My Diamond Painting Projects

After completing 2 Diamond Painting projects, I am finally ready to document my learnings and experience with my readers.

As I finally complete my 2nd project ( which is bigger than the 1st one), I’m filled with joy and relief. It’s a 40×80 cm canvas with a world map design, and it took me about 30 hours to complete. Some months back, when I was searching for craft activities for myself, I came across diamond painting and decided to give it a try. My first project was on a 30×40 canvas and took me about 4-5 hours to complete.  

Here are what my first Diamond painting project looked like after completion :

The experience of doing it was enjoyable, and the result was satisfying. You, too, can give it a try and create some beautiful works to decorate in your home or gift to your loved ones. But before you start, read this article to understand all about diamond paintings.

What exactly is Diamond Painting?

Diamond painting is not exactly a painting as you don’t use paints and brushes to create this piece of art. It is actually thousands of tiny resin “diamonds” that you stick to a coded adhesive canvas using an ‘applicator pen’ and ‘wax’ to create shimmering Diamond Art. Sounds confusing? Don’t worry! It is pretty straightforward.

First, let me take you through some considerations one needs to make when deciding on the kit to purchase. Then I will take you through the kit’s contents, followed by how to make a diamond painting. 

What are the considerations you should make before buying your kit?

• Google for the online shops that deliver to your location. I go with amazon as it is simple and delivery times are predictable. Plus, they have many designs and patterns to choose from. 
•  While choosing, decide what you would like to use it for. Would you like to frame and hang it on the wall? Or would you like to make a diamond painting greeting card? The choices are many. So, choose accordingly.
• Once the purpose is decided, choose the right size. I would highly recommend starting with a smaller size. If it is your first time, start with something small. It will help you gauge how you find it -exciting or boring. Also, a small project will get over quickly, giving you the boost and enthusiasm to go for something big. 
• Another thing to be considered is the size of the canvas, especially If you have chosen to frame it after completion. Usually, 30×40 cm, 50×70 cm, and 40×80 cm frames are easy to find in the market. Unusual sizes like 25×35 or 45×60 may be hard to find. Customized frames cost more. One alternative is to choose a pattern with a frame. That way, you don’t have to worry about looking for the right frame after completing your project.
• Also, consider whether you want a full drill or a partial drill. Full drill means that you will be filling your entire canvas with stones to complete the design. A partial drill means that your final work will be a partial painting/printed design and partial stones. 
•  Think about the shape of the stones too. Do you want circular stones or square ones? I prefer the former because, with these, I don’t have to worry about how I stick the stone to the canvas. There is no worry about aligning the sides, edges, and corners. 

 Once you have decided on the design, order your kit.

What do you receive in your diamond painting kit?

1. A coded adhesive canvas covered with a plastic sheet
2. Packs of colourful stones
3. Pen
4. Wax
5. Tray 

How do you make a diamond Painting?

1. Have a good look at the pattern and the codes. It is a good idea to start from the edge and move further towards the centre of the canvas till the other edge. The idea is to expose the canvas to air and dust as little as possible. Since the surface is sticky, it can easily attract dust. So, peel off the plastic sheet just as much as needed. After sticking the stones, cover them back again. It will keep your canvas protected.
2. Refer to the legend on the side of the canvas to understand which packet corresponds to which colour. Then open only the pack with which you plan to start. Take a little at a time and take more when needed. In one shot, don’t empty the entire pack into the tray.
   
   
   
3. Then, use the applicator pen and push it into the wax. The pen tip is hollow, and the wax goes into it and fills up the space. The pen can then easily pick the stones from the tray and stick them to the canvas. When you feel that the pen is not holding the stone well, push it again to the wax, and you are ready to go.
4. Use small spare boxes at home to store the leftover stones. Keep these stones safe, as they may get used again. Make sure you make a note of the code. For simplicity’s sake, I just put the leftover stones in the box along with the packet in which it came( as the packet already contains the code). 
5. Continue this way but make sure to cover the canvas with the plastic sheet every time you finish your work.
6. In the end, when your project is complete, protect it with a thin layer of pod podge. 

Place your finished work somewhere where you get sunlight. When the sun’s rays fall on the painting, it shimmers and shines and looks lovely. 

Now, it’s time to reveal my 2nd project, and here is how it looks: 

I am yet to frame it. I’ll do it soon and post my final finished work.

Before completing my write-up, I would like to acquaint my readers with some of the advantages of taking up a diamond painting project.

Advantages of taking up a diamond painting project:

One obvious reason is that you would end up creating a beautiful piece of art, which would give you joy. But there is more. Diamond painting is known to have advantages like :

1. It improves hand-eye coordination
2. It improves your patience
3. It helps you concentrate for longer periods of time at a stretch
4. It helps reduces stress and anxiety
5. And, of course, it unplugs you from your phone/laptop.

But Diamond painting requires a lot of patience and time. Do keep that in mind, or else you will have an incomplete project lying somewhere in the corner of the house!

Dear Readers: If you have already tried diamond painting, please share your works with me. If you are new to it and this article helped you learn and try something new, do let me know and do consider subscribing to my blog. Happy Diamond painting!

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