Paint by Numbers Animals: The Best Wildlife Kits in Our Collection
Summary
Paint by numbers animals kits are among the most popular and rewarding designs available for adult painters in the UK. This guide covers the best animal designs in our collection, organised by subject, with technique advice for getting the best result from any wildlife canvas.
Animal subjects consistently produce some of the most impressive and meaningful finished paintings in paint by numbers. The combination of natural colour complexity, strong character, and the personal connection many painters feel to specific animals makes wildlife designs particularly satisfying to work through and genuinely worth displaying. Whether you want a paint by numbers cat for your living room, a dramatic wolf scene, or a peaceful owl study, there is an animal paint by numbers kit that fits.
We stock over 45 paint by numbers animals designs in our Animals collection, covering cats, owls, wolves, foxes, dolphins, Highland cows, and much more. This guide covers the best designs across the most popular animal categories, with honest assessments of what makes each one distinctive and who it suits best. All are paint by numbers for adults, available from £24.99.
A selection from our Animals collection. Wildlife designs suit every skill level, and the finished results are among the most striking and display-worthy in the entire range.
Why Animal Subjects Work So Well for Paint by Numbers
Animal designs have several qualities that make them particularly well-suited to the numbered canvas format. Fur, feathers, and scales all consist of naturally directional, clearly defined sections that map directly onto a numbered system without looking simplified or artificial. The tonal variation within a single coat or set of feathers gives painters a natural progression to work through, building from lighter base tones into deeper shadow sections in a way that produces genuine three-dimensional depth.
Most animal designs also have a strong, clear focal point: the face. Painting the eyes of an animal is one of the most rewarding experiences in the entire collection. It is the moment the painting comes alive, and it is also one of the most achievable moments in any kit. The eyes are precisely numbered, the sections are clearly bounded, and the result is immediately recognisable and emotionally resonant in a way that a landscape simply cannot match.
Best Paint by Numbers Cat Kits
Cat paint by numbers are among the most searched animal designs in the UK, and for good reason. The combination of intricate fur texture, expressive facial features, and the personal connection cat owners feel to the subject makes feline designs particularly satisfying to paint and to display.
Midnight Cat Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Intermediate
A black cat rendered in deep atmospheric lighting, with rich dark tones, subtle highlights, and a pair of striking eyes that anchor the entire composition. The challenge and reward of this design is the dark palette: painting deep blacks, cool greys, and warm highlight tones in the right sequence produces a finished piece with genuine depth and drama. The eyes are the centrepiece, and they repay careful, patient work with a result that looks genuinely alive.
This is the most atmospheric cat design in the collection. If you want a finished painting that commands attention rather than blends into a room, this is the one.
Lightkeeper Cat Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Beginner to Intermediate
A warm, characterful cat portrait with a softer, more inviting palette than the Midnight Cat. Golden and amber fur tones, soft background lighting, and an expression that feels calm and watchful rather than dramatic. The warm palette makes this a more approachable painting experience, with larger, more forgiving sections and a natural colour progression from light to deep that builds confidence section by section.
For painters who want a beautiful cat design without the challenge of a very dark palette, this is the better choice. The finished result is warm, charming, and works in almost any domestic interior.
Best Paint by Numbers Owl Kits
Owls are one of the most enduringly popular wildlife subjects in British art, and they translate exceptionally well into the paint by numbers format. The intricate feather patterns, large expressive eyes, and natural stillness of an owl composition make them absorbing, meditative painting experiences.
Cosmic Owl Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Intermediate
An owl rendered in a vivid cosmic palette of deep purples, electric blues, and warm golds, with a rich, starry background that gives the composition a painterly, almost surreal quality. This is not a naturalistic study: it is a bold, contemporary interpretation of the subject that produces a genuinely striking finished piece. The feather sections are detailed and rewarding, and the luminous background paints relatively quickly, giving the foreground owl a beautiful stage to emerge from.
Winter Owl Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Beginner to Intermediate
A snowy owl in a calm winter setting, painted in soft whites, cool greys, and muted blues. The restrained, naturalistic palette makes this one of the most meditative animal designs in the collection. The large white feather sections build momentum early, and the subtle tonal variation within the coat teaches painters how to create texture and depth from a very limited range of tones. A genuinely peaceful painting experience with a beautifully understated finished result.
Best Paint by Numbers Wolf and Fox Kits
Wolf and fox designs are among the most dramatic and emotionally resonant animal subjects in the collection. The combination of strong facial character, detailed coat textures, and evocative compositions makes these some of the most rewarding wildlife kits available.
Spirit of the Wolf Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Intermediate to Advanced
A powerful close portrait of a wolf in deep, dramatic tones. The coat moves through rich greys, cool blues, and warm highlights, with the face positioned to fill the canvas and demand the painter's full attention. The eyes are rendered with exceptional precision in the numbered design, and painting them is one of the most rewarding single moments available in any animal kit in the collection.
The coat sections are detailed and require patient, systematic work through each colour family. This is not the most beginner-friendly design in the collection, but for painters who want a genuinely impressive finished piece that looks like a professional wildlife portrait, it delivers exactly that.
Silent Watcher Fox Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Intermediate
A fox caught in a moment of stillness, painted in the warm russet oranges, deep ambers, and cool dark tones that define the animal's natural colouring. The composition captures the particular quality of watchful intelligence that makes foxes such compelling subjects, and the warm palette is one of the most naturally satisfying in the collection to work through. The contrast between the bright orange coat and the darker background sections gives the finished piece genuine visual impact.
