Ei-Kan Productions

News Flash! Dateline 9/3/2017. Seniors.Growl at Lions

2026-06-20T02:21:29.656-05:00

SENIORS GROWL AT LIONS

Authorities were recently alerted by Lions Junction Waterpark personnel that the waterpark had been broken into sometime during the last few weeks. As City of Temple police scrambled to piece together what had happened, these facts have emerged:

The break-in came to light when the electric bill for the waterpark showed a higher than normal usage for the park than when it is open only on weekends. The park is currently shut down for the winter.

While investigating the grounds for an electrical issue, it was discovered that wire cutters had been used to get in through the surrounding chain-link fence at ground level. Teenagers are suspected.

There was no sign of forced entry into the locked office, leading authorities to believe that someone had a key to the office, but not a key to the main gate. Nothing appears to have been stolen, but one large red button for the water features was activated. That button activates the 2 mile-per-hour lazy river current and is believed to have been left running, non-stop, for some time, which is what resulted in the noticeably higher electric bill.

Lifeguards who had access to the office key were questioned, and all were completely clueless except one, who seemed very frightened. This person was the manager for the pool, and fellow lifeguards claim that nothing frightens this man, but he was clearly unsettled during questioning.

The investigation continues.

UPDATE:

During a polygraph examination, the pool manager confessed that he had been kidnapped from his home by a group of over-50 women who call themselves the Wet and Wild Gang, and was forced to accompany them, with his office key, to the waterpark. He states that they did not have knives, guns, or any weapons at all, but rather threatened him with something they knew about him instead (The nature of which will not be made public in this article).

The hole in the fence had already been cut, and the women forced him through the hole, which they were rather proud of, rather than using his gate key.

He was forced to remain on the lifeguard stand for several hours by massive amounts of Velcro on his trunks, while the women walked or ran in the lazy river,. When asked how they expected him to be able to move quickly enough to save someone from drowning, he told investigators that he asked them the same thing and they had replied "We don't need no stinking lifeguard...just the key' "

He refused to name the women in the group, as he said he fears for his life should his secret be made known, but this much is known about them:

The ringleader is said to be a 63-year-old senior citizen on crutches who has gone to the waterpark daily for the last seven years to run around the lazy river for several hours at a time while waving yellow paddles.

One woman has a German accent and shouldn't be too hard to spot in a small Texas town. It was reported that she was the more aggressive of the group, verbally.

The other four seniors have been regulars at the River walk for the last two to three years. One of them, a very quiet lady, known as "Lone Wolf," who tends not to join the group discussions while walking, surprisingly was one of the Wet and Wild women who kidnapped the lifeguard. It is reported that she told him, "still waters run deep" when he expressed surprise at seeing her.

Nearby residents claim to have heard choir-like singing and giggling coming from the children's play area outside the waterpark in the early morning a few weeks ago, but thought nothing of it. Apparently the group was singing "Don't Fence Me Out!" while cutting the chain-link in broad daylight, rather than being stealthy about it, which would likely have made residents more suspicious.

The pool manager stated that the group was simply upset that the waterpark had closed down while the weather was still Texas-hot, and they just wanted their daily "river walk" until it became too cold to use an outdoor pool. He requested that they not be arrested, as they did no real harm other than run up the electric bill, and create a new entrance to the waterpark.

Keith Dawson, regional pool manager, apologized for the closure, but stated "if we had more lifeguards, we could keep the pool open longer, but they all go back to high school or college at this time of year". He added that if they want to bring their own life guard, they're welcome to use the waterpark. "..But it would be nice if they would at least pay a rental fee and not kidnap the employees."

Authorities are still on the lookout for the dripping wet, chlorine-scented senior citizens who may still be desperate and determined enough to return to the scene of the crime at 9:45 am, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

"Senior citizens are often creatures of habit", said the City of Temple Police Sergeant. "They'll be back."

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Fashion Statements

2026-06-01T00:28:40.957-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Creating Custom Diamond Art from Photos
Next Question to be Answered: Miscellaneous Leftover Questions

And this leads me into T-shirts, other wearables, fashion statements, mugs, and my most favorite design that sums up the whole reason for this book: https://amzn.to/3NnA9E5

Do any T-shirts exist that promote the hobby of diamond art painting?
Boy, do they ever! There are a lot of designs using the same phrases, so pick whatever you want! https://amzn.to/4tFY54W And if you don’t see one you like, you can always create your own T-shirt designs and print them onto iron-on transfer paper. https://amzn.to/4d179KO

What about diamond painting mugs, tumblers and water bottles?
There are a few of those out there as well. https://amzn.to/4n3Tt6u And if you’d like to create a simple tumbler, they even make kits for those, too. https://amzn.to/4cJRMYw

Again, you can also create your own mugs and accessories. Just get yourself a vinyl cutting machine and have tons more fun with yet another hobby making mugs, T-shirts, totes, and many other things that you can accent with your extra diamond drills. You can get a full-sized production machine, or a mini for when the mood strikes. https://amzn.to/4tMy6cl

I’ve heard that you can make wearable jewelry with diamond art, is that true?
Yes, there are quite a few kits for making earrings, pendants and keychains. The earrings may be a bit on the large side, but that is the current fashion, and they are very lightweight as well. https://amzn.to/4cO2kGb

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON UV RESIN ART or it will be a whole new rabbit hole! Just know that drill facets lose their sparkle ability when covered in either UV or Epoxy resin, but not when sitting on top of it. And on that note, I will end this fashion section and let you go down the rabbit holes yourself and do your own search for the myriads of diamond painting non-craft paraphernalia or find other hobbies to incorporate your diamond art into. Have fun!

Previous Question Answered: Creating Custom Diamond Art from Photos
Next Question to be Answered: Miscellaneous Leftover Questions

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Companies that Create Custom Diamond Painting Canvases for You

2026-06-01T00:13:43.162-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Creating Custom Diamond Art from Photos
Next Question to be Answered: Fashion Statements

Are there any businesses that can put a photo on a canvas for me that is larger than what I can print at home?
Absolutely! Right now, there are a lot of companies that are creating large diamond art canvases, up to100 cm x 100 cm of your personal photo or artwork. Choose a large size if you want detail from your photo, especially if it’s a wedding photo.

Here is another one that is not on Amazon:

Previous Question Answered: Creating Custom Diamond Art from Photos
Next Question to be Answered: Fashion Statements

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Cleaning up the ... What Mess?

2026-06-01T00:06:47.700-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Framing Your Artwork
Next Question to be Answered: Creating Custom Diamond Art from Photos

The best news there is about the diamond art painting hobby is that there is nothing to clean up, no mess, no fuss…unless you spill the beans, er, beads. As previously mentioned, if your work area is messy, one wrong move and your drills are all over the place! They can easily roll away or get mixed up. Keep a backup container for lost drills, or trash drills, and work in a well-lit area to avoid mixing up the shades when you’re trying to put them back in their proper containers. Some of those color differences are quite subtle. And seeing the differences between 3D and 5D drills can be daunting without a microscope.

I am not getting the hang of shaking the tray yet. Is there an easy way to pick up frequently spilled drills?
Outside of using a lint roller to help recover dropped drills quickly, there are several variations of diamond art vacuum cleaners that work very well. Read the reviews, though. They may look alike, but not all work the same. https://amzn.to/4rAO0op You can also cut up a sticky tray mat, (See Trays, Boats...) or use it whole, and use it like you would a piece of cellophane tape to pick up your spilled diamonds. It works much better than cellophane tape, maybe too good considering all the other debris it will pick up off the floor, too.

I found out that the cat had been sleeping on my project while I was gone. How do I get rid of all the cat hair?
You can use a standard lint roller on a diamond art canvas. If it doesn’t get everything, you can also use an unscented baby wipe, gently, to loosen any stubborn hair, and then go back over the canvas with the lint roller to pick them up before the moisture dries. A lint roller is also another way to pick up spilled drills off the table or the carpet. https://amzn.to/4mjRoTx

Previous Question Answered: Framing Your Artwork
Next Question to be Answered: Creating Custom Diamond Art from Photos

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it. PLUS - If you purchase the Kindle book you will get access to the printable PDF of 12 project log and inventory pages, with proof of purchase. Details are inside the book. And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Sealants for Diamond Paintings

2026-06-01T00:05:20.364-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Finishing Your Diamond Artwork
Next Question to be Answered: Framing Your Diamond Artwork

Sealing the surface of your diamond art is designed to lock everything permanently in place to prevent any future lifting, shifting or popping off from the canvas. It also covers any exposed tackiness due to uncovered adhesive so that the painting resists dust sticking to it between the drills.

However, this step is both optional as well as controversial. Some people always seal their diamond art, while others never do it for fear of harming the sparkle of the drills. Some people will cover the painting completely with a sealant and claim it makes the drills shinier, while others water down the sealant so that it only seeps in between the drills to do its job, and they wipe any residual sealant off the gems before it dries. Some use a gloss sealant, others may use a matte or satin sealant, and some even use glitter sealants to add even more sparkle. (GUILTY, here!)

Ask 10 different diamond art hobbyists how they seal their paintings and you will get 10 different answers…and 10 different products.

Is the ink on the commercial canvases water soluble?
No, if it were, you would be unable to use water soluble sealants on them, and nearly every diamond art sealant is water-based. This is also true of the glue that is used on them.

