A Beginner’s Guide to Diamond Art Painting

Diamond Art is a relaxing, fun way to beat boredom and reduce stress. Read on to learn how to get started diamond painting and what supplies you need to get started. Soon you’ll be creating diamond paintings you will treasure for years to come.

What Is Diamond Art Painting?

What is Diamond Art? Diamond Art is a hobby where you stick diamond jewels onto a pattern to look like a mosaic. Sometimes called diamond art painting (although there is no paint involved), this fun creative hobby is easy to do, frugal and great for kids and adults.

Diamond painting is a form of mosaic art where you, apply shiny resins (plastic beads or diamonds) onto a pre-glued canvas to complete the painting. Similar to a paint-by-numbers concept, this craft requires no artistic skills and is a fun and relaxing way to create something beautiful.

Diamond Painting to Relax and Reduce Stress

Since its beginning, diamond painting has been huge among the arts and crafts community and has become a popular hobby among many people. It’s a great craft to do to beat boredom at home and a great calming hobby.

All Diamond Painting says, “Unlike hobbies such as knitting or gardening, Diamond Painting provides a much quicker and stress-free result and does not require any previous experience on your part. You could go into it not knowing a thing about painting with diamonds, and you could still create a decent painting on your first try.”

Diamond painting is also a good way to relax and unwind as you lose yourself into the process of creating. Kick back and enjoy the time as you create your own artwork.

Sometimes diamond art listings on Amazon uses the words “cross stitch” but there is no stitching or thread involved. There is also no paint, making this a relatively mess-free way to craft at home.

Diamond Art for Kids and Adults

I first heard about diamond art as part of my job as a social worker. When talking to parents of kids with special needs and stressing the importance of self-care, a number of them mentioned diamond art as a fun hobby and way they relax.

I was intrigued but never took the time to order a kit for myself until recently. When we were on stay-at-home orders last year, guess what was one of the first things I ordered from Amazon? A diamond art kit!

This was the perfect time to try out this new hobby for relaxing at home and I discovered that it was fun for me and an enjoyable craft for my kids, too.

At your next family gathering, try bringing out a diamond art kit for everyone to enjoy working on together in the same way you would gather around a puzzle and work on a little bit at a time as you chat and enjoy time together.

What Are Diamond Art Kits?

If you’ve decided you want to give this type of painting a try, you’ll need a kit.

Where can I buy a Diamond Art Kit? I purchase my kits on Amazon. You can also purchase diamond painting kits at stores like Joann Fabric, Michaels, and Walmart.

Diamond Art Kits are quite inexpensive (usually $10-20) and have everything inside them to complete one design. You do not need to purchase any additional accessories, although there are a few I have found extra helpful, which I list below.

Most diamond painting kits include similar contents. Here’s what’s typically including.

• A printed canvas of your preferred size. The canvas will have the design pre-printed and the top layer will be sticky. The canvas comes with a plastic cover. Don’t remove it! You’ll remove it just a bit at a time to place on jewels and use it to keep your art sticky until you finish it.
• Resin diamonds in the required colors. They usually include extra diamonds in the kits so you never run out of your favorite color while painting.
• A plastic tray to hold the diamonds. Typically kits come with a few trays. You’ll dump out the diamonds onto your tray, one color at a time.
• A diamond painting pen tool to pick up diamonds. The pen will help you hold each tiny jewel as you place it on your sticky canvas.
• Glue or wax to insert in the pen tool. This is what makes the jewels stick to the pen. The kits I’ve ordered so far all give a little square of wax. I was concerned that one square wouldn’t be enough but so far it’s been plenty.
• Extra diamonds. Your kit will probably come with many more diamonds that you need, so don’t stress if you lose a few here and there.

What Are The Best Diamond Art Kits?

Diamond Art kits are mostly the same but there are some differences. Choose a design you enjoy because you’ll be looking at it for hours and then might decide to use it to decorate your home.

Here are some of the variations to consider:

• Diamonds can be square or round and are typically flat on one side and a diamond shape on the other side.
• Kits can come with diamonds of all one size or other kits that include some smaller jewels and some larger ones.
• Kits can be labeled as 3D or 5D which has to do with how many sides each jewel has. 5D has more sides and so will give a nicer shimmer effect.
• Some kits have a pre-printed design and you add jewels here and there to brighten the effect. These are easier, faster, and would be easier for children and are often labeled as “partial drill.”
• Other kits are a mosaic and you will be covering the entire canvas with diamonds. These are full coverage diamond painting kits with extra detail. These are more time-consuming and are labeled as “full drill”.
• Kits come in a variety of sized canvases and from different brands. I’ve used a number of different brands and had good results with each. The current design I’m working on is 30 cm x 30 cm.

