Can You Sell Paint by Numbers Paintings? Here Is What You Need to Know
Summary
Whether you can sell a completed paint by numbers painting depends on who owns the copyright in the underlying design. This guide explains the key distinction, covers the scenarios where selling is most straightforward, and explains what custom kits made from your own photos mean for selling your finished work.
Paint by numbers is a personal, meditative hobby for the vast majority of people who do it. But as the quality of finished results has improved, a genuine question has emerged: can you sell a completed paint by numbers painting? The answer is not as simple as yes or no, and understanding why requires a brief look at how copyright works in the UK.
This guide explains the distinction clearly, works through the most common scenarios, and covers the route that puts you in the strongest position if selling is something you want to explore. For the broader picture of what this hobby offers beyond the financial question, read our paint by numbers for mental health and wellbeing guide.
The Core Question: Who Owns the Design?
When you complete a paint by numbers kit, two separate things exist. First, the physical painting you have made: the applied brushwork, the layers of acrylic, and the finished canvas. That physical object belongs to you. Second, the underlying design printed on the canvas: the numbered outlines, the composition, and the image itself. That design may be protected by copyright belonging to the kit manufacturer or the original artist whose work it is based on. Owning the finished painting does not automatically transfer the right to sell reproductions of the design commercially.
Copyright in the UK protects original creative works automatically from the moment they are created. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the copyright in an artistic work lasts for the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years. For most modern paint by numbers designs, whether original compositions or licensed reproductions of famous artworks, copyright is held by someone other than the painter who completes the kit.
The physical canvas you complete belongs to you. The copyright in the numbered design printed on that canvas belongs to the kit manufacturer or the original artist. These are two separate things in law.
Three Scenarios and Where You Stand
Scenario 1: Completing a Kit for Personal Use or as a Gift
No copyright issues arise. Purchasing a kit gives you the right to complete it and display or gift the finished painting. The vast majority of people who do paint by numbers fall into this category, and this is the intended use of every kit we sell. Hanging a finished painting in your home, giving it to a friend or family member, or donating it are all perfectly fine.
Scenario 2: Selling a Finished Painting Based on a Kit Design
This is where copyright becomes relevant. If the design printed on your canvas is copyrighted and you sell the finished painting commercially, you may be reproducing and commercially exploiting the copyright holder's work without permission. This applies regardless of the effort and skill you invested in completing the painting. The copyright in the design is separate from the physical object you created. Some kit manufacturers explicitly permit the sale of finished works. Most do not address it at all. If in doubt, check the terms of the kit you purchased or contact the manufacturer before selling.
Scenario 3: Selling a Custom Kit Painting Made from Your Own Photograph
This is the cleanest position. If you commission a custom paint by numbers kit using a photograph you took yourself, you are the copyright owner of the source image. The numbered design on the canvas is derived from your own image. The finished painting is based on your own creative work. This puts you in a significantly stronger position if you want to sell the completed painting, as the copyright question around the underlying design is resolved. This applies equally to custom pet portrait kits made from your own photos.
Scenario 4: Famous Artworks and Recognisable Compositions
Kits based on famous paintings present an additional layer of consideration. Many famous artworks are in the public domain, meaning the copyright has expired. Van Gogh, Monet, and Da Vinci all died more than 70 years ago, so their original works are no longer protected by copyright. However, the specific numbered design printed on a paint by numbers canvas based on those works is a new creative work produced by the kit manufacturer, and that design may itself be protected. Selling a completed Van Gogh Starry Night kit painting is a different question from whether the original Van Gogh is in the public domain. If in doubt, seek legal advice.
Selling on Etsy and Online Marketplaces
The question of selling paint by numbers paintings on Etsy is one of the most frequently asked in the hobby community. The short answer is that the copyright questions above apply equally on Etsy as they do anywhere else. Etsy's own policies require sellers to ensure their products do not infringe intellectual property rights, and listings of completed paint by numbers paintings based on copyrighted kit designs have been removed from the platform.
The more practical issue is market viability. Etsy buyers typically seek unique, handmade items that cannot be found elsewhere. A completed paint by numbers painting based on a widely available kit design is not unique. Multiple people will have completed the same canvas. The commercial value of a finished kit painting is limited precisely because the design is reproducible.
Custom paintings made from your own photographs are a different matter. A completed custom pet portrait or family photograph canvas is unique by definition. No other canvas like it exists. This is where the custom route becomes genuinely interesting for anyone exploring paint by numbers as a commercial activity.
