Paint by Numbers in Australia: Kmart, Big W, Officeworks and Spotlight Compared

Budget retail kit (left) versus premium online kit (right). The difference is visible before the first brushstroke.

Paint by numbers kits are easy to find across Australia. Kmart, Big W, Officeworks, Spotlight, and Target all stock them. They are affordable, widely available, and simple enough to pick up on a weekly shopping run. But the number of Australians searching online for better options after trying a retail kit tells a clear story. The in-store experience often falls short of what this hobby is genuinely capable of delivering.

This guide explains exactly what separates one kit from another, compares the major retailers honestly, and tells you when an online kit is worth the step up and when it is not.

Paint by numbers kits are available in most major Australian retail chains, but the range and quality varies significantly.

Why So Many Australians Search for Alternatives

More than 5,800 Australians search for Kmart paint by numbers every single month. That is the most searched paint by numbers topic in Australia. Combined with Big W, Officeworks, Spotlight, and Target searches, the total retailer search volume exceeds 10,700 searches per month.

That volume reflects two types of searchers. The first group is researching before they buy and wants to know what the store actually sells before making a trip. The second group has already tried a retail kit and is now looking for something better. Both groups end up in the same place: searching online because the in-store browsing experience does not give them enough information to make a confident choice.

Understanding what determines quality before you buy is the fastest way to avoid that second search entirely.

What Actually Determines the Quality of a Paint by Numbers Kit

Four components determine whether a paint by numbers kit produces a satisfying result. These are the same criteria used to evaluate every kit in this guide.

Canvas Material

Budget retail kits use standard cotton canvas. Premium kits use linen canvas. Linen has a tighter, more consistent weave that holds acrylic paint more evenly, produces cleaner boundaries between numbered sections, and gives the finished painting a texture that reads as genuine artwork rather than a craft project. The canvas is double-primed with archival gesso so the paint sits on the surface correctly from the first stroke. For a detailed technical explanation, our canvas quality guide covers exactly what to look for.

Left: premium linen canvas with tight archival weave. Right: standard cotton canvas. The difference in texture determines how the paint sits and how the finished result looks.

Paint Quality and Colour Count

Acrylic paint needs to be opaque enough to cover the printed numbers in one or two coats. Thin, watery paint requires multiple layers, slows everything down, and often leaves visible printed numbers underneath even after several passes. High-pigment acrylic covers cleanly from the first application.

The colour count is the single biggest factor in how realistic the finished painting looks. A 12-colour kit merges large areas of tonal variation into flat single sections. A 48-colour kit captures gradients, midtones, shadows, and highlights that make a painting look three-dimensional and professional.

The same landscape subject painted with 12 colours (left) and 48 colours (right). The difference in realism is not subtle.

Design Range and Sizes

Retail stores are constrained by shelf space and seasonal buying cycles. What is available changes with the season and varies by store location. Online suppliers carry 200 or more designs across every category, including landscapes, animals, florals, abstract designs, famous artworks, and custom kits from personal photographs. Size options online range from 30x40cm through to 60x80cm. Retail kits are almost always a single standard size.

Brush Quality

Three brushes, fine, medium, and large, is the standard in most kits. Professional nylon bristles hold their shape across many sessions and deliver consistent paint flow. Budget brushes with plastic ferrules shed bristles into the paint and lose their tip shape after a few uses, which makes staying within fine numbered sections significantly harder. Good brushes are not what most people think to check, but they make a noticeable difference to the experience.

Paint by Numbers Australia: Full Retailer Comparison

The table below compares the five major Australian retailers against a dedicated online supplier across the criteria that matter most. All retail figures are approximate based on currently available stock and may vary by store location and season. Please review these figures before publishing and update any that do not match current stock.

Retail figures are approximate. Prices and stock vary by store and season. Verify before purchasing.

Each Retailer: What You Are Actually Getting

Kmart Paint by Numbers

Kmart paint by numbers kits from the Anko brand are the most searched and most widely purchased entry point for the hobby in Australia. They retail between $12 and $20 AUD and include a cotton canvas, 6 to 12 colours, and 3 basic brushes. For a first-time painter testing whether they enjoy the hobby before investing more, the low price makes a Kmart kit a sensible trial. The limitation is the colour count. With 6 to 12 colours, large areas of the canvas that should contain subtle tonal variation are represented as a single flat section. The painted sky in a landscape kit, for example, may be one solid colour whereas a higher-tier kit would show eight or more graduated tones.

