Have you ever dreamt of painting your loved ones in a portrait? The ability to give a hand-painted portrait to someone important in your life is no longer limited to those who have practiced fine arts painting for the bulk of a lifetime. Here are Five Ideas for Personalized Paintings that you can create by hand:

1: Paint Your Kids
It is important to capture the cuteness factor in kids, who seem to shoot up as fast as July corn during some points of life. While school photos are “just OK” when it comes to wall art for the home, a hand-painted portrait of the baby of the family - especially during the few months that one prominently displayed front tooth has gone missing while a new one grows in - is instantly an interesting conversation piece when it is hung in the family room for all to see. Capture that elusive and fleeting time they call childhood with a paint by number portrait. Take it up a notch with a (very meta) rainy day afternoon activity that includes surprising your 4th grader with a paint by numbers portrait of their 3rd-grade self to hand paint!

2: Capture Your Pet At Their Cutest
Painting a beautiful portrait of a pet who has stolen your heart is a great way to spend your day. Artists who do commission work often get pet commissions, as often (or even more often) than people who want to hire out to have photos of children painted, they request pet portraits. There’s no limit to the interesting paintings that can be made from a pet photo. Although the first things that come to mind are cats and dogs, why set limits? Think of the interesting colors and textures that can be achieved when painting a pet goldfish. A cherished portrait of a horse is a great gift idea for an equestrian. Ferrets, hedgehogs, crickets, blacklight sensitive articulated pythons, or even the humble pet rock can be recreated in brushstrokes, to the delight of a wide array of lovestruck pet owners.

3: Hand Paint Your Wedding Photo
One great way to express yourself is to use a personalized paint by number kit to recreate a special moment. Painting a wedding picture that is special, a cherished prom photo, or just a snapshot of your favorite person is a unique way to say “I love you”. Commissioning a painting by a local artist is always a nice idea, but imagine if you could surprise that special person in your life with a great hand-painted portrait that you painted just for them. What a surprise it would be to let them know that, as a person who may have never painted anything before, you took the time and had the patience to create a couples portrait for an anniversary or birthday.

A very special wedding gift for a friend or family member is a hand-painted portrait of an engagement photo. If there is a special engagement photo or a candid snapshot of the couple who is to be wed, just upload it to PAINT YOUR NUMBERS and soon you can be creating a unique gift that comes from the heart.

Capture Your 4: First Car or 5: First Home
Remember that first car you had? The candy apple red mustang that Dad helped you rebuild one humid summer in 1985 is an ideal paint by numbers that deserve to be immortalized in paint and framed. Even if it was a 1978 AMC Gremlin, that first car holds a special place in the heart of many (mostly American) hearts. Another fun and classic thing to paint is a landscape painting. It’s even more fun if the landscape includes a special childhood home or a two-bedroom ranch that was an essential part of the beginnings of a loving family. Recapture these memories, and immortalize them in paint, forever.

Get your creative juices flowing today with custom paint by numbers!