Hey Mamas!  When we were on lockdown, we searched for so many different activities to try.  A few of them “stuck” with us.  One of our new favorites is Diamond Painting (or Diamond Art). Is Diamond Painting for Beginners?  You bet it is!!!  Will adults enjoy Diamond Art?  Absolutely!!!  Let me tell you more 🙂

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What is Diamond Painting?

Diamond Painting is similar to paint-by-numbers, cross-stitching, or mosaics.  An image is sectioned into a grid and color coded for the placement of the correct color “diamond” or drill (the technical term for the diamonds).

Diamond art drill being placed on color coded space with tweezers

Is Diamond Painting for everyone?

Yes!

Lockdown forced us to find new ways to stay entertained and not go crazy.  For us, Diamond Painting Kits saved a few ounces of sanity.  My Bud was 4 years old and my Goose was 13. I was 40.  We ALL loved Diamond Painting.  We decided to start small (diamond painting can get very intricate).

At first, I was nervous to let my 4 year old try it because it can be a bit tedious.  So, I started him on his own “diamond painting” with the Sandbox app. That was enough to satisfy his need to do “Diamond Art” like Mama and Sis, for a little while at least.  He learned the principle of Diamond Painting from doing the Sandbox coloring–match the color with the number. Then I set him loose on his own Diamond Art.

My Goose was a bit more ambitious and started out with a large piece of artwork. It’s all about how much time you want to put into it.

Close up image of Diamond art in the background

What do you need to get started with Diamond Art?

You’ll need Diamond Art tools and the actual piece of art. The best way to get started is to buy a kit.  All of the tools, diamonds, and the art come together with everything you need.

The artwork is pretty limitless.  We decided to start small for our first attempt.  I ordered a set of Marvel character Diamond Art Stickers from Amazon. *Some may question the authenticity of the artwork, but for our purposes, these worked just fine.*

This simple little kit came with everything a Diamond Art beginner needs.

Here are the basic tools you’ll want to be familiar with:

  • Diamond Art Pen: this is the pen (or stylus) used to place the diamonds.
    • Single drill pen places one diamond at a time.
    • Multi-drill pens place several diamonds at a time and can be a bit more complicated for beginners but it does speed up the process.
  • Diamonds: these are also known as Drills. There is no right or wrong diamond but here are a couple of differences to consider:
    • 3D Drills: these have 3 facets on each side
    • 5D Drills: these have 5 facets on each side–may appear more shimmery
    • Round Drills: better for beginners–more forgiving in placement
    • Square Drills: better for experienced diamond artists–placement needs to be more exact
  • Wax or Glue: Kits come with some type of adhesive.  You simply dip the end of your pen into the wax which will allow you to pick up a diamond and place it on the canvas.
  • The Canvas: the quality of the canvas varies based on price, of course.  They usually come rolled up, so you may need to flatten your canvas by placing it under a mattress or some heavy books.

I wanted to have extra tools so that all of my family could work on Diamond Painting at the same time. This Diamond Art Tools Set has everything you need! I love the storage options for all of the tiny diamonds.

Where Can I Get Diamond Painting Kits?

You can find kits in so many places.  My favorite place to buy Diamond Art kits is on Amazon.  There is such a variety and they are very affordable.  There will be major differences between kits you buy, so you have to decide what is important to you.

Do you want a masterpiece to frame and hang in your art gallery?  Or, do you just want an easy Diamond Painting craft to keep the kids entertained while you cook supper?

The prices for Diamond Art kits range from a few dollars to $100.  The quality of the canvas, the quality of the diamonds, and the licensing of the actual artwork all play a role in the cost of the kits.

Some people only want the high quality kits.  That’s awesome.

I, however, want the less expensive options because they are just for fun around here.  That doesn’t mean they don’t turn out to be great pieces of art!

I’ll share some ways we’ve displayed our Diamond Art but first here are the kits we have purchased:

Marvel Diamond Art Stickers

Super Mario Diamond Art Stickers

“Starry Night” Diamond Painting

Mario Diamond Painting

Luigi Diamond Painting

Hummingbird Diamond Painting

Floral Pattern DIY Diamond Painting

What Do I Do With My Diamond Art When It Is Finished?

Our Marvel Diamond Painting Stickers were the perfect size to stick onto a 4×4 canvas.  Then these canvases were hung in our playroom above the window. Arteza has a set of 4X4 canvases that are perfect for this!

When the Mario and Luigi are finished, we will frame those and hang them in the playroom or in my Bud’s bedroom.

I liked the small canvases so much, that I am planning to do the same with the Super Mario Diamond Painting stickers.

The Starry Night Diamond Painting will be framed and hung in my Goose’s room.

You can use Magnetic Wooden Frame Wall Hanger Frames. They come in all sizes and are easy to use.

Here are some examples of our favorite Diamond Paintings we’ve completed!

Marvel Diamond Art Stickers on Canvases hanging on a wall above a window

Our Marvel Diamond Art Stickers on Display

We stuck our Marvel Diamond Painting Stickers onto small canvases and hung them above our window.

Spiderman Diamond Painting
Starry Night Diamond Painting
Macro image of purple, yellow, and white diamond art "diamonds"

Macro Image of Diamond Art

I completed a #100 day challenge where I posted 100 Macro Photos over 100 days on Instagram.

Check out the other 99 days!

What Are the Benefits of Diamond Painting?

