Quick Reference Guide:

What is Diamond Painting?

Diamond Painting is a totally unique craft. It has the intricacy of a puzzle combined with the look of a complex cross stitched piece, yet has the ease of a paint by numbers type application. A finished Diamond Painting is unique, very sparkly, and worthy of being displayed in your home.

How Does Diamond Painting Work?

Diamond Painting starts with a cloth canvas containing a printed design. The design itself is comprised of a combination of numbers, letters, and/or symbols. Each number has a colored gem associated with it. Using the provided tool, you place the gems on the matching number. The process is methodical, yet soothing and addicting. The result is stunning, beautiful, and eye-catching.

How Small are the Diamond Gems?

Diamond Painting gems are around 3mm wide. The small gems are what make the diamond painting come alive. Every single gem has a tip that catches the light and reflects back the sparkle. The work is intricate and detailed. Those who love Diamond Painting but don't have good eyesight often continue to enjoy their hobby by using a magnifying glass.

Diamond Painting Terminology

Some of the terminology associated with Diamond Painting can be confusing, or can be referred to by different names. Here are some common terms:

  • 5D Painting - Diamond Painting is also known as 5D Painting.
  • Drills - The gems/diamonds are often referred to as drills.
  • Gems - The term gem and diamond are often used interchangeably
  • Full Diamond Painting - A full diamond painting means the entire canvas (both background and design) is covered with gems.
  • Partial Diamond Painting - A partial diamond painting has accents that are not covered in gems. Sometimes this means the background is printed, other times part of the design itself is also printed.
  • Square vs Round Diamond Painting - This refers to the shape of the diamond. Finished diamond paintings will look different depending on if the diamonds are square or round. Square paintings can look more complete because there are no spaces between beads, however square paintings can also have a very pixelated look unless they are very large. Square paintings can also be more challenging as you have to line the beads up in a very precise manner. In the end, square vs round diamonds is a personal preference, and some designs only have a single option.

Step By Step Instructions

  1. Unroll your painting and lie it flat. Leave the plastic on the painting.
  2. Find and open your diamond tool (a long stick with a pointed end), your wax (pink or blue small square), and your gem tray.
  3. Find your packages of gems and note the number, letter, or symbol printed on each bag (tip: do not open a package until you are ready to use that color).
  4. Locate the legend on your painting. This is usually in the margin of the canvas. This tells you which number, letter, or symbol corresponds to each pack of gems.
  5. Select a starting point for your painting, typically on one of the lower corners.
  6. Gently peel the plastic away from the section you are getting ready to work. Do not pull the whole piece of plastic off, as the plastic is protecting the glue on the canvas.
  7. Choose a single color within that starting point and pour some of those gems into your tray (tip: do not pour more than a single layer into the tray).
  8. Remove the clear plastic from one side of the wax square.
  9. Press the pointed end of your diamond tool into the wax. A single press will do. You are filling the hollow inside of the skinny pointer with wax. You only need to repeat this step when your tool stops picking up gems.
  10. Lightly touch the pointed end of gem with your diamond tool. The tool should pick the gem up easily.
  11. Locate the number, letter, or symbol that matches your gem and press the gem to the appropriate spot on the painting.

That's it! You're now diamond painting! Keep adding those gems! Remember that you do not need to repeat the wax step until the tool stops picking up gems. When you have finished your working session, replace the plastic on the canvas and your wax. It is helpful to set a heavy book on top of the section you were working on. This is not a requirement, it just helps to set the gems and gradually flatten out the painting. If you choose not press the painting as you go, use a rolling pin with moderate pressure to set the gems when the painting is complete.

Additional Tips

Here are some general tips to help you with Diamond Painting:

  • If the canvas legend contains different letters, symbols, or numbers than are printed on your bags, mark your bags with the appropriate symbol from the legend.
  • After pouring the gems into the tray, shake the tray side to side gently. This helps turn the gems the correct side up.
  • Sometimes a certain color of gems will be prone to sticking together. Do not try to separate them with your fingers. Set the stuck gems aside and return them to the bag. With the bag properly closed, rub the gems with your fingers. You can also cut small pieces from a dryer fabric sheet and insert them into the container with the gems. Work around any that are stuck still together, because you might have enough that you don't have to use those.
  • If you are having issues picking up gems, you might need more wax. If you've added more wax but are still having issues, you might need a lighter touch when picking up the gems. Try to just barely touch the tip of the gem with the tool and it should pick up.
  • Sometimes there are dense sections of hard to see colors. Work these for a while, then switch to a lighter and less dense color to give yourself a refreshing break.
  • Always wrap the wax back up, including sealing it within the plastic bag it came in.
  • It is also advised to put the diamond tools back in the plastic bag, to help preserve the wax that is already in the tip.
  • Always cover your painting back up with the provided plastic while it is in progress.
  • Use the small pointed end of the diamond tray to put the diamonds back into the bag.
  • Save all the trays, tools, wax, and diamonds when you are finished with your project. You can use these on other diamond painting projects.
  • Having additional trays and/or containers to house the gems can be helpful while working diamond paintings. We plan to sell general diamond painting accessories soon.
  • All diamond paintings come rolled, which results in creases. The creases will work themselves out as you add diamonds to your canvas and should not be present in your final picture. You can gradually help these creases by pressing the painting with books as you work. You can iron the painting before you apply the first beads, but do this very carefully and at your own risk. Do not iron a painting that already has beads. To iron the painting, use a warm iron (very low setting, no steam) on the back of the painting (with plastic face down on your board), focusing on any creases in short periods of time. If the canvas starts to get hot, stop ironing that section and move to another. Do not remove the plastic prior to ironing, and do not iron over the plastic. Make sure the iron is not hot enough to melt the plastic on the other side of the canvas.

One final tip: Watch out! Diamond painting is highly addictive and fun!

What comes with each Diamond Painting Kit?

Each diamond kit contains everything needed to complete the painting. You will receive your canvas, a tool for applying the gems, a tray to hold your gems, a wax square, and all the gems needed to complete the painting.  If you have a square diamond kit, it might also comes with tweezers that can be used to push and realign gems that have already been laid down. Some gem tools have two ends. The smaller end is for individual gems, and the large end works well to pick up 3-10 square gems at a time. We also include our own instruction and tip sheet, since most diamond paintings do not come with any included instructions.

How Our Diamond Paintings Differ from Other Websites

The majority of all diamond paintings come from the same set of manufacturers. Most websites that sell Diamond Paintings sell them for a large markup, yet have your orders drop shipped from overseas. This causes long waits for your orders. We are sourcing our paintings from the same suppliers, however we have the product in hand in our U.S. store. Our diamond paintings ship just as quickly as the other products on our site. We also strive to offer better pricing than the other sites.

The diamond paintings we offer are hand chosen for beauty and uniqueness, with a strong focus on the theme of our brand - owls. We also have some custom diamond paintings that are unique only to us, and specifically for nail polish lovers.

Shop Our Paintings

You can find our selection of diamond painting kits and accessories here:

https://nailhoot.com/collections/diamond-paintings