Getting more organized for the season means more time to do fun things like crafting and DIYs. And today, I'm joining 30+ bloggers to share a Christmas craft as part of the Seasonal Simplicity series hosted by Krista at The Happy Housie. For my craft I wanted to try my hand at creating an original paint by numbers Christmas scene.

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Free Paint By Numbers Printable For Adults and Kids

Paint by numbers are easy for kids and adults alike and I thought this would be a great holiday craft to enjoy for the whole family. You could even do this activity for a paint night with your girlfriends. This kind of art is very forgiving and it looks great, even if you paint outside the lines ;)

What I've created is a printable paint by numbers outline that you can paint yourself, and a done-for-you 10"x8" art print you can just print off and pop in a frame to add a seasonal touch to your decor.

How to Create Digital Paint By Numbers Art in Procreate

Creating digital art is a hobby I really enjoy. Let me share how I created this in Procreate, my absolute favourite digital illustration app for iPad (and a great deal at only $9.99 US!).

My brother Jeffrey is an artist and suggested Procreate for me and my 10 year old daughter Chloe. It's a powerful, intuitive tool (with just a bit of a learning curve) and we both use it for everything from hand lettering to cartoons to creating printable art. If you are looking for an app for your budding artist, I highly recommend it!

Tools for creating digital art:
iPad 9.7" (2018)
Stylus pen
Moko case for iPad with Apple Pencil holder
Procreate app

Tools for paint by numbers:
Butcher tray for paint
Paint brush set
Acrylic craft paint

Step 1: Draw your art in Procreate in layers

If you've ever used Photoshop, you'll be familiar with creating layers. Layers allow you to segment different parts of your art. For this paint by numbers, I put each paint colour on a separate layer. The benefit of layers is that it makes it easier to add or delete elements, or try different options.

Step 2: Outline each of the elements

Once the drawing was complete, I created the outline on a separate layer. Using a thin black line, I traced each of the elements of the art work.


I then hid all of the other layers, leaving just the outline layer. I exported this as a .jpg and brought it into Photoshop for the next step.

Step 3: Add in the paint numbers

Using Photoshop, I added in the numbers and saved the image as a jpeg. I then printed this 10"x8" image centred on 65 lb white card stock letter paper (11"x8.5") and finally it was time to get painting!




It was a fun and relaxing activity and a great way to spend a November afternoon. Now it's your turn to give it a try. I'd love to hear how your art turns out!

Paint colours used from this paint set:
1- Pale Blue + White
2 - Grey
3 - Pale Blue
4 - Vanilla
5 - Burgandy
6 - Brown
7 - Holiday Green
8 - Holiday Green + Black
9 - Black