paintarthub, yes.
The standard range covers 30×40 cm to 90×120 cm, but customers can contact us if their photograph needs a special size or aspect ratio. A free preview can also be requested and revised before the artwork is confirmed for production.
What should I look for in a paint by numbers canvas?
Look at the canvas material, weight, print clarity and how well it handles acrylic paint.
A heavier canvas is not automatically better, but published material and gsm specifications make products easier to compare. If a brand does not state the canvas weight or material clearly, you can contact them directly and ask before ordering.