If you’ve been on Pinterest, ever, you’ve seen something about self-care and mindfulness.  Well, Diamond Painting takes care of both of these!

For me, Diamond Painting is relaxing and calming.  I enjoy mindfulness activities like coloring, putting together puzzles, and journaling.

I asked my Bud why he liked doing Diamond Art.  He said it was fun.  So, there ya go 🙂 Once he got the hang of it, he could sit for a while and place those tiny diamonds on the canvas.  I believe it helps with hand-eye coordination, patience, and pattern recognition. Besides those benefits, Diamond Painting can cure an “I’m bored” afternoon.

It is an affordable hobby that is enjoyable and not as expensive as many other hobbies.  It isn’t too messy, like Play-Doh or paint, as long as you can keep the diamonds under control.

 

I thought it would be fun to do a time-lapse video of a small Diamond Painting.  This one was from our Super Mario set of stickers. It would be perfect for younger kids or beginners.

Tips for Diamond Painting Beginners

I was clueless on our first attempt at Diamond Painting.  The first kit we got did not have any instructions.  Now, you may be the kind of person that can look at something and automatically know how it works.  I am the type of person who is easily confused.  Here are a few things that would have been helpful to know for my first time:

  • The canvas (or artwork) is covered in a tacky layer so the diamonds will stick.  There is a layer of plastic over the canvas to protect the sticky layer.  You don’t have to take the whole plastic cover off at once.  You can just uncover a little at a time to protect the sticky layer.
  • That little chunk of pink wax (found in most kits) is covered by plastic to keep it sticky.  You have to push the tip of the diamond pen into the wax to fill up the little metal tip.  This will allow you to pick up the diamonds with the pen tip.
  • If you drop diamonds on the canvas, you can pick them off with the tweezers that come with most kits.
  • If you spill you diamonds, you can use a small vacuum to pick them up.  We love our ladybug mini vacuum.

What Do You Do With All Those Extra Diamonds?

There are a ton of crafts you can use the extra diamonds for.  You can pour them into a plastic bottle with water to make a “calm-down” jar.  You can glue them on just about anything (anyone remember Bedazzling?).

I have an increasingly large supply of glass yogurt jars.  I even have a whole post about ways to use these leftover jars: “Say Oui to Upcycling: 10 Awesome Crafts Using Empty Glass Jars.” I decided to try Diamond Painting a few jars.  I liked the results 🙂

Pokemon Ball Diamond Painting on Glass Oui Jar

 

Step by step images of diamond painting a glass jar

Now It’s Your Turn!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever completed a Diamond Painting or if you plan to!

21 Comments

  1. Hanna

    Wow this is a great idea for a gift actually.I am going to buy it for my little niece she’s going to love it.thanks for that X

    Reply
    • Lifebetweenthedishes

      I hope she enjoys it!

      Reply
  2. Jenny

    So helpful. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Lifebetweenthedishes

      Glad it was helpful! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lucia De Rosa

    That’s seems wonderful, I have been thinking in the last month about some creative process to start, it seems quite different and original one, thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Lifebetweenthedishes

      Thanks! It is very much a meditative process for me 🙂 And you get a good looking piece of art!

      Reply
  4. Andrea

    I love this idea and the results are absolutely beautiful! Definitely will be trying this with my daughters.

    Reply
    • Lifebetweenthedishes

      Thanks! It is a lot of fun and you can end up with some great art! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Evie

    We loved the few diamond paintings we’ve tried in our home but all the extra diamond have been too much. Thanks for the great ideas to use them up. Still working on ways to keep them from being spilled.

    Reply
    • Lifebetweenthedishes

      We use a plastic storage container that has the divided sections to keep the diamonds in and separated. It also has a lid to keep them from being spilled 🙂

      Reply
  6. Jenny

    So useful. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Lifebetweenthedishes

      Thanks! I’m glad you found it useful 🙂 I hope you try Diamond Painting soon!

      Reply
      • Nandini

        Great information about diamond painting! My daughter just started one, I think I will buy one for myself to try! Thank you for inspiring me!

        Reply
        • Lifebetweenthedishes

          Thanks! Diamond Painting is so much fun! 🙂

          Reply
      • Nandini

        My daughter just started one, I think I will buy one for myself to try! Thank you for inspiring me!

        Reply
    • Fozia Awan

      Wow a fun activity to do with kids.

      Reply
      • Lifebetweenthedishes

        Thanks 🙂 Diamond Painting is fun for kids and adults!

        Reply
    • Barbara Staak

      Hi,I would love to do some free hand diamond drills on coffee mugs or wine glasses not sure how to start.what do I use for adhesive?how do I seal them.any advice would b appreciated

      Reply
      • Lifebetweenthedishes

        Hi Barbara 🙂 I am not sure what kind of adhesive or sealant would be best for mugs or glasses. The only ones that I have made are for decorative purposes only and I only used double-sided tape. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, but that does sound like a great way to use extra diamonds.

        Reply
  7. Monique

    Oh we have this in our hometown but I didn’t know it was called Diamond painting haha I love this! We used to do this with my cousins back when we were kids. The avengers stickers are the cutest! Thanks for sharing.

    http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com

    Reply
    • Lifebetweenthedishes

      Thanks! It’s a really fun activity at any age 🙂

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Misty, the imperfect Mama behind Life Between the Dishes.  My goal is for you to find tools, tips, and resources here to help you maintain sanity through daily mom life!

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