Big W Paint by Numbers

Big W paint by numbers kits sit in the $15 to $25 AUD range. Paint by numbers Big W options tend to carry slightly more colours than the Kmart Anko range, with some kits reaching 24 colours depending on the design. The range rotates seasonally and is heavier in the lead-up to Christmas and the back-to-school period. Canvas and brush quality remain comparable to Kmart. For someone who wants slightly more colour depth within the retail category, Big W is a modest step up.

Officeworks Paint by Numbers

Officeworks paint by numbers stock is limited to a small rotating range at $15 to $30 AUD. Officeworks is not a craft specialist and paint by numbers is a minor category for them. If you are already at Officeworks and want to pick up a kit while you are there, the options available will serve the same purpose as a Kmart or Big W kit. It is not a destination for the hobby.

Spotlight Paint by Numbers

Spotlight paint by numbers kits are the strongest retail option in Australia, sitting at $20 to $40 AUD. As a dedicated craft retailer, Spotlight carries a broader design range and occasionally stocks branded artist collaborations such as Pete Cromer editions. Their 24-colour kits are the most comparable to entry-level online options in terms of colour depth. If you are buying from a physical Australian retail store, Spotlight gives you the best combination of variety and quality available in that channel. Canvas and paint quality remain in the budget craft bracket, but the design range and colour availability are more useful for an adult painter.

Target Paint by Numbers

Target paint by numbers kits are similar in positioning to Kmart and Big W, priced between $12 and $25 AUD with a focus on value and broad appeal. The range is limited and seasonal. For impulse buyers who shop at Target regularly, the options are comparable to what you would find at Kmart.

When a Retail Kit Is the Right Choice

There are two situations where buying from a physical Australian retail store makes genuine sense.

The first is a child trying the hobby for the first time. A $12 to $20 Kmart kit carries almost no financial risk. If they enjoy it, step them up to a kit designed for their age group. If they do not, you have not spent much. Our kids collection is designed specifically for children who have tried the hobby and want larger sections and designs built for their age group.

The second is an adult who genuinely does not know whether they will enjoy the hobby and wants a low-risk trial before investing more. The caveat worth knowing: the experience of a 12-colour cotton canvas kit at $15 AUD is meaningfully different from a 36-colour linen canvas kit. If you try a budget kit and find it frustrating, that does not necessarily mean the hobby is not for you. It may mean the materials were not suited to the task.

The Best Paint by Numbers Australia Has to Offer

For the best australian paint by numbers experience in terms of canvas quality, colour depth, and design range, dedicated online suppliers are the only option. The difference in materials is not marginal. It is the difference between a craft activity and a finished piece of wall art you are genuinely proud of.

Paint On Numbers ships to every Australian state and territory, including NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, ACT, and NT. Standard kits start from $31 AUD for a 40x50cm canvas with 24 colours. The full range extends up to a 60x80cm canvas with 48 colours at $96 AUD without frame.

A premium kit includes everything you need: linen canvas, high-pigment acrylics, professional brushes, and a reference image.

Custom Paint by Numbers Australia

Custom paint by numbers australia is one of the fastest-growing categories in the hobby. A custom kit turns your own photograph into a fully numbered canvas, designed by hand by our artists. Every canvas is reviewed by a human designer who adjusts the colour zones for paintability and visual accuracy before it goes to production. No automated software processes are used.

Popular subjects for Australian customers include family portraits, photographs of pets, wedding photos, and landscape shots of places with personal significance. Personalised paint by numbers Australia searches have grown steadily as more people discover this option exists. It is not available at any Australian retail chain.

Any photograph can become a custom numbered canvas. Popular choices include pets, family portraits, and places with personal meaning.

Custom kits start from $36 AUD for a 30x40cm canvas with 24 colours. Sizes are available up to 60x80cm. The full range of canvas sizes, colour counts, and framing options is on our custom kit page. Custom pet portraits are also available through our custom pet kit.

Australian Pricing and Delivery Guide

All prices in AUD. Custom kits start from $36 AUD for 30x40cm. Pricing shown automatically in AUD when visiting from Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Author

William Murdock is the Founder of Paint On Numbers. He researches the intersection of classical art techniques and accessible DIY applications, and has spent years studying what separates a deeply satisfying creative experience from a frustrating one.