What is a diamond painting?
Diamond painting is a combination of cross-stitch and digital painting. Using an applicator, hundreds of sparkling resin rhinestones are applied one after the other to a sticky coloured canvas painting. The end result is a vibrant, sparkling work of art. Each piece can be framed and hung in your office, given to a loved one, or kept for your own enjoyment.
Tools and materials
The Diamond Painting Kit contains: canvas, adhesive, applicator pen, tray, rice wax and coloured resin diamonds. Drill bits are the official name for rhinestone diamonds; they are flat on one side and rounded at the top.
Additional diamond art painting accessories include a great light pad to help relieve any eye strain, a great diamond organiser to store and keep track of all the coloured diamonds, and some washer tape to help prevent any dust or lint from sticking to the adhesive during use.
How to paint with diamonds
Firstly, open your canvas and place it under something heavy, such as a stack of books, for a few hours to overnight. This will help straighten it out. Once straightened, lay the canvas out (preferably on an LED light mat) and peel off a small portion of the plastic covering to work on a small area. Be careful not to remove it completely as this will protect the sticky canvas. Use the coding chart on the canvas to match the symbols to the corresponding diamond colour codes and then find the appropriate diamond pack. You can choose any single colour diamond to start with. Pour some bits into the tray and gently rock the tray back and forth so that the bits are facing upwards.
Next, take your diamond paint brush and dip it in the wax a few times. Do this until the tip has a little wax on it. Pick up a diamond drill with your pen, place the bit on the appropriate symbol and continue to add the colour you are using to the canvas. There is no need to dip the pen into the wax each time you drill as it will pick up the drill for a long time before you need to dip it in again. Once you have completed the first section, pull down the other part of the covering and move to that section until it is complete. All that remains is to frame and display your artwork at home.