London Paint by Numbers: Which Kit Is Right for You?
Summary
London paint by numbers kits let you recreate four of the most iconic scenes in the British capital: the Phone Booth, the Eye at night, a Union Jack-lined street, and Big Ben in autumn. This guide covers all four designs, what makes each one distinctive to paint, and which suits your skill level and interior best.
London is one of the most painted cities in the world. From Canaletto's Thames views to the Impressionist studies of Monet at Westminster Bridge, artists have been capturing the capital's streets, landmarks, and light for centuries. London paint by numbers kits bring that centuries-old tradition into a format that anyone can participate in, with four designs that each interpret the city through a completely different visual lens.
Whether you want the crisp, patriotic energy of a Union Jack street scene, the moody drama of the Eye lit against a night sky, or the classic melancholy of Big Ben in autumn rain, there is a London kit in our UK Exclusives collection that fits. All four designs also sit within our Cities and Landmarks collection. This guide covers all four in detail, with honest assessments of what each one looks like to paint and what the finished result delivers on your wall.
Four approaches to the most painted city in the world. Each London kit captures a completely different mood, palette, and aspect of the capital.
Why London Works So Well as a Paint by Numbers Subject
London's visual identity is unusually strong. The red of a telephone box or a double-decker bus, the Gothic stonework of the Houses of Parliament, the distinctive silhouette of the London Eye: these are shapes and colours that are immediately recognisable to almost everyone in the UK, and that recognition is part of what makes a London painting so satisfying to hang on a wall. It is not just a painting. It is a place.
From a painting technique perspective, city and landmark designs also offer something that purely natural subjects do not: architectural structure. The straight lines of Georgian facades, the geometric precision of the Eye's frame, the clear tonal contrast between red buses and grey London skies: these create naturally defined sections that are satisfying to work through and produce crisp, readable results.
London Phone Booth Paint by Numbers
Cities and Landmarks Collection | Intermediate
A red telephone box dominates the right foreground, bold and graphic against the busy street scene behind it. A black cab and red double-decker fill the mid-ground, with Portland stone buildings and a church spire dissolving into a soft, atmospheric grey background. The whole composition has a watercolour-influenced quality: loose, impressionistic backgrounds that frame the sharp, defined foreground elements.
The painting sequence here is particularly satisfying. The misty grey buildings and overcast sky paint quickly and set the atmospheric tone early. The black cab and bollards in the mid-ground build a structure. Then the telephone box itself, in its bold, iconic red, anchors the whole composition and gives the finished piece its immediate, recognisable character. The red sections are small in area but large in impact, and painting them is the most rewarding moment in the kit.
London Eye Night Paint by Numbers
Cities and Landmarks Collection | Intermediate to Advanced
The London Eye blazes in vivid red neon against a deep purple and near-black night sky, with the city skyline glowing in blues and ambers below and its reflections shimmering in the Thames. This is the most colour-intensive and dramatically lit of the four London designs. The contrast between the luminous reds of the Eye and the deep, almost inky backgrounds is extraordinary, and achieving it in paint requires systematic work through the dark sections first before building the neon foreground elements.
This kit demands patience with the dark background. The deep purples and near-blacks that dominate the upper portion of the canvas need two careful coats to cover the printed numbers cleanly without losing evenness. Once the background is complete, the neon reds of the Eye, the glowing amber windows of the city buildings, and the shimmering river reflections all emerge with genuine drama. The finished painting is one of the most striking city designs available anywhere in the collection.
London Street Paint by Numbers
Cities and Landmarks Collection | Intermediate
A broad Georgian street lined with Union Jack flags flying across an open blue sky, with a white London cab and red double-decker in the foreground and a grand domed building anchoring the composition. This is the warmest and most cheerful of the four London designs: bright blues, crisp whites, bold reds, and the cream and stone tones of the architecture all working together in a palette that feels celebratory and unmistakably British.
The architectural sections are the standout feature of this kit. The Georgian facade with its arched windows, decorative stonework, and classical proportions provides richly detailed work that rewards careful section-by-section painting. The flags add horizontal rhythm across the upper portion of the canvas and are among the most satisfying British symbols to paint in any collection. A genuinely joyful painting experience with a finished result that works in any room.
