Highland Cow Paint by Numbers: Which Kit Is Right for You?
Summary
Highland cow paint by numbers kits are one of the most popular British-themed designs available in the UK. This guide covers both kits in our collection, which one suits your skill level and style, and how to get the best result from either canvas.
The Highland cow has become one of the most recognisable and beloved subjects in British art. With their long, shaggy coats, sweeping horns, and characterful expressions, they translate into paint by numbers canvases better than almost any other animal. The subject is immediately recognisable, the compositions work well at the 40x50cm canvas size, and the finished results are the kind of paintings people actually want on their walls.
We stock two highland cow paint by numbers designs in our UK Exclusives collection, and they take entirely different approaches to the subject. This guide covers both, compares them directly, and gives you the technique advice you need to get the best result from whichever you choose. Both are paint by numbers for adults, available from £24.99. For a full overview of our animal range, browse the Animals collection.
Two approaches to the same subject. The Colourful Highland Cow brings bold, contemporary colour to a classic portrait format. The Highland Cows design places two cows in a full countryside landscape.
Why Highland Cows Make Such Good Paint by Numbers Subjects
Not every animal works well as a paint by numbers design. Subjects with complex, fine detail, such as intricate feather patterns, very small facial features, or busy backgrounds, tend to produce crowded, difficult canvases that are frustrating rather than satisfying to paint. Highland cows avoid these problems entirely.
The long, shaggy coat translates into clearly defined directional brushwork sections that are both manageable and visually interesting to fill in. The horns give every composition a natural frame. The face, with its large eyes and prominent muzzle, provides a clear focal point. And the subject itself carries genuine emotional resonance for British painters in a way that a generic wildlife design simply does not.
The two kits below approach the subject very differently. One is bold and contemporary, the other peaceful and pastoral. Both are worth considering.
Colourful Highland Cow Paint by Numbers
UK Exclusives Collection | Intermediate
A close portrait of a Highland cow rendered in saturated oranges, deep blues, vivid pinks, yellows, and greens against a clean muted background. This is not a traditional animal study. It is a contemporary, almost pop-art approach to a classic British subject, and the result is one of the most visually striking designs in the collection.
The painting process here is particularly satisfying. Despite the bold colour variety, each section is clearly defined with no ambiguous boundaries. The large background sections paint quickly and anchor the composition, then the fur sections build gradually from outer coat to muzzle in a sequence that rewards patience. The contrast between the calm, dark eyes and the explosion of colour across the rest of the face is what gives the finished piece its personality.
This design suits painters who want something genuinely distinctive on their wall, and who enjoy working with a palette that does not follow conventional animal colouring. If you want a Highland cow painting that commands attention rather than blends in, this is the one.
Highland Cows Paint by Numbers
UK Exclusives Collection | Beginner to Intermediate
Two Highland cows in an open wildflower field, with rolling hills and mountains in the distance and a warm sky above. Where the Colourful kit is bold and portrait-focused, this design is wide and scenic. The palette stays grounded in natural tones: golden-browns and soft creams for the fur, warm ambers and muted greens for the field, cool blues and lavenders for the distant hills.
The composition gives you four distinct painting zones within one canvas: sky, mountains, field and flowers, and the two cows themselves. The large background sections build momentum early and make visible progress fast, which is one of the reasons this design works so well for beginners. By the time you reach the cows in the foreground, you already have a complete background behind them, which makes the detail work feel purposeful rather than isolated.
This is the more approachable of the two kits and the more relaxing painting experience. If your primary goal is a calming, meditative project that produces a warm, pastoral finished piece, this is the better choice.
Which Highland Cow Kit Should You Choose?
Choose the Colourful Highland Cow if you want bold contemporary wall art and enjoy working with a vibrant, unconventional palette. Choose Highland Cows if you want a relaxing, pastoral painting experience with a warm, natural finished result. Both are suitable for intermediate painters. The Highland Cows landscape is the more beginner-friendly of the two.
The choice comes down to two things: the style of painting you want on your wall, and the kind of painting experience you want to have. The Colourful kit asks you to work with saturated, non-naturalistic colours in a close portrait format. The Highland Cows kit asks you to build a full landscape with multiple layers from sky to foreground. Both are rewarding, but they are rewarding in different ways.