What can we use to seal a diamond art painting that won’t harm the sparkle?
There are a lot of different products, and some make your drills cloudy, while others seem to make them sparkle better than they did without them. Read the reviews carefully on all products, and test out any new product on a small magnet, keychain, or free-style test sample before using it on a major work of art. This sample set of 8 Mod Podge types (not all that are available are represented) will give you a good idea of how different formulas affect your diamond art. Everyone has their own tastes, and many diamond painters swear by Mod Podge for all kinds of crafts. The 2-ounce bottles can always be refilled for travel versions. Personally, I add a little bit of water to the gloss or sparkle versions, by the drop, until it is just runny enough to seep between the rhinestones, rather than sit on top of the drills. I then use a fragrance-free baby wipe, any brand, and lightly wipe the surface clean of the remaining sealant, especially over any large, special shapes, crystals or metallic rhinestones. For the solid color opaque acrylic drills, brushing the sealant over the top of them can enhance their beauty and even add texture. https://amzn.to/4biZJ6f

Unless your sealant has an attached applicator, which the Mod Podge does not have, you’re probably going to need brushes to apply it. https://amzn.to/4ciWURV
This sealant does not affect the sparkle of crystal rhinestones and has a built-in sponge applicator to make it easier to use and less messy than using a brush. I have never felt the need to wipe this one off the top of the larger gems like I do with Mod Podge. https://amzn.to/4vbUzkd

I do NOT like the idea of sealing rhinestones, but I'm working on my first acrylic suncatcher, and the drills are sliding around much more freely than they ever did on a fabric canvas, so I guess I have to bite the bullet and seal this one. How can I put the sealant on AND wipe it off the top without the drills moving out of position during the process?
I've worked on several of these myself, and it seems that most acrylic kits require sealant to keep the drills from moving when they are handled or stored, so my answer is VERY CAREFULLY! I use watered-down Mod Podge, and a very small brush with few fibers to get the sealant around the the drills. I also wait about 10 minutes before attempting to wipe any of it off of the drills (praying that gravity will pull it all to the base of the drills). The next day, I look at it carefully and push any drills that may have moved, back into position, while the sealant is dry, yet still pliable. If you don't have the patience for the tiny brush, then I would suggest using a sealant with a sponge applicator, and move it up and down ONLY to avoid dislodging any drills. Check your project in 12 hours for any that may have moved, and get them back into position before the sealant dries.

Previous Question Answered: Finishing Your Diamond Artwork
Next Question to be Answered: Framing Your Diamond Artwork

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Finishing Your Diamond Artwork

2026-06-01T00:04:52.685-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Traveling with your Diamond Art
Next Question to be Answered: Sealants for Diamond Paintings

Once you’ve poked the last drill into place with that final “snap”, you’re done, right? Wait a minute! Not so fast. Now you have a work of art to deal with, and decisions need to be made. Are you going to keep it? If so, where will you put it? Are you going to frame it or store it? Are you going to give it to someone? If so, to whom, and when? Are you going to sell it? If so, for how much? And you are going to want to make sure it looks its best and the drills don’t fall off. Only you have the answers to some of those questions, but I can answer the others.

Is there some way we can keep the gems from falling off the project long after we’ve completed it?
There are diamond painting rollers, also known in the print industry as “brayers”, that are designed to apply an even pressure across finished portions of your canvas, to securely press the drills onto the canvas. This is to make sure they are firmly adhered to the surface, so they don’t fall off later. They are approximately 6 inches wide and often made of rubber or silicone. They are best used while working on your project, primarily after completing a section. Rolling improves the overall adhesion by leveling out drills that are sitting unevenly on the adhesive. This can also result in straightening the rows as the uneven drills push their way between adjacent drills, straightening those rows as well, while being pressed back down onto the canvas. Always use your roller over your standard drills first before adding any special shapes, because these will stick up above the regular ones and prevent the roller from doing its job properly. If your project uses special shapes that are smaller than the regular drills, put them on the canvas first, roll them tightly and then start adding your regular drills. Once you have the special shapes added, go over them with the roller to push them down tightly as well.
Once you have completed the painting, rolling periodically along the way, you’ll need to go over the entire canvas as a final step to verify that all is well. Put your plastic film back over it, or a piece of parchment paper, to protect the drills, and press hard while rolling. You may hear an occasional SNAP as you roll, telling you that another drill has been leveled. The snaps are more obvious with square drills, some call it a “crunch”, but round ones also snap or crunch. When you no longer hear any snaps, you’re done and all the drills are properly, and tightly adhered.
Another use of the roller tool is to go over the drills you have placed BEFORE lifting a mesh alignment tool. This presses the drills tightly down, and under, the mesh and allows you to remove the alignment tool easily without popping any drills off.

This YouTube video demonstrates how to use a diamond painting roller to ensure your drills are securely and evenly placed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZdytC1pVDM

There are many choices for large rubber rollers or brayers: https://amzn.to/4c8WGww
There’s also a tiny 2” x .5” roller, either blue or red, that screws onto the end of a pen that is perfect for small areas, such as between special shapes where the 6-inch version cannot reach. This one also has an alignment blade at the other end. https://amzn.to/4lDtm5O You can also use a cloth covered kitchen rolling pin with a piece of parchment over your canvas, so you do not damage the drills.

Previous Question Answered: Traveling with your Diamond Art
Next Question to be Answered: Sealants for Diamond Paintings

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Traveling with your Diamond Art

2026-06-01T00:04:01.339-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: How to Use Extra Drills
Next Question to be Answered: Finishing Your Artwork

Sometimes, we want to work on our diamond painting somewhere else, either by choice or by necessity. This could be somewhere else in the house, out on the patio, or an airport, motel, a camping trip, or even the hospital emergency room. Or we just get tired of working in the same area and want to move to another spot for a while, anywhere else!

I have three locations where I work on projects. Is there an easy way to carry my tools back-and-forth to each one?
I have a similar situation and use this small tool caddy with a handle so that I can carry my tools back and forth to my tiny office, where I work on small handheld items due to lack of space, or to my craft room workspace where I work on large canvases. This clear caddy allows me to find small stuff that can get lost in an opaque one.
https://amzn.to/4cbJgzO
Or you can decorate your own tote caddy from one of these diamond art kits:
https://amzn.to/3OeNTBz

I’d like to be able to move my canvas to another part of the house when the mood strikes without too much of a hassle. Any ideas?
For relatively small diamond paintings, up to 30 cm x 40 cm, I use a bamboo serving tray set that fits my canvases nicely and acts as a portable table when I’m in my tiny office. The smallest tray holds 20 cm x 20 cm and fits into an under-desk basket shelf when I need to quickly clean up. The middle size is good for 20 cm x 30 cm, and it’s also in my under-desk basket shelf. The large one holds a 30 cm x 40 cm canvas. At one point in time, I had two different works in progress at the same time, but the trays stack inside each other and fit in my desk basket. Having handles on the trays allows me to move into the living room if I’d like, or into my office while I’m waiting for phone calls at work.
https://amzn.to/4cwAhK3

How can we carry our projects with us to do when we travel or at work or somewhere other than home?
Numerous diamond painting travel bags exist, so see if any of these fit your needs. It depends on the size of the project you want to work on away from home, and what you are using for your drill storage system. For little handheld projects and mini-canvases, I use this small 8.5 x 5 x 2 plastic storage box that holds all my pen tools, over a dozen tic-tac style boxes of drills, plus quite a few keychains, bookmarks or magnet blanks, and a teensy little .5 oz vial of watered down Mod Podge for sealing while I’m sitting at the airport or at the hospital. It’s small enough to slip into my emergency room tote bag with other items to alleviate the boredom of sitting around for untold hours. And I have several similarly stocked boxes (sans blanks and Mod Podge) in all my working locations, in case I forget to bring something with me when I change locations.
https://amzn.to/4dJovhs
Depending on the size of your project, this bag can carry all your paraphernalia. And up to 180 jars of colors. See Drill Storage after Kitting Down for an even larger bag that I use.
https://amzn.to/4c6UTbv
For carrying the canvas, an artist’s portfolio case would be appropriate for keeping it flat. They also come in many sizes, and some with pockets for tossing your color containers and tools into.
https://amzn.to/4tsogMa

Previous Question Answered: How to Use Extra Drills
Next Question to be Answered: Finishing Your Artwork

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - How to Use Up Extra Drills

2026-06-01T00:03:18.593-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Drill Storage After Kitting Down
Next Question to be Answered: Traveling with your Diamond Art

Just because we keep them all doesn’t mean we will ever need any of them again. So, true! I have a couple of colors that keep showing up in kits that I am never short on, so may likely never need any in an emergency. But keep them we must, but for what? See the previous section as well.

