Paint by numbers from wedding and family photos

You can turn a wedding photo, a family portrait or a picture of your grandparents into a paint-by-numbers kit, to paint yourself or to give away. OutlineArt does it for free in your browser, and your photo never leaves your device.

Faces are the hardest part to get right. Change an eye or a smile slightly and suddenly it looks like someone else. That's why the photo you pick matters more than any setting.

Pick a photo that keeps faces recognisable

Give the faces room. In a group photo every face is small, and a small face only gets a handful of areas. One to three people works best, with their faces filling a good part of the picture. If you love a big group shot, frame just part of it, or pick a photo of a couple instead.

Look for even light. Strong light from one side splits a face into a bright half and a dark half. Sunglasses and hat brims that shade the eyes hide the expression.

Be careful with white wedding dresses in full sun. Often the photo has no detail left in the fabric at all. A slightly darker shot keeps the folds and the lace.

Old photos work too. Scan the print, or photograph it straight on in good light. A black and white photo gives you a painting in greys, mixed mostly from white and black.

Settings for portraits

Go for 24 to 36 colours. Skin needs several close tones, or it looks flat. Fine detail keeps eyes, mouths and other small features sharper, though it also gives you a lot more tiny areas, so it suits a patient painter.

A3 or US Tabloid (11 x 17 in) gives faces the most room. If you want it bigger still, a print shop can enlarge an A3 sheet to A2. Use the zoom to crop in on the people and leave out empty sky or floor.

Once the pattern is made, use Zoom in to check each face. If the features have run together, frame closer or add colours and try again. Look at the preview page too. If the preview looks like them, the finished painting will.

Giving it as a gift

A painted family photo makes a personal present for an anniversary, a wedding, Mother's Day or Father's Day. Grandparents often love painting their grandchildren, too.

To put the kit together, print the outline at actual size on thick card, 200gsm (about 110 lb cover) or heavier. The colour key and preview can go on ordinary paper. Add a basic acrylic set with white, black, red, yellow, blue, burnt sienna, green and magenta, and a few small brushes. A frame for the finished painting is a nice extra.

How to print your paint by numbers covers paper sizes and what to ask a print shop for. The mixing guide helps with skin tones.

Paint it together

Print a few copies of the same outline and paint them side by side at a family get-together. Or split one big print between a few people. Either way, everyone ends up with a painting of the same memory.

Private by design

Wedding and family photos are personal. OutlineArt makes the pattern on your own device, so your photo is never uploaded, and you don't need an account.