Maikoo Art Review: Paint by Numbers Kits That Actually Look Good

Paint by numbers has had a serious glow-up in recent years, and Maikoo Art is one of the brands leading that resurgence. I ordered three kits across different difficulty levels to get a proper feel for what they deliver — and I came away genuinely impressed.

The Kit Contents

Each Maikoo kit includes a pre-printed canvas, three brushes in different sizes, a full set of numbered acrylic paints, and a colour reference card. The paints come in small numbered pots that are easy to organise, and the canvas quality is noticeably better than cheaper alternatives — it holds texture without warping. The optional wooden frames (both DIY-assembly and pre-assembled) are a nice touch if you plan to hang your finished work.

The Painting Experience

Maikoo offers kits across a wide aesthetic range — from the Colorful Mountains and Dopamine Series to custom photo-to-painting options where you upload your own image and receive a personalised canvas. I tested a medium-complexity landscape and a custom portrait. Both took around 6–8 hours of relaxed painting across several sessions, which made them ideal weekend wind-down projects.

The numbered sections are clearly printed and large enough that even someone with unsteady hands can follow along. Where finer details are needed — around facial features in the custom portrait for instance — the brushes provided are appropriate for the task. I did find that a couple of lighter colours needed two coats to fully cover the printed numbers, which is standard for the medium but worth knowing.

Custom Photo Option

The custom paint-by-numbers is where Maikoo really stands out. You upload a photo, choose your colour depth (24, 36, or 48 colours — more colours means more detail), and they produce a canvas that genuinely resembles the source image once completed. I used a family photo and the result was frame-worthy. It is a completely different category of personalised gift compared to anything you will find in a craft store.

Value for Money

Kits start from around $24.90 and the buy-2-get-1-free deal makes stocking up extremely cost-effective. For the quality of materials and the hours of engagement you get, it represents solid value — especially when compared to buying individual art supplies to achieve a similar result.

Verdict: Maikoo Art delivers quality kits that produce results worth hanging on your wall. The custom photo option alone makes them worth trying. Use code NEW10 for 10% off your first order.