What is Diamond Painting and Why Should You Get into This Hobby?
Diamond painting has made its way into the hearts of many crafters and DIY artists around the world.
After its introduction in 2015, it became very popular that it carved a reputation for itself as one of the best hobbies out there.
You may have stumbled upon this post to learn more about diamond painting. If so, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about diamond painting, how to start with this hobby, and the different benefits you’ll enjoy.
What is Diamond Painting Cross Stitch?
Diamond painting, also referred to as diamond painting cross stitch, combines both paint by numbers and cross stitch.
With this hobby, you’ll be dealing with shiny diamonds set in resin. These diamonds shine because of the facets cut into the sides.
Just like traditional cross stitch, you create a marvelous design on the canvas with diamond painting. The difference is that diamond painting is an easier alternative.
It also comes with therapeutic benefits that you will find more about as you read this post.
Types of Diamond Painting
There’s 3D and 5D diamond painting. Both types of diamond painting are about dealing with the diamonds in your diamond painting kit. You can also refer to the diamonds as drills or small beads or rhinestones.
3D diamond painting allows you to place drills onto a canvas that is blank or numbered. The drills have three facets on every side, which sums up to nine facets overall.
On the other hand, 5D diamond painting lets you work with drills that feature give facets on every side.
Between 3D and 5D diamond painting, the difference is in the result of the drills you’re placing.
Because the drills for 5D diamond painting come with more facets, the artwork sparkles more and features more depth.
What are Diamond Painting Kits?
Getting into diamond painting is easy. But to make it even easier, you must get the right diamond painting kit before getting started
But first, below are the materials that you can find in a typical diamond painting kit:
Canvas
The canvas is where you stick the diamonds using glue to create your diamond artwork.
A standard kit comes with a guide on how to use the canvas to make the process effortless. It also comes with printed numbers and symbols that show the color of the diamonds you should be using.
Each canvas has a pasting area. This is where you’ll be placing the drills to create the entire painting.
There are diamond painting canvases with white spaces on all corners and the section within the spaces is the pasting area.
Other canvases are full coverage. It means that the entire canvas is the pasting area - there are no white spaces on the sides.
Diamonds
Diamonds, also known as drills, come in with the colors of the artwork you’re recreating.
Every diamond of a certain color in a kit has a code. You must place the DMC code-coordinated diamond onto the canvas to get the painting right.
Tray
The tray helps you separate diamonds based on their codes and pick them up easily. It also features a dipped corner so you can funnel the diamonds into their packaging without making a mess.
Glue
This material lets diamonds stick to the application tool. Like some people, you can also use wax.
Diamond Applicator pen
It is a cylindrical tool with a hollow end. To use it, you need to apply glue on its end. Then get the diamonds from the tray using its tip and place it onto the canvas.
Type of Diamond Painting Kits
You can get different types of diamond painting kits based on your project’s complexity.
To find out which kit is best for you, check out the types below.
Full
It contains a canvas that is fully printed with symbols. Your job is to attach the drills and ensure that they correspond to the symbols on an entire canvas.
To achieve the desired result with this kit, however, you need to go through each printed symbol on the entire canvas.
As a result, a full diamond painting kit is a more time-consuming process and requires more patience compared to other kits.
But because of the level of detail required to complete this kit, your painting will stand out more.
Partial
It comes with a canvas that is partially printed with symbols.
This means you’ll only attach drills on a part of an entire canvas. Thus, it requires less time from your end.
If you only want to highlight a specific portion of a canvas, you can still create a pretty painting with this kit.
Multi-paneled
If you want to paint lots of pictures a multi-paneled drill kit is the right one for you.
It comes with canvases with partial and full drill kits - whatever you need to complete your project.
Types of Diamond Painting Drills
The diamond drills is determined by their shape. And the best type of diamond painting drill one needs to purchase depends on his or her skill level.
Without further ado, there are also two types of drills:
Round drills
If you’re new to diamond painting, round drills help you get acquainted with the hobby.