If you have not painted before, start with the Highland Cows landscape. The large background sections give you time to settle into the process before the more detailed foreground work begins. If you have a few kits under your belt and want something with more visual impact, the Colourful kit will push you further and produce a more striking result.
How to Get the Best Result from a Highland Cow Kit
Paint Light Colours First
On both kits, this matters particularly for the fur sections. Highland cow coats contain a wide range of tones from pale cream through warm golden-brown to deep shadow. Always work through the lighter sections first and build towards the darker tones. Painting a dark section and then trying to apply a lighter adjacent colour risks muddying the boundary between the two. For the complete painting order technique, read our guide on whether to paint light or dark colours first.
Use Directional Brushstrokes on the Fur
The fur sections in both kits reward brushwork that follows the natural direction of the coat rather than filling sections in random strokes. On the Colourful kit, the fur flows outward from the face. On the Highland Cows landscape, it falls downward and slightly forward. Working with the direction rather than against it produces a fur texture that looks genuinely three-dimensional in the finished piece, even though you are simply filling numbered sections.
Start with the Background on the Landscape Kit
On the Highland Cows landscape kit, paint the sky and distant mountains first. These large sections set the tonal foundation for the whole composition and dry quickly, leaving you free to work on the mid-ground and foreground without waiting. The wildflowers in the foreground should be the last thing you paint before the cows themselves, as their small pink sections sit at the boundary between the ground and the animals and are easiest to place cleanly when everything around them is already dry.
The Colourful Highland Cow and the Highland Cows landscape work exceptionally well displayed together. One portrait format, one landscape format, same subject, completely different approaches. Hung side by side in the same frame size, they make a genuinely striking pair that works as a conversation piece in any room. Many painters work through the landscape kit first as the more accessible project, then move to the Colourful portrait once they have the brushwork confidence to handle the more demanding palette.
About Our UK Exclusives Collection
Both Highland cow kits sit in our UK Exclusives collection, which features designs celebrating distinctly British subjects. The collection is growing, and the Highland cow designs were among the first additions specifically chosen to give UK painters something that feels genuinely connected to their landscape and culture rather than generic international wildlife art.
If you enjoy the idea of painting a meaningful British subject, the UK Exclusives collection is the right place to browse. These are designs that mean something specific to people who live here, and the finished paintings reflect that.
Further Reading
For the painting technique that makes the biggest difference in both these kits, read our guide on whether to paint light or dark colours first. For session planning and time estimates, read our guide on how long paint by numbers takes. And for our full ranked guide across every category in the collection, see our best paint by numbers kits UK 2026 guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Highland cow paint by numbers kit?
We stock two designs. The Colourful Highland Cow is a bold, contemporary close portrait in saturated non-naturalistic colours, best suited to intermediate painters who want a striking statement piece. The Highland Cows design is a peaceful wildflower landscape with two cows, more approachable for beginners and better suited to painters who want a warm, pastoral finished result. Both are from £24.99.
Is highland cow paint by numbers suitable for beginners?
The Highland Cows landscape design is suitable for beginners. The large background sections build momentum early and the composition is structured in a way that makes progress visible from the first session. The Colourful Highland Cow portrait is better suited to painters who have completed at least one or two kits previously.
How long does a highland cow paint by numbers kit take?
The Highland Cows landscape takes most painters between 15 and 25 hours of active painting time, spread across multiple sessions. The Colourful Highland Cow portrait takes between 20 and 30 hours due to the more complex palette and closer detail work.
Are the Highland cow kits UK exclusive designs?
Yes. Both Highland cow paint by numbers kits are part of our UK Exclusives collection, which features designs celebrating distinctly British subjects. They are also available through our Animals collection.
How long does delivery take?
Allow 2 to 3 business days for processing, then 6 to 8 business days for delivery across the UK.
Shop Highland Cow Paint by Numbers
Both designs available now on premium 40x50cm linen canvas with high-pigment acrylic paints. Part of our UK Exclusives collection. From £24.99, delivered to your door across the UK.
Shop Colourful Highland Cow Shop Highland Cows