What is diamond painting and how does it work?

When you hear the word ‘painting’, you will probably think about a work of art made of oil or watercolour paint. Makes sense, however, a diamond painting is not made of actual paint. It’s made out of little crystal stones. The stones have all kinds of colours and are made of plastic. Since the  little stones are shiney and shaped like small diamonds, we refer to them as diamonds. 

In diamond painting you create your own artwork by sticking the diamonds on a pre-printed canvas. A clear pattern is indicated on the canvas, which will show you clearly where to place the stones. The pre-printed canvas can be an image, an illustration, a painting or your own photo.

How does diamond painting work? 

Hopefully you’ll understand what diamond painting is by now. Then there’s one last question: how does diamond painting work? We’ll explain this to you in eight simple steps. 

Step 1: Check your Diamond Painting kit 

When you order a diamond painting, you’ll receive a complete Hobby Kit from us. But where do you start? And what do you actually need to complete your diamond painting? When you receive your kit, the first thing you should do is check whether your kit is complete. Your package should include the following items: 

• A pre-printed canvas
• A shaking tray 
• Tweezers 
• A pen
• A box with wax 
• Diamonds (crystal stones) 

Better together! 

At Hobby Painter, we deliver all necessary items twice. This way, you can experience your hobby together with someone else. Sharing the experience will make it more fun! Besides that, it comes in handy when you can’t find your pen or shaking tray. You won’t have to spend hours looking for it, you can just enjoy diamond painting without any hassle. 

Step 2: Roll out the canvas

Now we can actually start creating. First, you have to roll out your canvas. It’s important that you do this on flat surface, like a (hobby)table. Note: do not remove the protection foil from the canvas yet, you’ll have to wait till step 5 to do this.

• It’s important to have enough space for the canvas and all your items to work conveniently. 
• It’s quite handy to stick the corners to the table with a piece of tape. This way, you ensure that the diamond painting stays in place while working on it. 
• If you’d like to be able to easily move the canvas when you take a break, it’s recommended to stick the painting to a piece of flat wood.

Step 3: Choose a colour to start with 

• Choose a colour on the canvas you’d like to start with (it’s recommended to start in a corner)
• Find the right colour code that 
• Find the right color code that matches the symbol on the canvas. The attached table will tell you which colour corresponds with a certain symbol. 
• Pour the diamonds of the colour you choose into the enclosed sorting bags or into the sorting tray. 
• Stick a label on the sorting bag or  tray and write the correct number on it.

Tip: It’s useful to organize your diamonds before you get started. This way, you can work efficiently and you won’t lose anything. Read this blog for a detailed explanation of how you can easily organize your stones.

Step 4: Shake the diamonds in the shaking tray

You’ve chosen a colour that you’d like to start with. Now, you can prepare the diamonds to get started right away! You prepare the diamonds by shaking the tray you received from us with the chosen diamonds. By shaking it, the diamonds will automatically fall into the right place. By having the shiny side up, you can easily grab the diamonds later on and put them on the canvas.

• Grab the shaking tray 
• Pour some diamonds into the shaking tray 
• Gently shake the container back and forth 

Step 5: Peel off the foil

The canvas is covered with foil to protect the glue. Only peel off a small piece of the foil in order to create a spot to paste the diamonds. In the beginning of the process, you often choose a corner to start the painting. Note: do not immediately remove all the foil, the glue will dry out and the canvas won’t stick anymore.

Step 6: Dip your pen in the wax

Now it’s time to take your diamond pen and your wax box. You’ll need these two items to grab the diamonds and stick them on the canvas.

Step-by-step:

• Remove the film layer from the wax 
• Dab the diamond painting pen in the wax box 

Step 7: Stick the diamond 

Now you’re really getting started! 

• Use the pen to grab a diamond from the shaking tray
• Stick the diamond in the correct spot on the canvas

Step 8: Repeat!

Repeat these steps until the canvas is fully covered by diamonds and voilà: your own masterpiece is finished! 

A short summary: 

• Choose a piece of your canvas to start with and find the corresponding colour
• Fill and shake the shaking tray 
• Dab the pen in the wax box 
• Grab a diamond
• Stick the diamond on the canvas 

After reading all these steps, diamond painting might seem like a time-consuming and complicated hobby to you. However, you’ll discover that it’s actually quite easy. More importantly, in the end of the process, you have created a beautiful masterpiece! 

Hopefully we’ve given you a clear explanation throughout this blog. We’re very curious to see the result of your diamond painting! Did you finish you painting? Share a picture with us on Facebook or Instagram with the hastagh #MyHobbyPaitner.