Best Paint by Numbers Highland Cow and Other British Wildlife
For painters looking for designs rooted in distinctly British subject matter, our UK Exclusives collection features two Highland cow designs that are among the most popular animal kits we stock. Read our dedicated Highland cow paint by numbers guide for a full comparison of both designs and technique advice specific to each one.
Other Notable Animal Designs
Dancing Dolphin Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Beginner to Intermediate
A joyful dolphin in mid-leap against a vivid blue ocean background. The composition is full of movement and energy, with the clean blue and turquoise water sections painting quickly and providing a satisfying foundation for the dolphin's smooth, silvery form. One of the most uplifting and cheerful animal designs in the collection, and one of the most approachable for painters new to wildlife subjects.
Hummingbird Haven Paint by Numbers
Animals Collection | Intermediate
A hummingbird frozen in the moment of hovering, surrounded by lush tropical flowers and vibrant foliage. The iridescent blues, greens, and warm golds of the bird's plumage are among the richest and most rewarding colours in the entire collection to paint. The floral surroundings give this design exceptional variety: three distinct painting experiences within one canvas, with the bird, the flowers, and the background each requiring a different approach and producing a different visual quality in the finished piece.
Want to Paint Your Own Pet?
Every design in our Animals collection features a generic subject. If you want to paint your own specific animal, our Custom Pet Paint by Numbers service converts any photograph of your pet into a premium numbered canvas matched to your image. From £29.99. The finished painting is something no catalogue design can replicate: a portrait of your actual animal, made by your own hands.
How to Get the Best Result from an Animal Paint by Numbers Kit
Paint the Background First, Always
On every animal kit, the background sets the stage. Whether it is the deep navy behind the Midnight Cat, the atmospheric grey behind the wolf, or the vivid blue ocean behind the dolphin, painting it first means you can work freely without worrying about staying within the animal's outline. Any background paint that strays slightly into the animal sections will be completely covered when you paint those sections on top. For the full technique on painting sequence, read our guide on whether to paint light or dark colours first.
Use Directional Brushstrokes for Fur and Feathers
The single technique that most improves the quality of finished animal paintings is directional brushwork. Fur does not grow in random directions, and neither should your brushstrokes. On cat and wolf designs, the fur flows outward from the face and downward along the body. On owl designs, the feathers layer downward from crown to chest. On fox designs, the coat flows back from the muzzle along the flanks. Working with the natural direction of the coat produces a texture that reads as genuinely three-dimensional in the finished piece, even though you are simply filling numbered sections.
Save the Eyes for Last
The eyes are the focal point of every animal portrait in the collection, and they should be the last major sections you paint. With the surrounding fur, feathers, or coat sections already complete and dry, you can place the eye sections with complete confidence and clean boundaries. The moment you complete an animal's eyes is the moment the painting becomes a portrait, and leaving it until the end means you arrive at that moment with all the surrounding context already in place.
Dark background sections on animal kits, particularly the deep blacks and very dark navies used behind cats, wolves, and owls, almost always benefit from two coats rather than one. A single coat of very dark paint over a white or pre-printed linen canvas can leave the printed numbers partially visible through the first application. Let the first coat dry fully for 20 minutes, then apply a second thin coat for a clean, even result. This is the single most effective quality improvement available on any dark-palette animal kit.
Further Reading
For the essential painting technique that applies to every animal kit, read our guide on whether to paint light or dark colours first. For session planning, read our guide on how long paint by numbers takes. For Highland cow designs specifically, our dedicated Highland cow paint by numbers guide covers both designs and technique advice in full. And for our complete collection overview, see our best paint by numbers kits UK 2026 guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best animal paint by numbers kit for beginners?
The Lightkeeper Cat and the Dancing Dolphin are the most beginner-friendly animal designs in our collection. Both feature warm, approachable palettes with generous section sizes and strong focal points that produce impressive finished results without demanding the precision of more complex wildlife portraits.
Is there a paint by numbers cat kit for adults?
Yes. We stock two cat paint by numbers designs for adults: the Midnight Cat, a dramatic atmospheric portrait in deep dark tones, and the Lightkeeper Cat, a warmer, more approachable design in golden amber tones. Both are on premium 40x50cm linen canvas, from £24.99.
Do you stock paint by numbers wolf kits?
Yes. The Spirit of the Wolf is a powerful close portrait of a wolf in deep greys and cool blues. It is an intermediate to advanced design best suited to painters who have completed at least one or two kits previously. From £24.99.
Can I paint my own pet as a paint by numbers?
Yes. Our Custom Pet Paint by Numbers service converts any photograph of your pet into a premium numbered canvas with a paint set matched to your image. Available in four sizes from 30x40cm to 60x80cm, from £29.99.
How long does an animal paint by numbers kit take to complete?
Beginner-friendly designs like the Dancing Dolphin and Lightkeeper Cat take between 12 and 20 hours. More complex wildlife portraits like the Spirit of the Wolf take between 20 and 30 hours. Read our guide on how long paint by numbers takes for more detail.
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 Paint by Numbers Animals
Browse all 45 animal designs in our collection. Premium linen canvas, high-pigment acrylic paints, and three artist brushes in every kit. From £24.99, delivered to your door across the UK.
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