How can we use up the extra drills if we really don’t want to continue buying kits anymore? Can we use them for something else?
First off, we’re sorry to see you go. But we understand that some people just don’t have the space for storing all the extras, or the money to purchase storage containers. The beauty of this option is that you can enjoy creating something unique of your own, that doesn’t take up much space and doesn’t require as much patience as an entire canvas. Give them to your friends or make free-style magnets out of them and put them on your fridge. Decorate your kid’s shoes, backpacks or your purses. Anything that you can glue drills to is fair game for using them up. Maybe even create your own diamond art images to use them on. See Creating Custom Diamond Art… When I ran across the following free-style card set for using up extra drills, a new world was opened to my imagination for using up the leftovers – COLORING BOOKS…and glue sheets! Oh, dear, here I go down another rabbit hole! https://amzn.to/4rTlD54

Here is another set of small mini-diamond art cards, but the set includes the diamonds as well as the cards. This would be perfect for beginners who don’t want to tackle a large canvas just yet, or who want to see if they can master the precision required of the square drills. https://amzn.to/4lORrXt

Here are some self-adhesive magnetic sheets that you can peel the adhesive side off and adhere your drills to in a freestyle design on the existing stickiness. Easily cut with scissors if you want to make different shapes. You can also place the mini diamond art cards onto the adhesive side and use them as large refrigerator display magnets. https://amzn.to/4mo6hV6

This video shows another way to use them with free cross-stitch patterns. This one is from Meloca Designs https://www.melocadesigns.com and you just might find yourself crawling down a whole ‘nother rabbit hole looking for free cross-stitch patterns. Just make sure that the pattern you use is sized correctly for the 2.8 mm drills. https://www.tiktok.com/@melocadesigns/video/7202701481328332037?lang=en

And lastly, you can put the extra drills on tumblers, your fingernails, and with the proper sealant, you can even put them on your shoes and enhance your purses.
Here are some alternative glues you can use for putting drills on fabrics, tennis shoes, tumblers, etc.
Beacon Gem Tac Glue https://amzn.to/41ty64I
Aleene's Liquid Fusion Heavy-Duty Glue https://amzn.to/41OcbFH

Here is a blog article that has a few more ideas on what to do with extra drills, https://www.diamondartclub.com/blogs/diamond-painting/what-to-do-with-leftover-diamond-painting-beads-5-unique-ideas

Previous Question Answered: Drill Storage After Kitting Down
Next Question to be Answered: Traveling with your Diamond Art

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Drill Storage After Kitting Down

2026-06-01T00:02:45.498-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Multi-Placer Tools and How to Use Them
Next Question to be Answered: How to Use Extra Drills

This one is a can of worms! Some people want to store every leftover drill, others throw them away, “horrors” and there are so many container sizes and organizer systems that you will find yourself wanting to try out several to see what works best for you. And there are all the funnels for the various container sizes! See what I mean about worms?

How can we store our leftover drills?
There are numerous ways to store your drills. That can be in Ziploc bags, little TicTac style boxes, round jars, drawers, etc. Plus, there are more containers to keep all the little containers in. There are whole organization schemes for diamond painting, even some with designer names, such as the Elizabeth Ward system. Pick whichever one you like. Or more than one, as many of us just can’t decide on a single system, or want to try several before making that decision. I use this large bag because it has a pocket to store other accessories as well and it’s portable if I’m going to be away from home for a long period. I have two large ones, one for solid opaque drills, and one for the rhinestone colors. I think I now need a third one for all the special drills I have discovered lately. https://amzn.to/4sijAIH

I’m not interested in sorting my leftover drills, but I don’t want to throw them in the trash either. Any ideas?
Some people just toss them all in a jar, unsorted and mixed up and use them in decorative vases to stick dried flowers into as if they were bits of colored sand. You can glue them randomly on mirror tiles to create borders around them. Additionally, they are generally safe to use inside a fishbowl or tank, if they are thoroughly cleaned and secured with aquarium-safe silicone. They should be placed where fish cannot eat them. Since they are small and shiny, they may be mistaken for food by some fish species. Here are some options for aquarium-safe silicone: https://amzn.to/4mBsL4Y

You can also throw them in MY direction! I would LOVE to have your leftover, unsorted drills!
(I have a bead sorting compulsion/obession/addiction - feed me!)

Previous Question Answered: Multi-Placer Tools and How to Use Them
Next Question to be Answered: How to Use Extra Drills

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Multi-Placer Tools and How to Use Them

2026-06-01T00:01:48.533-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Alignment Techniques
Next Question to be Answered: Drill Storage After Kitting Down

You have probably noticed by now, after clicking some of the links in this book, that there are some odd little tools that are about the size of your thumb that tend to be included with many of the tools as a bonus. These are called multi-placers, and they magically fit in the other end of your pink pen, and in other pens as well, though you may need to wrap washi tape around the tool connector to get it to fit into the hole. Sometimes they screw into proprietary pen sets. And like the name implies, they can help you place more than one drill at a time, and theoretically they save time, but only after you’ve gotten the hang of using them. Initially they can be timewasters. However, multi placers don’t tend to make very straight lines, especially if you don’t have your drills lined up perfectly in the tray first, which is why the row alignment templates exist, to help line you and your tool up. The more drills you try to place at once, the more out of whack the row will become and then you must manually align the miscreants.

Where these multi-placers shine is in projects with large blocks of the same color such as backgrounds. With the skilled use of multi-placers, these projects will not take as long as those with a lot of ‘confetti”, a term which refers to “many colors scattered all around a small area” that MUST be placed one by one, or, if lucky, 2 or 3 at time with a small multi-placer. Now that we have these questions answered, let’s answer some more.

Are we limited to tediously poking only one drill at a time onto our canvas? Working on solid backgrounds feels like a nightmare.
You can purchase plastic or metal sets of attachments that fit into the top of the ubiquitous pink pen that will allow you to stick more than one drill at a time, from 2 to 7 gems at once I think I saw a 10 gem one, too. You can even pull out the little clay-holding single gem module from your pink pen and replace it with a multi-gem module and have a different accessory at each end. See Drill Picker Pens for the ergonomic pens for some of those sets. But they can also be purchased without buying another pen. You will soon have several hundred pink pens anyway. Might as well stick your excess multi-placers in them. https://amzn.to/4df4243 If you’d rather have every multi-tool available to you in one hand-held item, rather than constantly swapping pens, you can just rotate the tool, then check out this little hexagonal device that holds 6 multi-tools at once. https://amzn.to/4spjka6

I’m sorry, but 8 is NOT enough! I want to place more, More, MORE drills at once!
Scroll wheels are available that enable the creation of a single, uniform row featuring significantly more drills than is possible with other types of pen attachments. This one has a groove down the center that helps keep the line of drills straight. Warning: there’s a bit of a learning curve in getting the diamonds onto the wheel, because they may move as you are rolling across them. Try rolling across them in the opposite direction toward the STOP line.so that the row hits a “wall” rather than having the freedom to move away from your wheel. Practice, practice, practice. I finally mastered it. https://amzn.to/4bA8pUQ

Why is my multi-placer not filling up straight?
It’s all in how your drills are aligned in the tray. If your drills are not completely touching when you finish your shaking, your multi-placer will not fill correctly. Additionally, if you press too hard from one end, or move the tray when loading your multi-placer, you can move the drills out of position and they won’t attach properly. If you do not press your multi-tool in the direction of the STOP line, that could also be your issue. It’s a bit of a learning curve, so PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

I am good at getting the drills straight on my multi-placers, but for some reason, I STILL can’t get them to line up on the grid correctly on some projects. This is because the grid on the canvas may not be totally aligned with the distance between the drills in the tray. The only fix for this one is to go back to one-by-one placement or spend a lot of time pushing the placed drills around to align them and fight the migration physics of the adhesive.

Here is a video showing how one of the largest multi-placers works. https://www.tiktok.com/@diamondart_queen/video/7634911299817852180?lang=en

Previous Question Answered: Alignment Techniques
Next Question to be Answered: Drill Storage After Kitting Down

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Diamond Art Alignment Techniques

2026-05-31T22:15:26.328-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Visual Aids for Diamond Painters
Next Question to be Answered: Multi-Placer Tools and How to Use Them

Now that we have discussed the potential replacements for the standard three tools with something we consider to be better; and have gotten our canvases flattened; and cleaned up our workspace; and are all kitted up and have decided on our workflow; and can now see what we’re doing; let’s look at the techniques for placing the drills on the canvas. Square drill projects take longer than round drills, because square drills are smaller, and the placement needs to be more precise because of the straight lines on the drills. Round drill projects are more forgiving, but they still need to be properly aligned, and curves need to be smoothly curved. It’s hard to smoothly curve when using square drills, so plan your project size appropriately, so that you use the right shape of drill to give the best finished image. But there’s certainly nothing wrong with an image that looks like well-aligned pixels.

Why do we have to be so precise to put a drill in exactly the right spot? Why can’t we just slap it on and move it over the correct spot later?
Simple answer: DRILLS MIGRATE. The glue on the canvas pulls them back to their original position where they were first placed. Once you understand the physics of this, you can work with it. When you put a drill down in the wrong spot, and try to slide it over to the correct spot, it won’t stay there. It will migrate back to where you first put it down. This is because of the elasticity of the canvas adhesive. It’s like stretching a little rubber band, it will pull back when you let go.

How do you solve this? Always pull your gem a little further BEYOND where you want to put it and with luck it won’t migrate all the way back, but it will migrate back just enough to sit where you need it to be. It takes a little patience to figure out how far you need to move a gem for it to move back to where you want it to be. But it’s very doable. I use the little pink pen to push and pull my drills around. You can also use a pair of tweezers with a good grip. Please get metal tweezers not plastic ones. The plastic ones really aren’t very good for diamond painting. Or better yet… just be patient and place the drill in the right spot to begin with so you won’t need any of these tweezers. https://amzn.to/47ESqUd

How can we make sure that we have put a rhinestone exactly on the coded spot? This is especially important if our hand tends to shake while holding it in the air, if we’re not using a release paper covering.
There are ruler templates that allow you to line your drills up a lot easier. They can be either metal or plastic and have cut-outs of different row widths, such as 1, 2 or 3 drill widths. This is to accommodate those who like to set multiple drills at a time, because it aids in the alignment of the multi-placer tools. There are also mesh templates with holes that automatically align individual drills for you. Just be careful when pulling the mesh off your canvas so that you don’t pop the drills off, too.. This may take some practice but using a rubber roller or brayer (mentioned below) to tightly press the drills down and under the mesh before lifting it from the canvas would be prudent. Buying a set of mesh rulers with different alignments can be cost-effective because round drill charts are not all the same. (See below) https://amzn.to/41fiG3M Make sure you choose the proper template for either round drills or square drills. The ones below are specifically for square drills and illustrate the “checkerboard placement” technique. You use the template in a blank section first, and what is left behind is a checkerboard pattern that you can fill in without the template on the next pass. This is the best placement technique for keeping square drills aligned. https://amzn.to/4tzHRKt

A CAVEAT! Round drill mesh rulers come in various sizes, so your mesh ruler may align with some canvases but not with others. Your favorite ruler may fit several projects and then suddenly you wonder why it doesn’t fit anymore. No, the metal did not change. This is because round drills do not use a standardized grid chart. And not all manufacturers use the same distance between the grid circles, which is what causes the misalignment on the mesh rulers in the first place. When the circles are placed right up against each other, with no space between them, no alignment ruler, mesh or otherwise, will help you. The drills themselves will eventually cease to be aligned as the project progresses. This is an issue with the blank canvas grids that are currently available. Using 2.5 mm drills may help but you may see the outlines underneath. See Creating Custom Diamond Art from Photos for more information.

