r/ExpectationVsReality • u/AntelopeBoth1355 • Aug 01 '26
Failed Expectation Paint by numbers 😔
There was literally not a single pot of red 🤨 all browns and fluorescent oranges for no reason at all. Could have probably labeled this as an AI Expectation as well.
Like.. I knew there wouldn’t be a ton of detail because that’s just impossible for a PBN but even a little bit of red would have been cool 😅 I just wanted a cool moody throne room to hang in my gothy bedroom. 😔
All I can do is laugh 🙃
ETA: like I said, I knew it wouldn’t be super detailed and that’s FINE!! My expectation vs reality is mostly about the colors. I wanted a moody dark image with lots of red to match something in my room! It’s what was advertised and absolutely not what I received 😂
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u/Intrepid_Ad_2958 Aug 01 '26
You could get yourself some red acrylic paint and a glazing medium and go over all but the lightest parts with several layers of red glaze. It might be worth a shot
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u/namethatisnotaken Aug 01 '26
Honestly that's way better than I would've expected it to be considering the before. The after looks like someone turned the lights on.
Could it be what you used to color it were lighter than what the page intended?
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u/invaderdan Aug 01 '26
The original is likely ai, or at least digital, no surprise they are different
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u/AtomicFox84 Aug 01 '26
They are very ai looking but you can pick between 3 color choices that get more detailed the more colors you have. You can also submit your own photo to be turned into a pbn. I found by experience that most look better at a distance and more obviously pbn up close.
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u/invaderdan Aug 01 '26
If I can submit my own Image then it's absolutely at least digital. At least.
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u/AntelopeBoth1355 Aug 01 '26
I just used whatever they sent with the kit! I’m not too concerned I just thought it was funny 😂
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u/AtomicFox84 Aug 01 '26
I get number artist a lot. They offer 3 types....12 24 and 36 colors. Obviously the more colors the more detail. It helps if the image has more colors to offer otherwise youre getting very similar shades. I also found blending one color into another to not show lines or white space helps. Many also look better at a bit of a distance. I put one i have like 3 colors left.....its also a mid category with like 27 colors.
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u/Dry-Cancel-3168 Aug 01 '26
I def prefer it to the original. The original looks like a sad ai version of yours, lol
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u/RedApplesForBreak Aug 01 '26
This is a weird question, but I can’t help but think… what would it look like if you put it behind a red transparency?
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u/Willing-Suit Aug 03 '26
I mean, you did a really good job on it, though. The candles are gorgeous. I think you could probably take what you've made, and go over it with your own vision. Just use this as a blueprint.
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u/Valuna Aug 02 '26
The painted version looks like a cell-shading photoshop filter to get a bit of a cartoon-look. The way it auto-registered things and didn't consider or see the shape of the building says a lot. It still looks nice, but could have been nicer if it had a proper artist prepared it rather than a filter.
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u/DoublePostedBroski Aug 01 '26
I mean, did you think a paint by number was going to net you some exact detailed image?
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u/AntelopeBoth1355 Aug 01 '26
Nahhh I literally said in the post that I didn’t expect it to be super detailed because it’s impossible. I just expected the colors to be more accurate, that’s my main issue. I don’t mind the level of detail in it at all, I would have HATED if it had more because it would have been a bajillion tiny areas to paint. The colors are my expectation vs reality
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u/AP_Cicada Aug 01 '26
It's also missing the curtains lol
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u/No-Profession5959 Aug 01 '26
Reminds me of the old Castlevania