If you want to turn paint by numbers skills into a commercial activity, the most straightforward approach is to complete custom kits based on photographs supplied by paying clients. Your client provides a photograph of their pet, their family, their home, or any subject they choose. You order a custom kit from that photograph, complete it, and deliver the finished painting. The client owns the photograph. The painting you deliver is a unique artwork based on their own image. This model sidesteps the copyright questions around pre-designed kits entirely and produces a result that is genuinely personal and meaningful to the buyer.
Transparency: What You Must Tell Buyers
If you do sell a completed painting, whether custom or kit-based, UK consumer law requires you to describe what you are selling accurately. A finished paint by numbers painting must be described as such. It cannot be presented as a freehand original painting. Misrepresenting the nature of an artwork in a commercial sale is misleading under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
This is not just a legal requirement. It is the right thing to do. A buyer who understands they are purchasing a completed guided painting can make an informed decision about whether it suits their needs and budget. A buyer who is misled into thinking they are buying a freehand original has been deceived, regardless of the quality of the finished work.
Describing your work accurately as a completed paint by numbers painting does not diminish its value. The time, patience, and care invested in completing a canvas well are genuine skills, and a beautifully finished kit painting is a genuinely attractive object. But buyers deserve to know what they are buying.
A completed custom canvas made from a client's own photograph is unique, personally meaningful, and based on an image the client owns the rights to. This is the most commercially straightforward model for anyone looking to sell finished paint by numbers work.
What About Displaying or Exhibiting Finished Paintings?
Displaying a finished paint by numbers painting in your home, donating it to a charity auction, or including it in a non-commercial community exhibition does not raise the same commercial copyright concerns as selling. The right to display a painting you own is generally separate from the right to sell it commercially. However, if you are charging for entry to an exhibition or profiting from the display in any way, the position becomes more complex and worth checking.
The Bottom Line
For the overwhelming majority of paint by numbers painters, the question of selling never arises and need not. The hobby is about the process, the meditative experience, the finished result on your own wall, and the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands. Every kit in our adult collection is designed for that purpose.
If you do want to explore the commercial side, the custom route is the most straightforward. Complete custom kits from your own photographs or from photographs supplied by clients, be transparent about what you are selling, and seek proper legal advice before setting up a commercial operation. The copyright questions around pre-designed kit paintings are genuinely complex, and the cost of a short consultation with a solicitor is small compared to the risk of getting it wrong.
Further Reading
Whatever your reason for picking up a brush, the process is what most people find most valuable. Our paint by numbers for mental health and wellbeing guide covers the evidence for why the hobby is worth doing, regardless of what happens to the finished canvas. If you are curious about producing the best possible finished result, read our guide on whether to paint light or dark colours first. And if a custom kit is the right route for you, our guide on how to turn a photo into a paint by numbers kit covers everything you need to know.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you sell paint by numbers paintings?
It depends on the kit. The brushwork you apply is your own, but the underlying design may be protected by copyright. Selling a finished painting based on a copyrighted design without permission may infringe that copyright. Custom kits made from your own photographs present a significantly cleaner position. Seek legal advice before selling commercially.
Can you sell paint by numbers paintings on Etsy?
The same copyright questions apply on Etsy as anywhere else. Listings based on copyrighted kit designs have been removed from the platform. Custom paintings made from client-supplied photographs, where the source image is owned by the client, are a more defensible position. Always describe your work accurately as a completed paint by numbers painting.
Is a completed paint by numbers painting your own work?
The brushwork and physical canvas are yours. The numbered design printed on the canvas may be protected by copyright belonging to the kit manufacturer or the original artist. Owning the physical painting does not automatically give you the right to sell it commercially if the design is copyrighted.
Can you sell paint by numbers paintings made from your own photos?
Yes, with significantly fewer copyright concerns. If you use a custom kit based on a photograph you took yourself, you own the source image, and the copyright question around the underlying design is resolved. This is the clearest commercial route for anyone wanting to sell finished paint by numbers work.
Do you need to tell buyers that a painting was made from a kit?
Yes. UK consumer law requires accurate description of goods in a commercial sale. A completed paint by numbers painting must be described as such. Presenting it as a freehand original painting is misleading under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
How long does delivery take?
Allow 2 to 3 business days for processing, then 6 to 8 business days for delivery across the UK.
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Whether you paint for yourself, for gifts, or to explore something more, every Paint on Numbers kit includes premium linen canvas, numbered acrylic paints, and three artist brushes. From £24.99, delivered to your door across the UK.
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