How can we make sure that our gems are aligned perfectly, both horizontally and vertically, once manually placed?
There is an attachment in some pen tool kits that looks like a small blade, and this can be used between the rows to make sure everything is lined up nicely. It is generally about an inch to an inch and a half long. I have found that the metal ones tend to be a little thicker than the plastic ones. It is good to have at least one of each because in some canvases you are going to want the thinner plastic version. As stated above, the grid alignments, and hence the distance between rows, aren’t standardized, and neither is the thickness of the alignment tools. https://amzn.to/4mgmP18
-- If the pen tool attachment seems too small and tedious to use on an inch-by-inch basis on a large canvas, then there are larger devices that can be used between the rows to line them up. They kind of look like large mastic spreaders or drywall mud spatulas. https://amzn.to/4sH6apj
-- If lining up rows one by one with either tool is too tedious for you, there are specialized rollers with grooves in them that help align multiple rows at once, usually about seven rows at one time. These are best to use while you work is in progress, rather than after you have completed it, because when you are aligning your rows after everything is completed, the drills need a place to move into, and there really isn’t any place for them to go, other than pop off, after the canvas is completed. So, use it while your work is in progress. https://amzn.to/3NMuJ5x

Here is a video that shows how well these grooved rollers work: and here is a video that shows how to use the blade option. Using a hairdryer to soften the glue may be necessary on those canvases that are excessively sticky. https://www.tiktok.com/@the.a.i.art.broker/video/7448767109493951787?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/shorts/swKBHu-8lS4

I seem to have trouble with putting the wrong color in the wrong spot. HELP!
Placing the wrong diamonds in the wrong spot is a common error. The main way to solve this is to SLOW DOWN and FOCUS. After all, there’s no need to rush through your supposed-to-be-relaxing project. Nothing is going to expire, go sour, or melt into a puddle if you don’t finish the section in the next 10 minutes. So, make sure you double-check the symbols before placing each drill. When kitting up, take note of any symbols that might look too similar, and be prepared when you run across them. There’s a reason there is usually no “I”. (I tend to have trouble with B and 8, and Q and 0, especially if they are similar shades.) Sometimes the canvas color can tip you off as well. If you see a B that is on a green circle on the canvas, don’t put a red 8 on it. If you are working in small sections, it’s harder to get confused. If you’re in a well-lit area, you can see the codes better. And for dark canvases, using an LED backlight will reveal the correct code. You can use tweezers to quickly fix any mistakes.

Previous Question Answered: Visual Aids for Diamond Painters
Next Question to be Answered: Multi-Placer Tools and How to Use Them

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Visual Aids for Diamond Painters

2026-05-31T21:51:57.416-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Workflow For Efficiency
Next Question to be Answered: Alignment Techniques

Just because we wear glasses or contacts does not mean we can’t enjoy diamond painting! Some of us started when our eyesight was great, and over the years, it has declined, but we’re not going to give up our hobby until we go completely blind! As popular as this hobby has become, and the way technology is advancing, it’s only a matter of time before a braille painting kit pops up.

How do those of us with poor eyesight work on a project if our glasses keep falling off?
Eyeglass holder straps, like the stereotypical librarian tends to wear, (I used to be one) are all the rage now with Gen Z. Not only can you find a wide variety of styles, but you can find all the craft pieces to make your own and sell them as well. They can be adjustable or not. Your choice.
https://amzn.to/4bHHTZw If you don’t wear glasses, or even if you do and they’re just not strong enough for you, there are also wearable, hands-free magnifiers, or freestanding ones, or ones that can clamp to your work table. I seriously suggest getting a lighted one because you’ll regret it if you don’t.
https://amzn.to/4stZk7b

What if we like to work on our diamond art in the bedroom, but our partner doesn’t like us having the light on?
Would you believe that there are both battery and USB operated diamond art pens that shed just enough light in the beading area so that you won’t disturb anyone else? These are also great for power outages when you have a deadline to finish your project, but you have no light to see by. https://amzn.to/47bYDXw

What if the pattern on the canvas is so dark that you can’t see the symbol for the color you need?
That’s where the light table comes in handy. Electric or USB, large or small. Just place your canvas over the lighted table and you should see the code come up clearly through the dark canvas. This is the one I have, but I must plug it into a power bank, or into the wall when I want to use it, but the price was right. Maybe someday I’ll get a rechargeable one. https://amzn.to/4sR4Jom
If you would prefer a USB rechargeable version without external wires that you can use during a power outage, or in car or on a camping trip, and not waste the power bank, there are several sizes to choose from here. https://amzn.to/4sOE6jZ

I am so obsessed with working on my diamond art that power outages drive me crazy! How can I work on my project when it’s dark and there’s no electricity?
Sounds like you need a portable power bank! You can plug in any of your USB powered diamond art light tables, pens, magnifiers, and vacuum pens into it, just like you would do with the USB brick on the wall. Great for charging your phone, and anything you can plug into it. I have several that I keep ready for severe storm situations which happen frequently in my area. https://amzn.to/4dAAhuu

Previous Question Answered: Workflow For Efficiency
Next Question to be Answered: Alignment Techniques

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it. PLUS - If you purchase the Kindle book you will get access to the printable PDF of 12 project log and inventory pages, with proof of purchase. Details are inside the book. And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Workflow For Efficiency

2026-05-31T21:22:51.742-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Work Area Organization
Next Question to be Answered: Visual Aids

Everyone has their own way of working on a project. The first thing everybody does though, is “kit up” the project by sorting the kit drills into containers we have labeled with the codes that will match those on the grid. Some will work directly out of the packets themselves and may or may not keep the leftovers. Some will work all of a single color before moving to the next color, while others may start from the top, bottom or edge and work every color in a single row before moving to the next row. There is no right or wrong way. There is no way that is more efficient than any other way. It’s what works for you, the “flow” that you are comfortable with, that helps you relax, that keeps you focused.

I work out of the slippery packets and do not save any leftovers. How can I sort the open packets in case I miss a spot of the color I was working on and thought I was finished?
One method that I heard about was using egg cartons. Mark the compartments with the numbers in the kit, and when you think you are finished with a color, just pour the packet into the appropriate compartment. No worries about fighting with funnels. When you finish the project, just pour the contents of the egg carton(s) into the trash (or See What to do with Extra Drills). **This makes me cringe… please, pour them into a baggie and mail them to me! Even if they are all mixed up, I’ll happily sort through leftover drills! https://ei-kan.blogspot.com

What if we have a project with a large number of colors and want to be able to simply grab a tray that already has our diamonds in it rather than constantly pouring them out into the little green tray and back into storage?
This lazy Susan tray caddy is the most space-saving device that I’ve seen yet. Great for projects that have 24 or less colors. Of course, you can always get two or more of them to stack for even larger projects, because their footprint is very small on your table, and the height is your only limit. When you are finished with your project, the triangle shape allows you to pour the leftover beads into your storage containers easily. https://amzn.to/4uDiWqS

Are there any other accessories that can help us with our workflow?
Yes! I found a couple of cover minders that have dual purposes. Nothing says you can’t have more than one attached to your canvas in a strategic location for ease of use. This cover minder does the double duty of collecting stray or lost drills, or as place to put the misshapen or trash drills that you run across while working.. The magnet keeps it from tipping over so that you don’t need to use an extra hand. https://amzn.to/4cTNjlZ And this little cover minder also holds your pretty pink putty pad right at your fingertips directly on the canvas. https://amzn.to/4mFhGA1

Previous Question Answered: Work Area Organization
Next Question to be Answered: Visual Aids

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Work Area Organization

2026-05-31T21:22:17.193-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 2
Next Question to be Answered: Workflow for Efficiency

Preparing your workspace properly will make your hobby more enjoyable and comfortable. If you have a messy area, you may find yourself procrastinating getting back to work. Messy work areas are often the cause for unfinished projects of all kinds. And they are also the number one cause of spilled drills. Make sure your surface is clean and flat and large enough to handle the size of the canvas you have chosen. There are work arounds for this but try not to need them. Work in a well-lit area so that you can see the codes on your canvas, the correct colors in your tray and where you are placing your drills. An LED lamp with a magnifier will give you extra precision and enjoyment.

