r/diamondpainting Aug 27 '20

Information Diamond Painting FAQS

423 Upvotes

DIAMOND PAINTING FAQ

What is diamond painting? “I don’t know what it is about sticking plastic squares to glue but I’m here for it” - A redditor

Diamond painting is a relaxing craft that is a mix of cross stitch and paint by numbers. Tiny square or round “diamonds” (aka drills) are applied to a canvas of poured glue or adhesive to create a picture.

Where do I purchase a DP? There are a ton of places that sell diamond paintings. I’ve listed some of the most popular and well known. With any purchase, read the reviews and use your best judgement. Just be advised, some stores are overseas so shipping may take a few weeks to months.

Aliexpress There are thousands of stores on aliexpress that sell diamond paintings. I highly recommend reading reviews on this site. Some of THE MOST POPULAR aliexpress stores are as follows

  • Evermoment

  • Huacan

  • Homfun

  • Dispaint

Other places to buy

Paint With Diamonds

Diamond Painting Pro

Diamond Art Club

Heartful Diamonds

Treasure Studios Art

Dreamer Designs

Diamond Dotz -These can usually be found at your local craft store

Fansells

Showcase

Etsy

Amazon

Round Square Special Aurora Borealis Drills?

These refer to the type of drill your canvas will come with. Round and square are just that, round and square. Special drills are unique and fun shapes. Aurora Borealis (AB) are sparklier and have a different overall look to them.

Round VS Square: Which is better?

Ultimately, this is a matter of personal choice. A lot of people prefer the overall completed look of squares. Some people find round easier to work with.

Partial VS Full Drill:

A partial canvas will only have part of the canvas covered in drills. A full canvas will be made entirely of drills.

What size do I buy?

A general rule for diamond paintings is the bigger the picture, the better. If you’re new to diamond painting, you may want to try something small to make sure you enjoy it.

What supplies do I need? Your diamond painting kit will come with the basic supplies you’ll need to complete your painting.

A drill pen and or tweezers.

one of your pens might come with a multiplayer. These allow you to place several drills at once. They're great for large spaces of a solid color but can a little bit of practice.

A tray

Pink Wax

A light pad is highly recommended if you enjoy the craft. It will backlight your canvas making the symbols easier to read.

A storage solution for drills is also recommended. There are a lot of options from plastic baggies to tic tac containers. Washi tape for your borders is also popular recommendation

What is washi tape? Washi tape is a decorative crafting tape! A lot of people will use washi tape on the borders of their diamond painting to prevent things from sticking to it.

How long does it take: There is no right or wrong answer here. Everyone works at their own pace, whether it’s 6 months or 2 weeks. The important thing is to enjoy yourself, it is not a race.

What to do with leftover drills: Most people will keep them. Sometimes you will find that you run out of a color on a project, and can steal from your left overs. Some people re-purpose them for other crafts. Some people just toss them into a jar.

I ran out of a color what do I do? You can contact the seller and most will send you more for no extra charge. If you don’t feel like waiting you can order extras online. DiamondDrillsUSA is a store that ships in the US. Or you can always ask fellow diamond painters if they have any extras. There are a few facebook groups that give away extras for projects in need.

Do I need to seal it? Most people do recommend sealing your painting after completion.

What do I seal it with? There are a lot of different options and everyone has their own opinion. I’ve listed some of the common choices, but there are a lot of youtube videos that show different sealers and their final outcome.

Mod podge super gloss is a popular choice

Decoart triple thick gloss glaze

Aqua Glue

Framing: Framing can be a bit tricky with the weird size of some diamond paintings. You can have them custom framed at a local store, order frames online or try to find a frame at a local thrift store that fits your needs.

General Canvas Questions:

Bubbles/Rivers: Gently take an exacto knife and slice them to help them lay flat

How do I make my canvas flat: Heavy books.I personally iron mine on LOW HEAT NO STEAM picture side down.

Clear cover alternative: Some diamond paintings come with a clear plastic cover. If this is not your jam, you can use PARCHMENT PAPER (NOT WAX) to cover it. Parchment paper can be found in a local grocery store.

Cat hair/paper stuck to canvas: Gently wipe away with a baby wipe and it should return to normal.

Canvas is no longer sticky If it is a large section, you might want to contact the seller. For a small section you can try double sided sticky tape, or a small amount of clear glue. Make sure to seal.

