Paint by Numbers Canvas Sizes: How to Pick Between 12x16 and 16x20

Most people pick a canvas size by thinking about their wall. Size also sets how small every shape on the canvas is, which is what you feel on the evenings you spend painting it.

The same design printed smaller keeps the same number of shapes. They just get tighter. An eye that was comfortable on one canvas becomes a sliver on the other.

We print two sizes, so this is a short decision with only a few things in it.

The two sizes, side by side

Classic is 12 by 16 inches. Large is 16 by 20 inches.

On paper that is four inches in one direction and four in the other. On a wall it is a bigger step than the numbers suggest, because area grows faster than edge length. The Large canvas carries about two thirds more surface than the Classic.

Every design we sell comes in both, framed or rolled, so the picture you want is never the thing that decides the size.

How the two sizes differ in practice

Three things change when you go up a size.

• Every shape gets roomier, so your brush fits inside it with less care
• There is more surface to cover, so the open areas take longer
• It reads as a proper piece of wall art from across a room rather than from the doorway of a small hallway

The first of those is the one people underestimate. Roomier shapes feel easier, and they are usually faster too, even with more canvas to cover, because you stop slowing down for every edge.

How the size of each shape changes the painting

Judge a design by its busiest part. A sky is forgiving at any size. Petals, feathers, fur, ripples and anything with a face in it are not.

On a Classic canvas those busy areas turn into small shapes packed close together. You can still paint them, but you hold your breath a bit, and you reach for the fine liner far more often.

On a Large canvas the same areas open up. The fine liner comes out for the smallest details only, and the rest you can do with a medium brush and a steady hand.

Designs that want the extra room

Go Large if the design has any of these in it.

• A face, human or animal, where the eyes carry the whole picture
• Still water with reflections, which doubles the detail
• A busy street, a market, a town seen from a distance
• Fur or feathers drawn as many separate strands
• Lots of colors that sit close together in tone

Designs that are perfectly happy small

A Classic canvas is plenty for a design built from big flat areas.

• A single flower or a small group of them against a plain ground
• A landscape with a lot of sky or water
• One animal with a simple background behind it
• Anything described as beginner friendly, which usually means big shapes

Our beginner collection is sorted on shape size rather than subject, so most of what is in there works well on the smaller canvas.

How long each size takes

Most people finish a canvas over several sittings of an hour or two rather than in one go.

Size pushes that total in both directions at once. A Large canvas has more surface, so the big areas take longer. It also has roomier shapes, so the detailed areas go quicker. For a simple design, Large takes a bit more time overall. For a detailed design, Large often takes less, because the fiddly parts stop being fiddly.

The design decides the hours far more than the size does.

Matching the size to your wall

Once the painting is on the wall, size turns into a question of proportion.

Above a sofa, a bed or a sideboard

A single canvas over a piece of furniture wants to be wide enough to look deliberate. A Classic canvas on its own tends to float above a three seat sofa. Large sits better, and two canvases hung as a pair better still.

A hallway, a landing, a shelf or a desk

Classic is the right call in tight spots: narrow walls, the gap between two doors, a bookshelf, a desk, a kitchen corner. In a hallway you stand close to the painting, so the smaller canvas never feels mean.

A gallery wall

If you plan to hang several together, matching sizes makes the group look intentional. Picking Classic for all of them also means each canvas is a shorter project, so the wall fills up faster.

Tall or wide

Size and shape are two separate choices. Some of our designs are taller than they are wide, some are wider than they are tall, and the measurements are the same pair of numbers either way.

Check the orientation against the space before you order. A tall canvas suits a narrow wall or the gap beside a window. A wide one suits the space above furniture. It is the kind of thing that is obvious once the parcel is open and annoying to work out then.

Which size to pick for a first canvas

If you are new to this, Large is the kinder choice, and it surprises people. Bigger sounds harder. In practice the roomier shapes mean less squinting and less touching up, and fewer moments where the brush is simply too wide for the gap.

Pick Classic for your first if the design is already simple and open, if the wall you have in mind is small, or if you would rather keep the first one short and see how you get on.

Either way, choose the design first. Browse the full catalog or the best sellers, find a picture you actually want on your wall, then let the detail in it tell you which size to order. If the picture you want is a photograph of your own, a custom kit comes in the same two sizes.

Questions about canvas size, 12x16 and 16x20

Is a bigger canvas harder to paint?

No, usually the opposite. There is more surface to cover, but every shape is roomier, so the detailed areas are easier and quicker. Difficulty comes from the design, not from the size.

Which size takes longer to finish?

For a simple design with big open areas, the Large canvas takes somewhat longer. For a detailed design, Large can be faster, because you spend less time on tiny shapes. Either way, count it in evenings.

Do both sizes come with the same number of paints?

Yes. A size change does not change the design, so the same colors appear on both, each with its own numbered pot.

Can I get the same design in both sizes?

Yes. Every design we sell is available as Classic 12 by 16 and as Large 16 by 20, framed or rolled.

What size should I buy as a gift?

Large, unless you know the wall it is going on. It suits more spaces and it is friendlier to paint, and it looks more like a present worth unwrapping. Our guide to what makes a kit good covers the rest of what to check before you order.