All my tools are cluttering my workspace. What do you suggest for organizing the mess?
There are a lot of pens, pencil and paintbrush caddies for your desk that will work beautifully for craft items as well. Even a screwdriver organizer or desk basket can work. https://amzn.to/4chtBzb

How can we work on a large canvas if we only have a small area that’s not big enough for the canvas?
You can keep the canvas rolled up and just release part of it as you work. This will not harm your canvas. There are spiral rings available that roll up and hold the canvas, (with or without drills attached), so you can work on a large canvas on a small desk. They have a slit so that you can pull out what you need and roll up what you have already finished. Once you see these videos, https://www.facebook.com/bellaartdenicole/videos/how-it-works-new-diamond-painting-keeper-at-httpswwwbellaartdenicolecomproductsd/1323841622250062/ And https://www.tiktok.com/@mattiesdiamondart/video/7543742414926679326, you’ll understand why a rubber band isn’t going to work. You are likely going to want a pair of them. These can also be used when working on large needlepoints or cross-stitch canvases. Just an FYI – you will likely find yourself working upside down or sideways if your canvas is large. https://amzn.to/4dwlfWt There is also canvas roll holder that attaches to the edge of your table, if you have a table edge that is not beveled. Using a table roller in conjunction with a roller ring will help you maximize your ability to work easily on tall canvases in a small area. The latter part of this video shows how this style works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9cb1cmllX0

Is there a way to tilt the tray in a more ergonomic position rather than constantly bending over it flat on a table?
Yes, as a matter of fact there is! And it’s even adjustable to the angle that you need to help prevent neck strain and backache, and carpal tunnel. It also appears to be large enough to hold many of the different trays currently on the market. https://amzn.to/4sj5tmq

Is there a more ergonomic way of working on a canvas than bending our backs and necks over a table?
A simple, but a large, tabletop easel may just be the thing you need. It is also more portable than a drafting table, and it allows you to have a flat area next to you, either on the left side or on the right side, for your supplies, or your lunch, which a drafting table generally does not have. It’s very hard to spill your drink onto an elevated canvas, too. And your little tilted tray holder from the link above will have place, also and you won’t have to have them both tilted to the same angle if you don’t want to. Depending on the size of your project, and its orientation, you may want to attach a canvas table roller (above) to the top of the easel that will allow you to roll the canvas as you work on it. There are many easel sizes available. https://amzn.to/4viPlU1 and this, too: https://amzn.to/4e6WLDu

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 2
Next Question to be Answered: Workflow for Efficiency

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 2

2026-05-31T21:21:47.571-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 1
Next Question to be Answered: Work Area Organization

How can I keep a canvas from losing its stickiness?
It’s much easier to prevent a loss of stickiness than it is to fix it, but if it happens anyway, know that it is repairable. See the next question for details on repairing lost stickiness. So, how to prevent stickiness issues in the first place? Work in small sections, only peeling the film back when you are ready to work, and always cover your unused sections. The less adhesive that's exposed to air at any given time, the longer it stays tacky. This is the best thing you can do. Whenever you stop for a break, even a short one to the little room down the hall, put the protective film or a piece of parchment paper over exposed adhesive areas. Dust and cat hair settle faster than you think and is the leading cause of the loss of stickiness on a diamond art project. You should always wash your hands before working on a canvas as well. This is because body oils from your hands are the second biggest adhesive killer. Store your canvas between sessions by rolling it with the adhesive side facing inward and with the drills on the inside. Wrap it with a kitchen cling wrap or place it in a sealable bag, like a zipper bag, and store it horizontally in a cool, dry place. Avoid direct sunlight and don’t leave it in a hot car. Extreme heat, cold, or moisture can affect adhesive performance, so try to work in a room that's between 18–24°C (65–75°F) with low humidity (under 50%).
Here are some options for cling wrap
https://amzn.to/41pTqrJ
And here is what I use to check the temperature and humidity in several rooms of my house:
https://amzn.to/4sAAVw4

What can we do if the project is missing the stickiness in random areas or even on the whole canvas?
If the canvas is old or has been sitting out of its bag or box for a long time without the protective film, it may have either attracted dust or hair that is affecting the stickiness, or the adhesive has dried out - but is likely not destroyed. If either is the case, there are a couple of things you can try.
- First clean the canvas by lightly using either an unscented baby wipe (they are lint-free) or a lint roller to remove any dust or debris that may be coating the adhesive.
- Next, use a hairdryer on low heat to gently warm the adhesive to reactivate it.
You can also put a piece of parchment paper over the canvas and press lightly with a warm iron on low on any stubborn spot where the heat alone wasn’t enough. Examine the canvas carefully from the side so you can see where the glue is or isn’t and use small pieces of double-sided tape cut to size for the non-sticky areas. You can also apply a thin layer of specialized diamond painting adhesive if bald spots appear anyway after the canvas been heated or pressed.

My canvas arrived with no glue! Should I return it?
If the canvas arrived with no glue, that’s whole different issue, but you don’t need to return it, unless you want to. (I once received 10 canvases with no glue, and the replacements were dry as well.) You will need to replace the stickiness by painting on a new adhesive or use large double-sided glue sheets over the canvas. If it is a partial drill canvas, you may be able to get away with just using a double-sided glue roller in the proper areas, or a small paint brush.
Any glue that dries tacky is a good option for replacing the missing stickiness on your project. I have used the following products with great success:
Alene’s Tack it Over and Over
https://amzn.to/3Nt4n8E
Dotz Stick
https://amzn.to/3QsPh3T
A double-sided glue tape roller is also an option.
https://amzn.to/3PY9r5M
You can even use a metal leaf gilding adhesive. They all dry tacky as well.
https://amzn.to/4lD8uLX
Even a nail art film transfer adhesive can be used for a small “dead” area but make sure it is NOT a UV curable adhesive. The above types of products

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 1
Next Question to be Answered: Work Area Organization

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 1

2026-05-31T21:21:17.436-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Drills - The Heart of the Art Part 3
Next Question to be Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 2

The focus of a diamond project is the material that the project image is printed on. Without the “canvas”, there can be no diamond painting. This is usually a piece of fabric, but it can also refer to any material that has a diamond painting grid printed on it, such as a magnet, an acrylic shape, a box, a leather purse, etc. In this section, we are mainly discussing the fabric style of canvas, but this stickiness discussion fits every type of adhesive material that may have a diamond painting grid on it.

Did you know that it is possible to take the plastic film OFF the canvas incorrectly?
Something so simple can trip you up for your first time out. If you remove the entire protective film all at once can affect the stickiness of the canvas and allow dust and hair to accumulate. Uncover only where you plan to work. If you touch the adhesive with your fingers or with the side of your hand (and invariably, you will), you can make the canvas lose its stickiness in that spot. But not all is lost! You can use a standard lint roller for major dust and hairs, or just lightly clean the canvass with a damp, unscented baby wipe, any brand, to get the hair, dust and body oils off the adhesive. There are a lot of lint roller choices out there:
https://amzn.to/3QvX1Ck
If you need baby wipes, here are some options:
https://amzn.to/4chmRBp
You can purchase release papers that are specific to diamond art:
https://amzn.to/3O77XFO
Or you can purchase large pieces of silicone coated kitchen parchment and cut the pieces yourself:
https://amzn.to/4c7U0zf

Did you know that it is possible to put the plastic film back ON the canvas incorrectly?
Yep! One side adheres to the canvas much more strongly than the other side does, and it can be hard to peel it off without thinking you’re ripping the glue off the canvas. Try not to get it mixed up by marking the cover before you take it off with either a marking pen, acrylic paint pen, a small paper sticker or a colored label dot. Then you will never put it back on incorrectly again. Here are some colored label dots if you need them:
https://amzn.to/4mGU124
And here are some metallic chrome paint pens that you can also use around the edges of acrylic keychains and magnets to add additional shine:
https://amzn.to/4vX0Lxd

How do we section off the canvas so that we can work in those smaller areas?
You can use washi tape (See Canvas Issues - Part 2) on top of the film to section off areas, usually in a grid-like pattern and then use either a ceramic pen cutter (which will not damage the canvas like a utility knife can) or use scissors to cut the film in particular squares into workable pieces and only uncover what you are working on, and fold it back down when you go on a break. By using this grid method, you can cut out any section you want to work on. You’re not forced into working in any particular way, such as top to bottom or side to side. You can also use cover minders to hold the film back, if you don’t want to separate the pieces. These are cute little inexpensive magnets that are paired with a 2nd magnet that you place on the other side of the canvas to secure the film or parchment in between them, so that it doesn’t get in your way by flopping back over onto the section you’re working on.
Ceramic blade pens:
https://amzn.to/4dY634U
Cover Minders are also sometimes sent by the companies you purchase your patterns from as a thank you gift and they can also be found on Etsy. Some have more than one purpose.
https://amzn.to/4mDWo5R
You can even make your own cover minders from charms, 3D printed items, resin molds or clay, all you need is a pair of 1 cm round magnets, and some B7000 glue to attach one to your charm.
https://amzn.to/4cxjCpw

How do we get the creases out of a canvas that was folded in transit?
Believe it or not, you can iron the canvas if it’s creased. Use a laundry iron or a craft iron on a low heat, or nylon setting with the canvas facing down on a towel or ironing board, and another towel between your iron and the canvas. You don’t want to melt the glue, so keep the iron moving, but focus on the crease itself. Temperature settings may vary by iron or canvas, and it’s OK to go a little hotter if you need to but increase in small steps. Craft irons don’t tend to get as hot as laundry irons, but some people have used the steam setting on their laundry irons for this process. It seems to vary by YouTuber, but I have had great luck with a small craft iron set to medium. Here is one of several videos on how to iron the creases out of a diamond painting canvas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stZDGpfwo9U If you need craft iron, here are several to choose from: https://amzn.to/4rS7yF4