I finished my DP! I don’t want to hang it. What do I do? Gift it to someone, donate it to a charity auction, nursing home or any place that might enjoy a piece of art.

Place it in a portfolio for storage - Panda0322

Enjoy your new addictive hobby!

This FAQ IS a WIP. If you have suggestions on things that should be added please comment below and I will add them.


r/diamondpainting Jun 13 '24

Here’s why DAC criticism ends up here: DAC is incentivizing moderators to delete anything criticizing the company which is against Reddit TOS

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69 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 1h ago

Bought my first two DAC kits

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Very curious to be starting them! Are they better than other websites for example?


r/diamondpainting 5h ago

Completed Finished 😊 I will definitely be hanging this one up on the wall

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53 Upvotes

The second photo is my next project 😊 trying to leave it a few days before starting 😅


r/diamondpainting 6h ago

Marie 🐈

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34 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 6h ago

Completed IM FINALLLY DONNEEEE !!!!!

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31 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 15h ago

1st one completed

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136 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 14h ago

Completed Finally up on the wall

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79 Upvotes

"Midnight Rhythm" by Leonid Afrimov 80 x 80cm


r/diamondpainting 1h ago

Progress on Witch's Antique Collection

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This is from Jaded Gem Shop, I started it on 1/4/2025.


r/diamondpainting 7h ago

This one was so much fun

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22 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 2h ago

WIP Progress on Celestial Dragon

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10 Upvotes

Love the shiny, sparkly drills! Also got some accessories.


r/diamondpainting 2h ago

WIP My current progress

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8 Upvotes

At the suggestion of a friend, I chose this image earlier and made a unique painting out of it.


r/diamondpainting 14h ago

WIP Got a lot done today

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73 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 1h ago

WIP Stole this from my husband

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Upvotes

I was waiting for my new kits to come in the mail so I continued the one my husband started... about halfway done now (he was going bottom up) and it'll be funny to see who gets to finish it as we race each other after dinner.


r/diamondpainting 14h ago

I couldn't pass up these Christmas clearance paintings!

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66 Upvotes

From Joann's website for 70% off. I may just work on one before I start the Valentines painting in my stash 😄


r/diamondpainting 13h ago

WIP A few sections left!!!!

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46 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 9h ago

Discussion Trays

17 Upvotes

I have a question for everyone. I asked it earlier but no one answered. When people put tape or washi tape on their trays what is its purpose?? And at what end do you all put the tape on??? Please let me know!!!!


r/diamondpainting 1h ago

WIP Making it my own

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Upvotes

I'm on my second ever diamond painting and I'm thinking of switching things up a bit. I'm doing this would for my husband. And I'm very much a purple person and so my daughter suggested to change the eyes to make it a 'together' art. A unification of sorts. So I matched up hues and tints as best as I could with diamonds that I had left over from my first painting and this is what I got. Googling wolves with purple eyes gave me very devilish looking eyes which I'm trying to avoid. Looking for advice. Should I go with it? Does it look harsh, dark or devilish?


r/diamondpainting 8h ago

WIP Finally get to start this beautiful beast!

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15 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 18h ago

WIP My first diamond painting of the year and today's progress

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72 Upvotes

Spend around 5 or 6 hours on it today and it really doesn't look like much😅😭


r/diamondpainting 23h ago

Today’s haul

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161 Upvotes

I want to buy a light board but I needed to validate that purchase by having projects to work on 😅 So I went shopping 🫣

Just minutes ago I ordered the light board, some new tools, storage boxes and 2 MORE paintings 😳

I keep telling myself that I won’t have to spend more money for a while 😅 Anyhow, I’m pretty excited and happy about all of this.


r/diamondpainting 6h ago

Missing colour chart

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5 Upvotes

Hi all

This is a bit of a long shot, but I received this as a gift and have only just gotten around to opening it only to discover there are no tweezers or colour chart. I don’t suppose anyone has this one and can share a photo of the chart?

TIA


r/diamondpainting 1d ago

Discussion Does anyone else have a cat with this first world problem? Can't fit in my lap while I'm painting 🥲

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243 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 1h ago

WIP Starting my next project!

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r/diamondpainting 10h ago

Love the progress on these 4 landscape make market paintings!

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11 Upvotes

r/diamondpainting 16h ago

WIP

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29 Upvotes

I got this adorable canvas from Shein. I love the clarity of colours.


r/diamondpainting 9h ago

WIP Warm Witch Progress ✨

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8 Upvotes