Should you paint dark or light first paint by numbers?

There’s no absolute “right way,” but most paint-by-numbers veterans (and manufacturers) recommend working:

1. Dark ➜ Medium ➜ Light
2. Top ➜ Bottom (or left ➜ right if you’re right-handed)
3. Small areas ➜ Large areas

Why start with the darks?

• Value roadmap: The darkest tones set the overall contrast. Once those anchors are down, it’s easier to judge how intense your mid-tones and highlights should be.
• Easy corrections: If a dark section accidentally creeps onto a light area, a later light layer will hide it. The reverse (light under dark) is much more difficult to correct.
• Clean colors: Dark paints are often more opaque and can cover slight smudges or pencil numbers that are still visible.

When might you do the opposite?

• Super-light hues that stain easily (e.g., pastels or yellows) can pick up dark pigment from a dirty brush. If you know you’re prone to dragging color around, you can paint those tricky lights first—just be diligent about brush cleaning.
• If your kit’s paint is unusually transparent, sometimes two coats of light areas are required anyway, so you might choose to knock those out first.

Practical tips, whatever route you take

🖌️ Keep two water cups: one for the first rinse, one for the final rinse—your lights will stay purer.
🖌️ Close the paint pots the moment you’re done with that color; acrylics dry fast.
🖌️ If coverage is patchy, let the first coat dry fully, then do a second rather than globbing on thick paint.
🖌️ Photograph the canvas before you start; if you accidentally cover a number, you can zoom in on the photo to see what goes where.

TL;DR: Dark-to-light is the standard because it maintains values and hides mistakes, but the real key is consistency—pick an order that keeps your hand out of wet paint and your colors uncontaminated. Have fun and don’t stress; it’s meant to be relaxing! 🎨