How do we flatten a canvas that came tightly rolled and refused to unroll?
Many methods have been presented, but you don’t need to put heavy books on top; you don’t need to put them under your mattress overnight, you don’t need to roll it in the other direction and clamp it. All you need to do is unroll it, lay something on 3 corners, or clamp the corners to the table or a board (to help hold it open), and while holding down one corner with your hand, carefully lift the respective corner of the protective sheet, press the canvas flat with your hand, and put the film back on again, pressing it flat as you do so. When the protective sheet is placed back on the already hand flattened canvas, you can see that the canvas has not been harmed at all by being rolled. Perform the same process with the other 3 corners and you will have a nicely flattened canvas. Remember not to take the film off the canvas all at once but work in small sections so that it will keep the canvas flat until you are finished. As you can see by this procedure, the fabric canvas was not the issue – the plastic film was simply on too tightly.
There are many kinds of canvas clamps, hold-downs and rolling tools that can be used to both flatten the canvas or keep it taut and immovable while you work on it. They are also good for managing large canvases by allowing you to maintain a comfortable working distance and avoid excessive leaning toward the center of your table, which can be detrimental to your back and neck.
https://amzn.to/4vqQNDZ

Help! My canvas is really wrinkled, but fortunately it has no creases and is relatively flat otherwise. What can I do?
No need to panic! This YouTube video will explain how to get random wrinkles out that are usually caused by air bubbles that got trapped under the protective film during manufacturing. The process is similar to how to flatten a rolled canvas, but this time with a twist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaVNfumLImw

Previous Question Answered: Drills - The Heart of the Art Part 3
Next Question to be Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 2

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories and the Problems They Solve - Drills - the Heart of the Art Part 3

2026-05-27T19:05:00.000-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Drills - the Heart of the Art Part 2
Next Question to be Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 1

How do I find the special shapes styles?
This is a question that I wish I had a better answer to. As common as a lot of them seem to be, they are darn hard to find, especially in the necessary color. One of the methods I have used is to take a picture of the odd shaped drill that I’m looking for and let Google Lens find it for me. Sometimes they can be found at specialty bead shops, often in the nail art section but usually in collections with other shapes that don’t tend to be used in diamond art. I have even found some of the more unusual special shapes on Temu before they sold out. In fact, whenever I run across similar special shapes in the diamond art size range, I acquire every color I can. That way, if I can’t find the exact color, I just may have a similar color or shape that I can substitute instead. Here are some suppliers of various drill styles, shapes and colors:
--- Diamond Painting Pro https://diamondpaintingpro.com?sca_ref=10996985.UefHaQBtHx
--- Diamond Painting Drills https://diamondpaintingdrills.com
--- Diamond Drills USA https://diamonddrillsusa.com individual colors in many styles
--- DP with Sparklers https://dpwithsparklers.com A lot of metallic pearls also in larger sizes
--- Shimmering Canvases https://shimmeringcanvases.com
--- Munimade https://munimade.com

Is there such a thing as special shapes for square drill projects?
Yes! There are bars, bricks, and blocks made from cut glass crystal to add depth, dimension and texture with even more shine and sparkle, and they work in both round and square projects. Bars cover a line 1x4 spaces long in a square project or 3.5 spaces long in a round one. You can stretch that out to 4 spaces by centering the bar over the round circles. Blocks cover a 2x2 square. Bricks cover a 3×2 rectangle. At this writing there are 30 colors of bars (mostly metallics plus 4 opaques); 45 colors of blocks, including AB; and 9 AB bricks. They do not follow the DMC coding system. https://diamondpaintingdrills.com/product-category/bars-blocks-and-bricks/

There are also flame drills that are specifically sized for square drill projects. Since these drills are made from cut glass they can ONLY be made in a round shape. https://diamondpaintingdrills.com/product/flame-crystal-drills-set-of-4-rd-sq/

Do they make black light drills?
Yes! A black light merely provides the energy to create photoluminescence, or fluorescence on objects that have colors that naturally react to UV light wave frequencies, such as some fish, insects, mammals and paint colors and fabrics. Some drills will naturally show up brighter under a black light, but they may not glow in the dark. And there are some drills that are specifically sold as UV drills as noted above.

I don’t want to buy 447 different colors when I only need one to finish the project. How can I find the right color and style of the missing drill?
You can buy specific individual colors by searching for the DMC color number, type of drill, and shape. For example: ”910 Crystal round drills”. This book would get unwieldy if I even attempted to add those who sell individual drills, and not all sellers sell all colors. Most don’t keep an inventory of all 447 colors, so for some of the less common colors, you just may have to bite the bullet and buy a bulk collection. Diamond Art Club has even more colors, but they also formulate their drills from the Pantone color charts https://www.pantone-colours.com) as well as the DMC (https://www.thread-bare.com/tools/closest-dmc-thread-color-lookup) and have several proprietary drill styles. If you would like to add some of their specialty drills to your collection, you will need to contact them directly at http://diamondartclub.com
Of course, with all these colors and styles of drills, you’re going to need a lot of labels for all of the storage bins you’re going to be filling up. They are also useful for marking your zipper bags, and for when you are “kitting up” (getting drills organized to start a new project) and need to slap a new number or symbol over your in-progress working organizer. https://amzn.to/4vcN1Oj
Or you can go all out and grab a variety of stickers in all shapes and sizes that are specifically related to diamond painting – a book of 8000 stickers to be exact! https://amzn.to/4tsXUdI

Ok, we bought all these backup sets, now how do we keep track of all these colors so we can easily find the shade we need?
This is where a full-color DMC color chart inventory logbook comes in handy. You can use double-sided glue tape to glue sample drills on each color bar so that you know exactly what number is assigned to that color. This is extremely important when you have drills from Michael’s Make Market, Hobby Lobby or Diamond Dotz kits, because they all use their own color codes. No official DMC conversion chart exists for Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. For AB drills only, Diamond Art Club uses a proprietary 101-149 numbering system, which requires specialized conversion charts when sourcing drills from aftermarket suppliers. And many of the lower cost manufacture-less canvases have no color code at all, other than the one used to match the symbols on the canvas, so you are forced to guess if you have any more of that color, or if it is a new one. This non-standard coding makes having a DMC color chart very important, so that you can find replacement drills from other sites and benefit from their sales and discounts. Plus, using a single coding system reduces the need for additional storage containers over time and lowers the chance of confusion when assigning similar numbers to containers from different companies. By sticking with one coding method, you avoid mix-ups and simplify your numbering tasks. The DMC book is also extremely handy when you run across drills you have spilled somewhere, or found while sweeping the floor, and can’t remember what kit they came from.
https://amzn.to/3PWetzL
If you use Diamond Dotz kits and can’t find a logbook that has the conversion chart, there is one on the company’s website that you are free to use: https://eu.diamonddotz.com/diamond-dotz-to-dmc-conversion-chart

If we run out of a particular color, how do we know if we have that same color somewhere in our stash or storage?
Again, the above full-color DMC inventory books are a great resource to have, especially if you can glue in a known sample drill for reference. The reason for gluing in a drill is because the printed ink colors won’t match the drills exactly, (it’s an ink vs plastic color thing) so it is best to have a known drill by the correct color number as a reference. One way to make sure you have the correct drills for each code number is to purchase a set of extra beads that already have the DMC codes on them. And then use those to match up with your book. As stated above, not all projects provide DMC codes for their diamonds, so you’re on your own to match what you have. One caveat! Sometimes the colors that you buy do NOT match the DMC chart, and it’s not a batch issue, it’s just so far off as to be obvious, like receiving a green instead of a yellow with the same number. So, always use the printed DMC chart as your authoritative guide, and change the labels on your storage containers if you must. You can also use one of the various online DMC search tools such as https://www.thread-bare.com/tools/closest-dmc-thread-color-lookup but that link first requires that you know the number of the color you are looking up.

I am totally stumped trying to figure out this drill color code! What do you suggest I do?
If you absolutely must know what the exact color is and nothing else will do, you can always purchase a handheld color identification device known as a spectrophotometer. But that might be a bit of overkill in this hobby. My suggestion would be to use the closest color you CAN find, even if it means removing a few that don’t quite match or try a different color in that area altogether. But if you insist on exact matching, here is an option for you, but it does not specify the minimum object size that it can detect a color on. You may need to put several drills in a large patch for proper detection.
https://amzn.to/4cJ3e6I
This one can detect colors on an item as small as 2mm but it’s going to be pricey: https://amzn.to/48Gj27U

Previous Question Answered: Drills - the Heart of the Art Part 2
Next Question to be Answered: Diamond Painting Canvas Issues Part 1

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories and the Problems They Solve - Drills - the Heart of the Art Part 2

2026-05-23T18:15:08.524-05:00

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories and the Problems They Solve - Drills - the Heart of the Art Part 1

2026-05-12T02:02:10.918-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Pink Clay, Wax, Putty, Mud, etc.
Next Question to be Answered: Drills - the Heart of the Art Part 2

Drills are what the flat bottomed, half round or square beads, gems, rhinestones or diamonds are officially called, and without them, there would be nothing to “paint” with! There are several theories as to why they are called “drills”, but none are definitive. The most endearing one is that of a translation issue from Chinese manufacturers, who labeled the tiny little plastic bits as something that translated into English as "plastic drill bits" or something similar. The standard diamond art size for round drills is 2.8 mm with 26 facets and for square drills, it’s 2.5 mm with 9 facets. Special shapes also exist as stars, ovals, pointed ovals, tear drops, etc., but those are not easy to find outside of the project kit in which you first found them. And to add to the dilemma, there’s usually no leftover special shaped drills when you are finished. So, hoard those for emergency replacements!

