Diamond Painting Tips & Tricks

Now that you have found your new obsession in form of diamond art, the issue of achieving that “perfect” painting remains. Diamond art, like all other arts, requires practice and precision.

Since diamond painting is gaining more and more popularity, we have queries coming in, regarding how to deal with a certain aspect of diamond art. A lot of our customers share new and interesting tips and tricks to make the process of painting with diamonds easier, accessible and more fun. With the help of our growing community and their experiences, we have picked out the best tips that will help you in mastering the art of diamond painting.

Choose the right painting to start with:

• While choosing for a painting, we always tend to go for the one that is the most complex and stunning, which is a very natural and normal reaction because we all want the best! But as a beginner, it is smart to opt for a nice canvas that is also easy to use.
• Be pragmatic while choosing your canvas as a beginner. Do not choose a canvas that is extra-large or has confusing, complex or identical patterns.
• Some people prefer square diamonds because they fill complete canvas and give a better look, but they need some extra care while applying as compared to round diamonds. Round diamonds are a little easier to work with.

We recommend you choose an easy to do, smaller size, round diamonds kit if it is your first. Here is a guide on how to choose round or square diamonds.

Fixing Adhesive Layer Issues:

• Sometimes, the adhesive layer of the canvas comes off with the protective film when you peel it off. There is no need to worry about it. Simply cover the canvas with the protective film again and press down gently with a roller.Peel off the protective layer from the other side of the canvas, where the adhesive layer is still intact.You are ready to use your canvas!
• In case the adhesive layer is dried up, one alternative is to use a diamond painting glue.
• If the special diamond painting glue is not available, use clear glue. Simply pour out a small amount of glue in a disposable plate and dab a little amount of it onto the diamond that you have picked up using the wax pen. Carefully place the diamond on the canvas. On a cautionary note, this process is slow and tiresome, which is why it is highly recommended to buy a good quality kit that is new.
• You can also use a thin, double-sided tape in case the adhesive on the canvas is dried up.

We recommend that you buy our special diamond painting tape that is there specifically to solve this issue.

Sorting out the diamonds:

• Each diamond painting kit has a plethora of colored diamonds that are extremely small in size and thus a bit difficult to manage.
• Apart from using the grooved tray that comes with the kit itself, use the following household items to help keep your diamonds compartmentalized:
• Egg cartons
• Jewelry boxes
• Any small container, such as a Q-tip holder or an old salt/pepper shaker
• Label the containers using a dark/bold colored marker.
• In order to ease the process of painting, you can tape a colored diamond next to the coded table that comes with the kit. That way, it is easier to identify the colors that are complementary to the codes given on the canvas.
• Do not take out all the diamonds at once. You may accidentally cause them to spill over or mix up. Take out a few at a time to help with organization.

Using the Canvas:

• For painting with diamonds, the canvas is covered with an adhesive layer, and sometimes it can get quite difficult to handle the sticky residue. In order to avoid that, start your diamond painting process by peeling off a small portion of the protective film.
• It is recommended to peel off from the left side of the canvas if you are right handed, or vice versa, to avoid getting the adhesive on hands.
• Use a single color of diamonds at a time to avoid messing up.
• Use a multi-diamond applicator in order to quicken your pace.
• In case you have put down the wrong color, gently tug it off the canvas with tweezers. It is easier to put the diamond drills on the canvas than taking them off, but if an error occurs, carefully take the drill off and replace it with the correct color. Apply gentle force to fix the drill in place.
• Begin at the bottom of the canvas and work your way up. It is the most convenient way to work on the painting.

Using the diamond art pen:

• A diamond art pen is basically an applicator that is used to apply the diamonds to the canvas. It comes with a wax pad or a gel pad. The gel/wax is applied to the tip of the applicator and helps in picking up the diamonds.Peel off a small part of the protective film to use the wax.Cover the pad immediately after using the desired amount of wax to avoid it from being dried out.
• Make sure that the wax on the pen is neither too much, nor too little. Use a suitable amount.
• If the wax pad is dried up, use a rhinestone applier.
• Use a toothpick to bring precision to your work by pushing the diamond in the exact place you want.

For a fine finish:

• Use square drills instead of round ones as they give off a shinier look.
• Avoid pressing down the applicator with too much pressure, otherwise the diamonds will be covered with the wax.
• In case of getting wax on the diamonds, clean them with a damp cloth and dry them before using.
• In case that the canvas has bubbles, take a pointy tool, like a blade, and carefully make small incisions on the surface of the canvas. Be careful not to apply too much pressure; you do not want to make tears in the canvas.
• You can also use a steel scale to do away with the air bubbles. Simply move a steel scale across the protective surface of the canvas to rid it of air bubbles.

Bonus Diamond Painting Tools:

• Use a diamond painting ruler to help ease your process of diamond painting. To use a ruler, place it on a part of the canvas where you want to work on. The ruler has holes in it which coincide with the numbered indicators of the diamonds on the canvas. The holes in the ruler help to keep the drills separated yet fixed in the position. Once you are done with the portion you have worked on, you can remove the stainless-steel ruler and move on to the next portion.

• Use a diamond painting stand, available on our store, to support your canvas. The stand has a particular side and built-in LED lights that help illuminate the painting. As a result, the process becomes easier.

• Use a diamond painting wheel tool to quicken your pace. This new tool consists of a pen-shaped body with a “wheel” on one end. Instead of dipping one end in the wax, use the entire edge of the wheel. Roll this wheel into the grooved tray full of diamonds of one color, then simply roll it over the canvas so that the diamonds stick in bulk.

• Use a diamond painting light pad in case you cannot get a stand. The light pad is almost similar to a board, but with built in LED lights. The LED lights help to illuminate the canvas from underneath and hence help you in making the process less tiresome, and in case of huge, complex canvases, less frustrating.

Bonus tips:

• Place a dryer sheet in between the diamonds to avoid them from sticking to each other.
• If You are in France and you want to buy Broderie Diamant, go to Trendy Diamond Painting, they are the best in business.
• Place the diamonds gently. Don’t use too much force, otherwise you may cause the diamonds to jump and be misplaced.
• If the canvas is still curling after you have put it under pressure, just tape its ends to the surface you are working on.
• Work in portions that you know you can complete in one sitting. Removing and replacing the protective film again and again may cause the adhesive to wear off.
• Use a roller to gently press down on the final piece. Again, make sure not to use too much force!
• Use a pair of tweezers to remove any stray hair, lint or anything that may get stuck to your adhesive canvas.
• Choose a painting you find beautiful. You don’t want to work with something that bores
• Seal the painting to protect your art. You can laminate it or frame it in a picture frame of a suitable size.