What Is Diamond Painting? Here's The A-Z!

Posted by Lynn Hamilton on 13th Dec 2021


Picture of Van Gogh's Starry Night

What Is Diamond Painting?

Diamond painting is a new and exciting hobby that helps you to relax by using small-synthetic crystals to create your design.

It's considered a mosaic art form using small colorful crystals, called drills, that shine like diamonds.

The diamond drills are numbered according to their color and are matched to a symbol on a legend.

The tiny drills are then placed onto an adhesive canvas with corresponding symbols.

Diamond art is an easy and fun craft to pick up with no prior experience required.

When you pick up this hobby you'll receive a diamond painting kit such as 5d diamond painting kits along with 5d diamond painting instructions.

I already know how to diamond paint and just want to shop ->HERE

What Is 5D Diamond Painting?

5D means special effects that the artwork reflects when it's finished for a realistic effect.

5D means 5-dimensional, and the diamond drills you will use are square shaped.

3D diamonds have 3 facets, and these diamond drills are round shaped.

The more facets the resin has the more it'll sparkle.

What Comes in a Diamond Art Kit?

diamond painting canvas

In your diamond painting kit, you'll find all you diamond painting tools such as the diamond painting canvas with adhesive, glue/wax pad, drill pen, drill tray, and tweezers.

A drill is defined as the shape of the diamonds you'll use for your canvas.

There are square and round drills. They are also known affectionally as diamond dots.

Round drill paintings have a cross-stitch effect, and the square has a mosaic effect when they're completed.

The diamond painting kit comes with a canvas since without it you can't do the diamond painting. Your canvas will have numbers or symbols printed on it that go with the colors of the diamonds.

The canvas has a layer of glue that'll let the diamonds stick to it. Each code will be on the canvas and the diamond as well.

Diamond Painting Tips

Checkerboard pattern diamond painting tip

When learning how to diamond paint, you'll want to first lay all of the materials on a flat surface.

You'll want them within reach but high and out of the reach of children and free from distractions.

Arrange your diamond painting supplies, and sort out your diamonds before beginning.

Before beginning, you'll also want to study the numbers and symbols on the canvas to have an idea in mind of the image you'll be creating.

Place the diamond packet into a tray and then look at the numbers or letters on the canvas. You'll want to then choose what color to begin with.

Shake the tray so that the diamonds are flat-side down.

You'll want the faceted side to be facing up when you grab it with your applicator.

Work section by section and remove the plastic film as you go.

One technique is to start the diamonds at the top corner of the design and work your way down.

When you're done make sure to replace the plastic film.

When your diamond painting is complete, you'll want to also place the plastic film on top.

You'll want to use a book or rolling pin to press the canvas and secure the diamonds.

Once your painting is done, you can frame your diamond painting and hang it up in your home.

For more on this, see our comprehensive blog post: A Helpful Guide to Diamond Painting:

Techniques, Tips and Framing

Square or Diamond Paintings?

picture of square or round

Choosing between square or diamond paintings is up to your personal preference.

If you choose round-shaped diamond paintings, they leave a gap between the diamonds, and the final result is less clear-cut.

Because of this, many choose square over round.

Round diamonds are easier and quicker than square diamonds though.

The Benefits of Diamond Painting

When you're doing diamond painting, it takes attention and focus on the activity, which then leads to improved concentration.

This is a great activity for children who have a shorter attention span and need to keep busy.

If you're sitting for too long that can increase anxiety, so it's important to do a hobby that'll keep your mind active.

When you're using the same muscles as you are during diamond painting, it helps to strengthen your motor skills and is beneficial for children.

It's also a great learning experience for yourself or your child to learn something new that's not hard to pick up.

It's also extremely relaxing.

It'll be a sense of accomplishment after you see your finished work.

Ideas for Organizing Your Diamond Art

Whether organization is important to you or not, it's vital you keep all of the items necessary for your diamond art.

You can label your drills for storage to keep them separate from each other.

You can also use labels that are in the shape of the drills, in case you have both square and round paintings.

When you're done with your painting and have leftover diamond dots, instead of throwing them out, why not reuse them?

You can create mosaic art with the leftover resin and decorate different items such as notebooks.

For organizational purposes, you can buy a multi-use organizer to keep your supplies separated.

You can also keep your diamond painting covered and on a different surface when you can go to pick it up when you're ready to use it.

This is beneficial, especially if you're working on multiple diamond paintings.

All About Diamond Paintings

Whether you're new to painting with diamonds or not, you should be able to answer the question, what is diamond painting after reading this article.

Are you ready to get started on your new diamond painting?

Check out the variety of different diamond paintings you can order today.

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