Perhaps one of the most discussed DIY topics for women today are artistic craft hobbies. There are certainly more ways how art can be presented or better said, how you can express your emotions and creativity with. One of the easiest and most common are coloring books, painting by numbers, cross-stitching and crocheting.
However, there’s quite a newcomer in this field and it’s called Diamond Painting. To describe it simply with just a few words we could say it’s mosaic sticking. The word “painting” in this context is just to describe the finished canvas, not the process itself. So have no worries, you don’t paint here, no need of brushes or acrylic paints, nothing like that.
This activity is very clean from this point of view. But it’s not that kind of a DIY activity you can start completely on your own. You need a kit to start with.
You can order such a kit from a website like Diamond Art World®. You can find plenty of diamond paintings there, it’s only up to you to choose one (or more) depending on your skills.
When you get your product delivered, the funny part can start. You unroll the canvas, count the bags with diamonds, and select your way of working.
If I can just say something to that, I always start from top left corner and cut the covering foil off the canvas with a sharp knife. I never remove the foil from the whole canvas, because it then loses its stickiness over time. Directly after the top foil is uncovered, take the applicator in the hand and start placing them diamonds onto the surface of the canvas. If you chose round stones, the task is a bit easier. In case of square stone, it’s a bit tricky, because you want to place them neatly close to each other, reaching a nice square matrix of stones. The first couple of moves will certainly take much longer as you’ll gain experience and your moves will become more sure.
What if you don’t see those tiny stones clearly?
Well, this might be a problem, but fear not, it can be solved. If you get yourself a table LED magnifier, your problems are over. Plenty of girls are using it with great success.
What canvas size should I use?
Here the answer is easy. If you’re just starting out, I can’t stress this enough, you have to choose a smaller canvas rather than a larger one. Bigger canvas requires more time to finish and the feeling of accomplishment lies far in the future. A canvas size 40×50 cm is optimal in this case. It’s detailed enough, yet manageable within ca. 20 hours.
What if I lose stones?
A reliable company always supplies more stones than are necessary to finish. So in case a couple of them fall on the ground into your thick carpet, you’re still able to finish the canvas. Just when it’s more of them lost, like your kids have been playing with them around, ask your supplier to provide additional stones. They do it mostly free of charge.
Interested in trying out your first diamond painting? I hope you found this article helpful just a bit and let us know how was your progress!