Is there some easier way to work with these drill packets that are connected in the kits? They slip and slide before you can cut them apart, and you can’t stack them in any useful order.
Rather than fight with that long strip of connected diamond packets, cut all the packets off at once, and place them in a caddy such as this one below, in numerical order, or whatever order you wish. It’s much easier this way to grab a packet, cut it open, and pour it into your tray if you are one of those who would prefer to work out of the packet without kitting up into another container. It’s great for keeping the slippery little devils corralled while you put them in more permanent containers or while kitting up. Each compartment can hold up to three full packets of the same color or use it to hold your little clay squares and other small diamond art accessories.
https://amzn.to/4btANrm

Why do some drills stick to the inside of the bag, or the lid and sides of my storage containers, or even to each other in the tray? How can we stop this from happening?
Static electricity is the cause of this phenomenon. It’s often caused by dry conditions or friction during packaging, and during pouring them out, and it most often affects the acrylic opaque drills more than the crystal rhinestones, though all drill styles may be affected occasionally. Eliminate the static, and you eliminate the problem. Easier said than done, right? Well, it can be fixed by introducing moisture or using laundry dryer sheets. There’s a reason why most “anti-static” wipes are also damp.
https://amzn.to/4m9Dovw

Various remedies exist for this rather common situation, and a few are listed below.

---- Cut up a used anti-static dryer sheet into small squares, about a half inch in size. Place a piece of this in the container with the drills, or in the kit packet before pouring, or your storage container, and shake well. In fact, keep that little square in your storage containers with the drills. You can also rub the outside of plastic bags or storage containers with a used dryer sheet before opening them. There’s nothing wrong with using a new dryer sheet, other than the rather overwhelming scent that may affect some people in adverse ways. Used sheets have less of this scent.
https://amzn.to/4c3A1Sh

--- If static is making the drills stick to the tools or fall or fly out of the tray, just treat the tray or the tools by wiping them with a dryer sheet or add a tiny amount of moisture as mentioned below. Ways to add moisture consist of the following methods.

--- You can put the bags of drills into the freezer for about 15-30 minutes. I am not sure why this works, other than perhaps to introduce moisture via condensation as they thaw out, but it is useful if you don’t have time to fiddle with the dryer sheets and aren’t planning on starting your project immediately. So, as soon as your kit arrives, toss the drills bags into the freezer and retrieve them when you’re ready to start, to save time.

---- Another way you can add moisture is by lightly blowing warm air into the bag, using a technique that I call “hawing”. You can also wipe the inside of the bag with a slightly damp cotton swab that has been dipped in water and distilled vinegar that has been mixed with 1-2 drops of vinegar to 1 oz of water. You can put this mix into a small spray bottle and mist the drills lightly. No need to make them wet, just a light mist is fine. Here are some handy spray bottles that you can use for all sorts of things:
https://amzn.to/4ttzCj3

---- If you’d like to prevent this static electricity situation from happening, you can use a humidifier in your crafting room to help reduce the dryness that causes the static electricity in the first place. https://amzn.to/48fcTPC

---- If you don’t want to use any of the solutions above, then just cut a small corner of the bag to make it easier to transfer the drills without creating more static from the friction of them flowing too fast out of the bag.

What can we do when we come across greasy looking or sticky drills or ones that defy all the static removal methods?
This situation more often affects crystal drills because they are created by gluing colored foil to the flat back of the gem. But ALL the drill styles can benefit from the following method. Put a drop of dish detergent into a small bowl of water. Using a tea strainer, place it into the water, and pour the drills into the strainer. Lightly stir the gems around or just shake the strainer in the water. Remove the strainer from the water and rinse under the faucet in the sink. Pour the drills onto a paper towel, dab the water out with another paper towel and when they are completely dry, put them into your storage container. This not only cleans the machine grease and other manufacturing gunk off your drills but also eliminates static by introducing moisture….and they tend to sparkle even MORE, because there isn’t any residue of any kind on them. It’s great to use with drills you may have dropped on the floor as well, because they could have picked up body oils from the carpet. This is my favorite dish detergent for absolutely everything including flea control on pets that I also keep in an aforementioned sprayer bottle:
https://amzn.to/48BvjKz
Here is a set of three super fine mesh strainers
https://amzn.to/4txfRqX

I washed my drills like you suggested, but some are still stuck together. What do I do now?
Sometimes drills are stuck together for a reason other than static electricity – manufacturing issues. Yes, sometimes drills are stuck together because they didn’t get separated properly at the factory. In the same package of stuck drills, you may also find misshapen drills, or drills with tiny bits sticking from them. Those should all be thrown out. But if they are just stuck together, there is an easy way to separate large groups of them, a Drill Grinder or Drill Separator, but you should examine them after separation to see if any of them are worth keeping or not. If possible, purchase better quality kits from companies that offer better quality drills. But a drill grinder is easy to use for either round or square drills. Just place the drills in the bottom part of the grinder, put the top on, and lightly twist from side to side until they're all separated. If you see a lot of stuck drills in a bag, just pour the whole bag in, those that need separating will come apart.
https://amzn.to/4mF2keR

I bought a cheap, low-quality kit and there are a lot of trash drills. How can I collect them and ditch them as I am working?
You can pop them into any small jar or container to throw out later (or use as colored “sand” to plant dried flowers in. Here is a cute cover minder that doubles as a trash can. There are a lot of different styles as well.
https://amzn.to/4tcdB7U

What do we do when the kit doesn’t have enough of a particular color drill to finish the project?
Fortunately, this situation doesn’t happen very often with high quality kits by well-known manufacturers, but when it does happen, you can contact the manufacturer and let them know which color(s) is missing and for which kit. You will need the kit number and the color number in most cases, and probably your sales receipt. However, many diamond painting projects don’t have a manufacturer listed, so in those cases, you will need to contact the seller, and if that fails, you may need to purchase your own replacement drills. This requires that you know the color code of the drill you are missing, and to complicate matters, the color codes are not standardized, and neither are the color names. The main color codes used are from the DMC (Dollfus-Mieg & Compagnie) thread colors, and they are a guideline for the hobby, but several diamond art manufacturers use their own codes, and in some cases, conversion charts to DMC exist, but not for all. Additionally, dye lots can differ with every manufacturer, and even between batches from the same manufacturer. There is no control over shades, so they may not perfectly match drills you have from other sources or even drills you may have purchased from the same supplier in the same order! Photos are often inaccurate due to the differences between the colors of light and the colors of ink vs the actual product. It can be a complex mess! But more on this as we move through this, and other sections, as necessary.

You can either order specific colors when you need them and wait for a slow boat from you-know-where to arrive before you can finish, or you can be proactive and order a full set of drills in every color imaginable as a backup for the eventuality that at some point in the future you’re going to need more of at least one of those 447 colors. Having a backup set, however, is great for when you don’t like a color in the kit and would prefer to swap it out with a different color that makes more sense to you. See the links below for bulk backup sets of different styles. Be sure to take note of whether you are ordering square or round drills.

Previous Question Answered: Pink Clay, Wax, Putty, Mud, etc.
Next Question to be Answered: Drills - the Heart of the Art Part 2

+%-=+%-=+%-=++%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=+%-=
I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Pink Clay, Wax, Putty, Mud, etc.

2026-05-07T01:58:00.002-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Drill Picker Pens and Styluses
Next Question to be Answered: Drills – the Heart of the Art - Part 1

Every kit comes with a little pink or blue square pad of something tacky that goes by the various names of clay, putty, mud, or wax that is used for picking up drills and placing them on the canvas. But, for some people, this little pad is not ideal, so questions have emerged and alternatives sought. Note that the stickiness of the picker pen must be strong enough to pick up the drills, but not so strong that the drills aren’t pulled off easily by the adhesive on the canvas. It’s a delicate balance.

How do you get the putty from the pad into the pen?

The idea is that you peel the plastic off one side of the little pad (it doesn’t matter which side) and then you poke your stick pen into the pad, all the way through, to fill the tip with the tacky substance. This allows you to pick up the drills out of the tray. You may be able to place several drills before needing to poke your pen into the putty pad again. The little pad ends up looking like Swiss cheese over the life of the project, and some clay pads appear to stay tackier longer than others. They do dry out, but even though it can take a long time to do so, it is wise to store unused pads in a sealed container or a zipper bag. There are lots of zipper bag sizes to consider. You may even want to use them for sorting drills or packaging individual small projects, like keyrings, magnets or earrings, for sale or storage. https://amzn.to/4bZQgB6

Help! I’ve run out of sticky pad before I’ve finished my project!! What did I do wrong?

You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s possible that the pad you received just wasn’t all that sticky and you had to poke it more often than would have otherwise been necessary. But, not to worry! There are solutions. Sometimes, the manufacturer gives you extra squares for a large project, and if you save them, along with what’s left of your current piece of Swiss cheese, you can retrieve another pad from your stash bag and continue the project. You can also purchase more squares of standard pink clay. Some are in cute little plastic containers to help keep them from drying out, such as round, square, heart-shaped and clover. There are also many colors of these clay pads, blue and white being almost as common as pink, but I have also seen yellow, orange, green and purple. I haven’t been able to determine whether the putty color makes a difference in the stickiness or the freshness longevity, though. If it does, the difference appears to be minor. Here are a few options for more putty clay pads: https://amzn.to/4lDqjKU

Is there some other tacky medium we can use besides constantly poking this little pink pad of “sticky stuff”?