All you need to do with this drill type is place them onto the canvas one by one. This way, you can develop your craft first.
However, because of their shape, there are spaces in between drills once pasted onto the canvas. As a result, the painting doesn’t look as refined and sharp unlike the other drill type.
Square drills
Seasoned diamond painters prefer square drills. They offer a more detailed and shiny painting once you’re finished with the artwork.
At the same time, you need to learn how to line up the drills onto the canvas. Since square drills have corners, you need to align them with the canvas. If not, the painting won’t look as beautiful.
As you can see, creating beautiful artwork with diamond painting demands skill and precision on your part. So you need to have both in spades if you want to partake in this addictive hobby.
Different Diamond Painting Sizes
Once you have your diamond painting kit, it's tempting to jump into this hobby right away.
But before doing so, you need to know what the difference between canvas size and picture size.
It’s easy to interchange the two because they sound the same for beginners. But lots have made the mistake of buying the wrong painting size for this very reason.
Here’s what you need to know about both:
The canvas size refers to the size of the area for your entire painting.
To ensure that your picture will fit properly, see to it that your canvas size is higher than the picture size.
The picture size refers to how big or how small the picture is on the canvas.
In most cases, going with higher picture sizes or bigger pictures is the better choice. Bigger pictures are sharper and have better resolution.
And as mentioned earlier, beginners should start with a low picture size. This lets them avoid getting overwhelmed by the details of a much larger picture size.
Diamond Painting Techniques
There are many ways to do diamond painting. And that’s a great thing!
As a hobby, diamond painting allows you to proceed at your own pace and style. So use whichever technique that makes you feel comfortable.
Below, you’ll find all the diamond painting techniques that crafters and DIY artists have used over the years:
One at a Time
Place the drills onto your canvas one color at a time. This technique is as straightforward as it can get.
On the downside, it can be time-consuming and the exposed portions of your canvas can become less sticky after a while.
Work Your Way Up
The idea is to save the best for last. And in this case, the best refers to the highest number of same-colored drills.
So count the number of drills you have for each color. Then place the smallest number of same-colored drills on your canvas. Move on to the ones with a higher number and so on.
Zig-zag
Place the drills on your canvas diagonally. This technique ensures perfectly lined drills.
Farm Plot
Divide large same-colored blocks into “little plots.” Then work on these plots like a farmer would.
The Dealer
In this technique, you take out an old credit card. You then run it from one end of your canvas to the next. Remember to do this between the drills so you end up pushing them into place.
The Checkerboard
Use alternating color arrangements when placing drills onto your canvas. It’s just like on a classic checkerboard’s design.
How to Do Diamond Art
An advantage of diamond painting is that it doesn’t have a steep learning curve.
Even if you’re not much interested in the arts, you can master this hobby as long as you practice all the time and provided that you enjoy it.
Therefore, below is a step-by-step guide that will help you with everything you need to know before and during diamond painting.
Prepare a workplace - Set up a simple workstation where you’ll be doing your new hobby. It could be in your room, garage, or living room. Any place is fine as long as you can work on your painting without interruptions.
Setup your diamond painting kit - You need to arrange everything inside your kit so you’ll have an easier time with your project. How you go about this is up to you. For instance, you can tape your canvas to a flat surface so it doesn’t move when you paint.
Learn the numbers and symbols - Understanding the numbers and symbols printed on your canvas will help you work better and faster. It lets you familiarize yourself with the picture you’ll be painting.
Prepare the canvas - Then the actual painting begins. Get your canvas and peel back a bit of its protective coat.
Prepare the diamonds - Then take out the diamonds from your kit and pour them into your tray. As you unload them, it’s best to make them face up and towards the right.
Dip your pen into a container of glue - Next is to pick up the diamonds that you will place on your canvas. So start by dipping the diamond applicator pen into the glue.
Press your pen’s nib on the diamonds - Remember, the pen’s nib has to be filled with glue. This will make the diamonds stick easily to it.
