What is diamond painting?
Diamond painting works much like painting by numbers: the motif is printed with symbols on a self-adhesive canvas. Each symbol stands for a color. With a small pen you place tiny resin drills – the “diamonds” – on the matching squares. Bit by bit, a sparkling picture appears.
What is in the kit?
- Canvas with an adhesive layer and protective film, printed with the motif and symbols
- Drills in small bags labeled with the DMC number (see all colors in the DMC color chart)
- Applicator pen, often with tips for picking up several drills at once
- Wax (usually pink or blue) so the drills stick to the pen
- Sorting tray with grooves that line up the drills
The legend on the edge of the canvas shows which symbol belongs to which DMC number.
Round or square drills?
Round drills (usually 2.8 mm) are ideal for beginners: they are easy to pick up, forgive small inaccuracies and are quicker to place. Small gaps remain between them, but they sparkle from many angles.
Square drills (usually 2.5 mm) cover the area without gaps and click together. The result looks calmer and more detailed, but placing them takes more patience because every drill has to sit straight.
Find out how many drills your painting needs with the drill calculator.
Step by step
- Prepare your workspace: a solid table and good light matter most. Many people use a light pad under the canvas to see the symbols better.
- Flatten the canvas: if it arrives rolled up, put it under heavy books for a few hours. Do not iron it – the adhesive cannot take the heat.
- Check the legend: compare the drill bags with the legend. If a color is missing, you can reorder it by its DMC number.
- Peel the film in sections: only pull back a small piece of the protective film, about 5 × 5 cm. That keeps the rest of the adhesive fresh and dust-free. Cutting the film into strips or squares helps.
- Fill the tray: add one color at a time and shake the tray gently – the drills turn with the flat side down.
- Wax the pen: press the pen tip into the wax once or twice. When drills stop sticking, add more wax.
- Place the drills: pick up a drill and press it lightly onto the matching symbol. Work color by color in the uncovered area.
- Keep going: when a section is done, put the film back and uncover the next section.
Pro tips
- Checkerboard method: on large single-color areas, place every other drill first, then fill the gaps – your rows stay straight.
- Multi-placer: a tip for 3, 6 or 9 drills makes large areas much faster.
- Do not touch the adhesive: fingerprints and dust weaken the glue. Rest your hand on a piece of baking paper.
- Store drills sorted: storage boxes with labeled compartments save a lot of searching.
- Take breaks: diamond painting is relaxing, but your eyes and neck will thank you for regular breaks.
When the painting is finished
Put the protective film or a sheet of baking paper over the finished painting and roll over it with a rolling pin or a bottle. This presses all drills firmly into place. To protect the painting permanently, you can apply a special diamond painting sealer. Then it is ready for a frame – many canvases come in standard sizes such as 30 × 40 or 40 × 50 cm.
Which sealer to use and how to frame your painting is explained in How to seal and frame a diamond painting. If something goes wrong along the way, see Troubleshooting.
Keep track of everything
If you work on several paintings at once, it is easy to lose track: which drills are missing? How long have I worked on this one? The free Diamond Painting Manager organizes your projects with status, photos, DMC colors, a shopping list and time tracking – right in your browser.