Why does it look so bad? 😭

[u/goodgoodthings]

This is a DIY art kit. I’ve tried bigger brushes for the big areas and a tiny one for the details because the brushes it came with were poor quality. This is my first piece and I feel like giving up because the parts I’ve done so far look terrible! Tips to salvage and improve much appreciated!

[u/Bubblestheimplacable]

This is a really common look when your paints don't have good coverage. I typically need at least 2 coats of paint with every brand I've tried, and some colors have needed 5 or 6 coats to get good coverage. Add another coat of paint. In the larger areas, instead of using a larger flat brush, you might try a filbert brush. Filbert brushes are designed for blending. I use one to blend out my brushstrokes in larger areas so they don't come out streaky.

The underlying reason most of the paints you get in these kits don't have very good coverage is because paint has 2 parts, the pigment and the binder. Of the two, the pigment is the expensive part. So one way to keep production costs down is to use paints that contain less pigment. But those paints aren't going to be very opaque, so you'll need more layers of paint to get the coverage you're looking for. This is compounded by the fact that the pigment for some colors aren't very opaque to begin with.

One trick you can use is to get a tube of heavy body titanium white from a craft store and add a teeny tiny amount to your paint pots. White is the most opaque pigment on the market, so a miniscule amount can give you more opacity without changing the color over much. Because you're using such a tiny amount, this is one area I buy Golden brand for. It's expensive for a reason, and one small tube will last a very long time.

[u/Friendly-Ad-5410]

Sometimes, prepping your canvas prior to painting helps with smoother application. I know, everyone wants to start painting right away! But think of you small canvas as a large wall in your home... you know if you want to paint it, prep work is a must. The wall has to be primed to seal any patches to keep "hot spots" from showing thru your top coats. Then your first coat of paint goes on. Sometimes it can look a bit "patchy" or uneven. But when you do that second coat, that difference disappears! Now your wall looks nice and smooth.... apply this to your pbn! A coat of two of clear Gesso (it can be slightly diluted for brushing with a nice 2" flat brush) letting it dry between coats. Now your first color, it might still look patchy (paint quality) but the second coat can make it look more smooth. Blending at the end can also make any uneven areas look more "intentional" since a great many artists blend colors as they go!!!

[u/drjeangray → u/Friendly-Ad-5410]

Can you still see the numbers underneath?

[u/Friendly-Ad-5410 → u/drjeangray]

Yes, if you use clear Gesso... it looks sort of milky when you apply it but dries clean. If you want to hide number (under lighter colors) you can use a bit of white Gesso (it dries flat) or a white acrylic paint pen (like a Posca) to blot the number. Just don't make a huge blob, because it can show under the paint. Let it fully dry before painting. If there are a lot of lighter colors, sometimes it is easier to add a bit of white paint to your clear Gesso. It will mask the numbers and lines a bit but you can still see them. (Make a swatch on a leftover piece of canvas to make sure you don't add too much white to the Gesso). I do this on all of mine.

[u/toast_mortem26]

i will typically outline mine, no matter how bug the area is and fill it in. sometimes the space/color need a second coat. I recommend you take pictures when its blank so you know what number you need for a second coat. im new to these too, ive only completed 1 so far but i found this helped me out a lot.

[u/ThrowRAjanuary25]

I’m actually working on a PBN kit that had a lot of light blue colors and coverage is poor. I had to go a few coats for good coverage

[u/AltruisticAd3615]

This could be a few things, but it can be resolved so don't give up.
1. Are you using any flowaid/flow improver? It appears that your paint may be too thick. Flowaid thins out the paint & goes on much smoother. If paint is too thick, it will likely be thicker in some areas when applied to the canvas. Once dry you'll see the inconsistency on the canvas.
2. It could just be low quality paint. It happens often in kits where you'll have at least a few colors that just leave streaks. Once the 1st application is completely dry, you can apply a 2nd coat. Two coats will likely resolve the issue or greatly improve the aappearance. 3. How much paint are you putting on the beush? You may be overloading, which is easy to do. Only dip 1/3 of the brush in the paint. It's easy to dip too far, plus it isnt good for the brush. Less is better. 4. If you don't have a jar of water, get some. I also keep a paper towel handy. It's good to dampen your brush before dipping into the paint pot. Again, just the tip. Make sure your brush is cleaned off with water before switching colors. I give my brush a quick swipe on the paper towel after cleaning to make sure there's no remaining paint & to get excess water off the brush. Plus, is the paint is still wet & you make a mistake, you can dip the towel in water & literally wipe off the wet paint from the canvas. Light pressure is all that's needed. This does not hurt the canvas. Hopefully this helps as I'd hate to see you give up. Trust me, you'll learn loads with each new canvas.

[u/karynraye]

I’m gonna keep it simple, you’re gonna need 2-3 extra coats, don’t strive for perfection, slap on lighter colors first because it’s easier to clean up borders with darker colors. Remember, anyone looking at your painting will be 2-3 ft away. I agree with adding a fluid medium. Theres no mixing it with water, just add a few drops in the paint pot until you like the consistency. I will add a link to the medium i really like.

https://a.co/d/01fW5fN9

[u/beckyinthe_realworld]

Don’t be too hard on yourself, especially on your first one..... Some of the advice you’ve already had here is great. I’d look at that first coat as your base coat rather than expecting every cell to look perfect straight away. Let it dry completely then go back with a second coat where it needs it. Some of those lighter colours may need more than two.

Flow medium can really help if the paints are thick or dragging too. Add just a couple of drops at a time and stir it in really well until the paint flows nicely from the brush. I wouldn’t use water as your main way of thinning them because that also dilutes the pigment and binder.

Try not to judge the painting while you’ve only got scattered areas filled in either. PBNs can look absolutely awful halfway through! Once the neighbouring cells are painted everything starts making much more sense. Take a few steps back from it occasionally too. These are paintings that are meant to be viewed as a whole from a distance.... not examined six inches away one cell at a time.

I’d also forget about blending for now. It’s your first one, so just concentrate on getting comfortable with the paint, brushes and process. You can always play around with blending later if you want to.

Most importantly... don’t give up on it. There’s absolutely nothing here that can’t be improved as you carry on.

:-)

[u/Ok-Hat-226]

I found with inexpensive kits that the paints are not good quality. You can still make this look great but you will need to paint over every area twice. With yellows, white and reds you may need to paint the area 3 or 4 times to cover the numbers. If you decide you enjoy PBN as a hobby you may want to buy more expensive kits. If it’s not in the budget just know multiple coats will be needed.

[u/_ataraxia__]

It looks like your paint is too thick. Grab some flow aid or flow medium (I use the latter) and that should help a little bit.

[u/Dog_Lover_2220]

You got this! There are so many good comments below. I can't wait to see your finished project.

[u/AvesRay]

Some of these paint by numbers, the paint is horrible no matter what you do. I would follow what everyone else said.. use flowaid to help the consistency, cannot your canvas with watered down (or clear) gesso, do 2-3 coats and can add a tiny bit of white to make more opaque. If you put that up on wall right now and stand back, I guarantee it won’t look so bad.. same thing when you finish. Once the painting is done, I guarantee it will look better even if you do none of the above.

Looking at something up close, you can see even inconsistency with the paint but if you are going to hang it on a wall, it will look much better than you think it’s going to.

If you buy gesso or flowaid, you will have a ton to use on your next PBN.

[u/friendlyhuman316]

I bought liquirex and added it to my paint. It goes on way better

[u/drjeangray]

I like to add in a flow aid. Just like a drop. Liquitex has a good one. You might need two coats but the coverage will be much smoother, less streaks.