Place the diamonds on the canvas - It’s time to transfer the diamonds and create the painting. Refer to the corresponding symbols for this.
From this point on, just repeat the step-by-step process on how to do diamond art until you finish your painting.
And as you go through the process, it won’t be long until you realize that diamond painting is easy!
Diamond Painting Tips
Above is the process of painting using the diamond drills.
However, it’s possible that you’re having difficulty with doing some steps, which is fine.
As mentioned, there’s no right or wrong way on how to create a diamond painting from scratch.
That’s why the tips below should provide you with additional information on how to get the job done right from the start:
Put labels on your drills
Labeling your drills differentiates each from one another. For example, label the red drills as “red drills”, and so on.
You should also use the leftover square drills from your old paintings to label the square drills. Then do the same for the round ones.
Re-use old boxes
Look for old boxes around your home. They could be old boxes for chocolates, shoes, or ice
cream. You can store your supplies in them.
Use leftover beads
If you create lots of diamond painting, it’s common to end up with many leftover beads. An option is to throw them away. But a better way is to store them for use later.
Use a multi-purpose organizer
A storage system with multiple uses can help you secure what’s inside your diamond painting in one place. For example, some organizers feature adjustable slots. So go with them to help organize your materials better.
Get a proper covering for your canvas
There should be an adhesive layer that lets your diamonds stick on your canvas. If you can’t find it, look for an adhesive covering yourself and cover your canvas with it.
Because its own adhesive layer is probably stuck to your canvas’ covering rather than on the canvas itself, you can’t peel it off where you’re supposed to. So just do it from a different corner.
Straighten your canvas
You can unroll your canvas to make sure it’s flat then insert it between two mattresses. Leave it there overnight as you sleep.
You can also peel back your canvas’ plastic film covering and straighten your canvas. Once it’s straight, return the covering.
Don’t store the resins too close together
Use a dryer sheet. Otherwise, the resins will get static and make it difficult for you to stick them on the canvas.
Remove air bubbles
Poke a small hole through the covering of your canvas. Doing so lets you create an area for air bubbles to escape.
Avoid applying too much pressure on your diamonds.
Pick up the diamonds with your diamond application pen gently. Remember, the tool’s nib has glue.
If you apply the wrong amount of pressure while you paint, the glue may end up stuck on your diamonds. The result? Dull diamonds.
Use a toothpick
If you dropped some diamonds and are in need of help in picking them up, then a toothpick will be your best friend. It also help you push the diamonds back in line.
A toothpick is as useful as your diamond application pen. It’s not sticky and won’t pull up or remove the diamonds you’ve already placed on your canvas.
The Benefits of Diamond Painting
We’ve discussed how fun diamond painting can be as a hobby.
However, we haven’t touched upon the mental and emotional benefits that diamond painting brings to the table.
Here are its other benefits:
Increased discipline
This hobby is very methodical. It lets you understand that you need to finish one drill at a time.
Enhanced motor and coordination skills
Painting on canvas requires precision. By practicing this hobby, you are also practicing precision. And so, it boosts your muscle memory that handles the motor and coordination skills in your brain.
Treatment for anxiety
Diamond painting can help you relax by letting you invest a lot of time and attention into your painting. It keeps you away from overthinking about stressful situations and spending too much
time on your phone.
Improved focus
It requires repetitive actions, right? So to perform those repetitive actions, you need to focus.
Conclusion
Now that you know everything there is to know about diamond painting, it’s time to put your knowledge into action.
There are lots of kits with different designs and artworks that suit your needs. You can start by heading on to DiamondPainting.com for kits of varying styles and sizes of your choice.
Follow the steps and tips below to be sure you choose the right kit and complete the painting without mistakes!
Another awesome thing about diamond painting is that you can create lots of paintings that you can then put in a frame. What you do next with your framed paintings is up to you.
A cool option is to display them online to inspire others to get into the same hobby. You can also give them to your loved ones as gifts during special occasions. And you can even design your home with them!