London Bus Paint by Numbers
Cities and Landmarks Collection | Intermediate
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament rise into a brooding grey sky, with a red double-decker bus passing under autumn-golden trees on a rain-soaked street. The wet road reflects the warm amber light and the bold red of the bus in a way that gives the whole composition a melancholy, impressionist quality. This is the most atmospherically British of the four designs, capturing the particular mood of a London autumn afternoon that anyone who has lived in the capital will recognise immediately.
The autumn palette is one of the most naturally harmonious in the cities collection: warm golds, rich ambers, deep ochres, and the muted grey of a London sky, all grounded by the bold red of the bus and the cool blue reflections in the wet tarmac. The wet road sections are among the most technically interesting to paint: working through the cool reflected tones produces a sheen and depth that elevates the finished piece well beyond a straightforward landmark study.
Which London Kit Should You Choose?
Choose the London Bus for the most classically atmospheric and emotionally resonant London scene. Choose the London Street for the most cheerful and patriotic design. Choose the London Phone Booth for the most quintessentially iconic London subject. Choose the London Eye Night for the most dramatic and technically rewarding experience. All four are paint by numbers for adults at intermediate level, from £24.99.
The four kits cover four entirely distinct moods of the same city. The London Bus and the London Phone Booth both sit in the atmospheric, muted-with-bold-accents tradition of British urban painting. The London Street is warmer, brighter, and more celebratory. The London Eye Night is in a different category entirely: a contemporary neon composition that happens to feature a London landmark rather than a traditionally styled scene.
For anyone buying a London painting as a gift for someone who loves the city, the London Bus is the most universally resonant choice. Big Ben and a red double-decker in autumn rain is an image that means something specific to everyone who has spent time in London. For someone who wants something more visually dramatic and contemporary, the London Eye Night produces a finished piece unlike anything else in the collection.
Technique Tips for London and City Kits
Paint Atmospheric Backgrounds First
On all four London designs, the background sets the mood of the entire composition. The misty grey buildings behind the phone booth, the deep purple night sky behind the Eye, the clear blue sky above the Georgian street, the brooding overcast above Big Ben: paint these first, let them dry, and you will have the full atmospheric context in place before you move to the foreground elements. For the complete painting sequence, read our guide on whether to paint light or dark colours first.
Save the Red for Last
Three of the four London kits feature the iconic British red in a prominent role: the telephone box, the double-decker bus, and the London Eye's neon glow. In every case, these red sections carry the most visual weight and should be painted last. Completing the surrounding sections first means the red lands against a finished context rather than a half-completed canvas, and the visual impact at the moment you apply it is genuinely satisfying.
Two Coats on Dark Sections
The London Eye Night in particular requires careful, even coverage on the very dark background sections. Deep purple and near-black paint applied over a white linen canvas almost always benefits from a second coat to achieve consistent, clean coverage without the printed numbers showing through. Let the first coat dry fully before applying the second.
The four London designs work exceptionally well displayed together as a set. Day and night, summer and autumn, intimate street scenes and dramatic landmarks: as a group, they tell a complete story of the city across its moods and seasons. Displayed in matching frames of the same size, they make a genuinely striking installation on any wall. Many buyers purchase all four and work through them over the course of a year, one per season.
Further Reading
For the essential painting technique that applies to every city kit, 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, see our best paint by numbers kits UK 2026 guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What London paint by numbers kits are available?
We stock four London paint by numbers designs: the London Phone Booth, the London Eye Night, the London Street, and the London Bus. Each captures a completely different mood and aspect of the city. All are on premium 40x50cm linen canvas, from £24.99. Browse our UK Exclusives collection for more distinctly British designs, or the full Cities and Landmarks collection for city and landmark designs from around the world.
Which is the best London paint by numbers kit for beginners?
The London Street and the London Bus are the most accessible of the four, with clear compositional structures and balanced palettes. The London Eye Night is the most demanding due to the dark background sections that require two careful coats. All four are suitable for painters who have completed at least one previous kit.
Is there a Big Ben paint by numbers kit?
Yes. The London Bus design features Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament prominently, alongside a red double-decker bus on a rain-soaked autumn street. It is the most classically atmospheric London landmark design in the collection.
Can I buy all four London paint by numbers designs together?
Yes. All four London designs are available individually from £24.99 each. If you purchase any two kits, the buy-two-get-one-free offer applies automatically at checkout, making a set of four kits an excellent value.
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 London Paint by Numbers
All four London designs available now on premium 40x50cm linen canvas with high-pigment acrylic paints. From £24.99, delivered to your door across the UK.
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