What Is Diamond Painting & Learn How To Diamond Paint
What is Diamond Painting?
Diamond painting is a fun and creative activity that can provide enjoyment for crafters both young and old. Based on a similar concept to paint-by-numbers and cross-stitch, diamond painting involves the placement of small resin 'drills' that resemble diamonds onto a printed canvas, to create a shiny mosaic work of art. Diamond painting does not require any previous experience and our diamond painting kits come in a variety of designs and sizes to cater for all skill levels.
What’s Included Inside Each Painting Kit?
All of our Diamond painting kits contain the following tools and materials:
- Instruction sheet with symbol chart
- Vibrant diamonds, all separately packaged by color
- Canvas that has the design chart printed on it
- Diamond applicator pen and attachments
- Adhesive wax
- Small tray
- Tweezers
- Small ziplock bags to store drills once packets have been opened
Instructions on How to Get Started
Once you have set up your crafting station and carefully looked over your canvas and painting chart, decide which color you would like to start with and pour a portion of those diamonds into your tray.
Once the majority of your diamonds in the tray have their flat side facing downwards, pick up your applicator pen and dip the tip into the wax. Press the tip onto the round side of a diamond to pick it up.
Carefully pull back the protective film on the canvas and press the diamond onto the corresponding symbol. Some applicator pens will have an end that will enable you to pick up multiple diamonds from the tray at once. Repeat this process to complete your design.
Once you have placed down the last diamond, cover the canvas with the plastic film again and use a rolling pin to carefully roll over your design. This will ensure all the diamonds are secure and properly adhered to the canvas.
Helpful Suggestions & Tips
Once you have opened your kit and are ready to begin, carefully look over the entire chart and legend before starting. The packages containing the diamonds will already be labeled with a DMC number, but it sometimes helps to also label the different drills with the corresponding legend symbol used for that color. This will help you to quickly identify the correct color to use while you are working.
Your canvas should be covered with a protective plastic film that will be tacky once it is pulled back. We recommend that you do not remove the entire piece of plastic all at once. Instead, slowly peel it back as you work, as this will ensure that the glue that is used to adhere the diamond pieces onto the chart does not dry out. We also recommend that you re-cover your project with the plastic film every time you take an extended break from working on it, so as to protect your artwork from gathering dust or drying out. It is also much easier to start from the bottom of the canvas and work your way up the design.
Each kit should include a small tray that is designed to hold diamonds while you are working. We recommend pouring in only one single color of diamonds into the tray at any one time. If you do decide to work with multiple colors at the same time, make sure you keep the colors separated in different bowls or trays so they don’t mix and cause confusion.
Be sure to wrap the tip of your applicator pen and your wax in plastic every time you take an extended break from crafting. This will prevent them from drying out.
How to Display your Completed Artwork
Diamond Paintings are a perfect way to brighten and add sparkle to a room. Once completed, you might like to trim the edges of your canvas to remove the chart and branding before displaying your work.
In a frame: Ensure you first remove the frame’s glass pane, as it can take away the sparkly effect from your design.
As a wall hanging: If you know how to sew then you can create a wall hanging on fabric with your artwork. Choose a matching fabric to create a backing and border for your design.
As a pillow: Your artwork can be displayed as a beautiful accent pillow for your sofa or chair. Select a matching fabric for the backing and border of your pillow, and then stuff it with a pillow insert or fibrefill. (Please ensure you read our care instructions noted below if you decide to use this option.)
As a book cover: Diamond painting artwork can also be used on scrapbooks, photo albums and school supplies in order to give them a flashy and unique look. Cut the edges of the completed design in accordance to your preference and stick it on the flat surface of the book cover using double-sided tape.
Care Instructions & Tips
If the canvas gets soiled, use cold water to dampen a cloth and carefully wipe the area to clean it. Do not scrub, wash, iron or dry clean the fabric.
If you have creased your canvas before finishing your project, lay it out as flat as possible and pile heavy books on top of it. Leave it for at least 24 hours and the problem should improve. If you have creased a finished project, use a rolling pin to flatten your artwork.
If diamonds come off your finished project for whatever reason, most craft suppliers should stock generic rhinestone glue that can also be used to adhere the diamonds to the canvas, or clear nail polish also sometimes works. You can also paint a glossy water-based craft sealer on top of your finished project, to ensure the diamonds remain stuck to the canvas, however this is not normally necessary.