Check Amazon for recommended diamond art kits for adults.

How Do You Get Started With Diamond Art Painting?

Are you ready to give diamond art a try? Good for you! Here’s what to do.

1. Buy a Diamond Art Kit. Look a kit that catch your eye, having colors that are soothing to you and a final image you will absolutely love. If you want to start with an easier kit, I suggest a smaller size that is a partial drill, which means you’ll only be filling part of the canvas with diamonds.
2. Pick the right size. – If you are a beginner, perhaps choose a smaller canvas (around 30cm x 30 cm) sized kit to start off with and move up in sizes as you learn and get used to the process. Consider a partial fill which is easier to complete.
3. Make sure you have all your tools. – Everything you need will be included with the kit, so be sure to open it carefully. You will get frustrated if you get started only to find out you are missing something or do not have enough of something. When your kit arrives, check the inventory list to double check your supplies.
4. Set up your canvas on your kitchen table or craft table. This project is going to take from several hours to several days, so ideally set up in a place where you won’t have to take it down each time you want to make a meal. Make sure you have plenty of room for your supplies.
5. Choose a color according to the color key. Carefully dump out those crystals into one of the trays.
6. Peel back a small section of the protective covering.
7. Dip the diamond art painting pen in the wax. You don’t need to reload with wax for each jewel, only when it’s not sticky anymore. Typically one load of wax lasts for 20-30 jewels.
8. Pick up a diamond with the pen. Be sure to pick it up so that the flat side is facing down.
9. Gently press the pen tip on to the appropriate circle or square on the canvas.
10. Repeat till you are done. Do this over and over until your picture is complete.
11. Display your masterpiece! Your canvas paintings can be framed, glued, hung or simply put on a shelf to enjoy.

Diamond Painting Supplies

What are the must-have supplies for Diamond Art painting? Your diamond kit should have everything you need inside of it – a canvas, jewels, wax, tray, and pen.

However, while not required I have found there are a couple other supplies that are handy to have.

Light Pad

I purchased a light pad and am so glad I did. This provides light behind your canvas making it easier to see the design. My kids don’t need it, but if you have any issues with your sight, you’ll be thankful you ordered a light pad, and they aren’t expensive.

Light pads are also handy for Bible journaling and any crafts that involve tracing.

Embroidery Box

An embroidery box will hold all of your jewels while you are working on your project. We found this to be really useful when we were doing a larger full drill design. Because you want to preserve the stickiness of your design and only peel away a bit of plastic at a time, you’ll sometimes need to come back to a color. Trying to keep the drills in a tiny envelope is a pain, but it’s easy to store them in the little boxes.

Diamond Art Extra Supplies Kit

This one isn’t so much a need but I think it’s handy to order a kit with extra supplies, like extra trays, wax and a couple extra pens. I ordered one because I liked knowing I wouldn’t run out of anything while I was in the middle of my painting.

The roller is used at the end of your painting to make sure all your beads are stuck down tight. I don’t think it’s really necessary. You can do the same thing with your hand or pressing the painting with a book for a few minutes.

FAQ about Diamond Art

Here are answers to commonly asked questions about diamond art designs.

Is diamond art easy?

Yes, diamond art is very easy and almost anyone can do it. No special skill is required for this new creative hobby.

Can kids do diamond art?

Yes! Diamond art is great for school age children and above. Very young toddlers and children should not do diamond crafts due to the beads being a choking hazard. Older elementary children and above are good for this craft. younger elementary children can do it but might become frustrated with the fine motor skill required.

Is diamond art expensive?

No, diamond art is not expensive. With each kit being $10-20 and providing hours of enjoyment, it’s a frugal hobby.

How do you finish diamond art?

Press your whole diamond art painting to be sure the drills are adhered properly. Paintings can be framed as-is or you can seal your finished product with clear Modge Podge sprayed or painted on.

How do you show diamond art?

Diamond art can be framed, hung to display, or displayed on a shelf.

What are drills?

Drills are another name for the individual diamond pieces of diamond art.

What do you do with left-over diamonds?

This video gives examples of what to do with leftover diamond art drills. They add fun sparkle to all types of crafts.

How To Fix Diamond Art Painting Mistakes

1. The diamonds are not sticking. Most kits are designed so that the sticky cover holds diamonds firmly in place. Be sure you have removed the plastic cover.
2. The diamonds are crooked or you put them on wrong. Take a tweezers or even a toothpick and gently push the diamond into place.
3. You put down the wrong color diamond. Take a toothpick or tweezers and pluck the diamonds off. You can re-position them into the correct location.

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