Yes! Nail art wax pencils, silicone cone tips, Blu Tack, museum putty, beeswax-coconut oil mixes and using automatic pens, all work as longer-lasting clay alternatives. You can pick up a lot more drills with these mediums before having to reload your pen.

If you don’t like constantly poking that pad after every few drills, you can always roll it up and twist it instead. Yes, you heard that right…roll that little pad up, even if it’s round, twist it into a thin tube and poke it inside the barrel of a special automatic pen that will let you get every last drop of that sticky stuff without the constant refilling of the pen. All you do is twist the top of the pen to extrude just a hair more of the clay. There are a lot of these automatic pens out there. Here’s one of them. https://amzn.to/3PlNn4I

One thing to note: Some of the poorer quality clays have been known to leave a slight residue on the rhinestones that needs to be wiped off, and a lot of people would prefer another method entirely because of this. So, enter the rhinestone picking wax pencils that nail salon artists use. They require a pencil sharpener, and I have found that the black paper-wrapped pencils are of much better quality than the white wax in the white wooden pencils. Because this is a real wax, it may not be sticky in cold environments. But you can “haw” (breathe warm air by saying the word “haw”) onto the wax tip to soften it and make it sticky again. You can also roll the tip between your forefinger and thumb to warm it up or to put the point back before needing to resort to the sharpener again. Currently, this is my preferred method, because the wax is strong enough to lift some of the larger, and heavier, special shape drills that the putty in the pad can’t seem to hold onto. Here are some choices for the wax pencils: https://amzn.to/4bwKyFf

Other tacky mediums that you can poke your pen into and that work well with diamond art painting drills are:

Museum Putty, which has other uses as well, most notably in earthquake prone areas, and even near military training bases when the heavy artillery rattles the windows. https://amzn.to/4dMHB6z

BluTack is a putty that is also used for holding things on the wall. https://amzn.to/4maW9yU

Glue Dots are double-sided and great for office use and other paper crafts. They come in 3 sizes, 2 of which, micro and mini, are used in diamond painting depending on which tool you want to stuff the dot into, a single pen tip or a multi-placer. You MIGHT be able to roll the larger sized ones up and put them into an automatic pen, but I haven’t tried this, so if you do, please let me know how it works at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com Here are a couple of YouTube videos that explain how to put these sticky glue dots in your pens and multi-placers. There are other videos as well. A lot of people swear by this method, because of the satisfying, and somewhat soothing “snap” that you get when you place a drill with a pen filled with a glue dot. And isn’t this hobby all about relaxation? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h3rz6I9SYqo&ra=m

And https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YOQ1-EtrcNI&ra=m

Micro Glue Dots are very small and may be hard to work but seem to be better overall. https://amzn.to/4tufhKF

Mini Glue Dots are larger than the micro version and work best in the multi-placers. https://amzn.to/3POpiDY

Zots Micro Dots are the same thing if Glue Dot Micros are not available in your area. https://amzn.to/4sKSCd0

Here is a unique idea: a silicone tip pen that theoretically lasts forever. No wax, no clay, no glue needed but refers to it as “self-adhesive wax” But it’s not wax, so there is no residue, it’s a self-adhesive sticky material that you can wipe clean if you need to restore its stickiness, sort of like the sticky pads above that you can put your tray on, but not THAT sticky. I suppose you could rig up a tiny piece of that sticky pad to do the same thing as these cones, but they might be TOO sticky: https://amzn.to/3Op30Iw

There are some people who think that everything mentioned above (except for the forever pen) leaves a slight microscopic residue on the drills that needs to be wiped off with a baby wipe before sealing, so now there are numerous “vacuum pens” that can suck the drill onto the pen tip so that you can place it down on the canvas. This totally avoids any potential residue from clay or wax or glue dots interfering with the sparkle (which I have never seen with the wax pencils, but I admit it’s probably there). They may not work as well with the heavier special shape gems as the suction can be weak in some models. It can also be too strong to leave the drill on the canvas if the canvas isn’t very tacky. Read the reviews carefully to see if either situation is an issue, or if there is a way to adjust the suction accordingly for different adherence situations. https://amzn.to/4bDIc7T

Previous Question Answered: Drill Picker Pens and Styluses
Next Question to be Answered: Drills – the Heart of the Art - Part 1

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Drill Picker Pens and Styluses

2026-05-07T01:31:00.001-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Drill Trays or Boats
Next Question to be Answered: Pink Clay, Wax, Putty, Mud, etc.

Drill Picker Pens

All kits come with a pink or clear plastic stick pen, or stylus, for grabbing the drills and poking them onto the canvas grid. It is very simple in design, but, oh, so useful! For some people, this pen is hard to handle due to its small size and thin straight shape and alternatives are often sought.

This pink pen looks very simplistic, like it’s made from a plastic straw.

Likely it's not. But it’s straw-like look does have a purpose. That hollow end is designed as an additional tool receptacle that allows specialized placers, rollers and straighteners to snap in and out as needed. But you will eventually have so many pink pens that you’ll have a tool at the end of every one of them and never will have to swap them out of a single pen again. See the Multi-Placers and How to Use Them section for more information about these tools.

Is there something more comfortable than this ubiquitous pink pen?

Ergonomic pens exist in many different shapes to fit any size or shaped hand. Here are a few beautiful ones to choose from, many of which contain additional accessories and multi-placer tools that you may be interested in. See the Multi-Placers and How to Use Them section for more information. https://amzn.to/4sQTD2N

Or you can just slip one of these little foam cushions over your pink pens, too. https://amzn.to/4biTmQr

Another option would be to wrap your stylus in either bake-able polymer clay or in air-dry clay in the color pattern of your choice and allow your hand to mold it into a comfortable shape that is unique to your own hand. I strongly suggest that you use a clay sealant over air dry clay because moisture from your hand can reactivate the clay. https://amzn.to/3POZB6k

And here are some choices for clay sealant, which is different from diamond art sealant. It comes in gloss, matte, or satin in most cases. https://amzn.to/3OugByd

Previous Question Answered: Drill Trays or Boats
Next Question to be Answered: Pink Clay, Wax, Putty, Mud, etc.

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Drill Trays or Boats

2026-05-06T23:02:35.697-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: How to Choose a Diamond Painting Kit
Next Question to be Answered: Drill Picker Pens and Styluses

Drill Trays or Boats
All diamond art painting kits come with a little plastic tray, which is sometimes called a “boat” because it looks somewhat like it has a bow and a stern. Although it may be any color, green is the most common and there are numerous questions surrounding it. One of the main ones is how to deal with the drills in the tray.

How do we get the drills to lay flat in the tray?
First, pour just a few, no more than a half teaspoonful, of a single drill color into your tray. Not too many, or there won’t be enough room for them to move around without spilling over the edge. Then gently shake the tray from side to side until most of the drills have aligned themselves into neat rows along the grid lines from the vibration. When you are first getting started, leave the tray on the table when you shake it. Later, when you have more confidence and control of the process, you can shake the tray anywhere in the air. Here are a couple of videos that show how to “rock the boat”: https://www.tiktok.com/@diamondartwithave/video/7522897469013839117 and this one: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/OB84G7_qnDw?ra=m

What is that single line for that is perpendicular to all the other grid lines in the boat?
In some trays you may notice a perpendicular line near the bow of the boat. This acts as a “stop” to prevent flipped drills from sliding into the end of the tray when you tilt it, especially if you've poured too many into it. Some people put a strip of decorative washi tape at that end, to act as the stop in trays that don’t have one, like the standard green trays. The stop is also useful when filling certain multi-placers. See Multi-Placers and How to use them for more information.

Can’t I just use cellophane tape, painter’s tape or duct tape as the STOP line in my tray?
You could, but drills may stick to the adhesive that is on the edge of the cellophane tape, even more so with duct tape, which is just too strong and can damage the canvas. Painter’s tape can work as a stop line and is also an option for sealing around the edges of a canvas when painting the edges to hide the wording, because it won’t pull the drills off the canvas, but it only comes in solid colors. Washi tape is preferable for all diamond art purposes due to its versatility. Washi tape is a decorative Japanese masking tape made from natural fibers like bamboo or hemp. It has a lower tackiness than painter’s tape, and like painter’s tape, it is repositionable, and easily torn by hand. It comes in lovely patterns and in many widths. It is sometimes used to section off working areas of a large canvas, or as a decorative mat when framing diamond art paintings. https://amzn.to/4mBIOQr

Is there a trick to not spilling the drills when we empty the tray into our storage container?
Using a funnel is an option, and you can make one by making a cone out of printer paper, or you can purchase one of these 3D printed items depending on the size and shape of your storage containers. I have one of each style of diamond art funnel because I have so many different types and sizes of containers. https://amzn.to/48BkisH

We’ve noticed that the little green tray slides around too easily on a table. Is there a way to keep from spilling it or knocking it off the table accidentally?
Yes! There are little silicone sticky mats that are ideal for keeping your trays, whatever style you choose to use, from being knocked off the table by yourself or a rambunctious cat or kid. It will even keep your drill pen from rolling away. They are great for all sorts of craft, office, kitchen items, or workshop items that you don’t want to slide or roll. If they get dirty, just wash them off with plain water, and maybe a drop of soap, and they’re sticky again. They do not interfere with the shaking process, but rather they force you to shake more gently. They can also be cut into different sizes if you feel the full-sized one is too sticky or holds your tray too tightly when you’re ready to pull it off and pour your drills back into their storage container. https://amzn.to/3PkVQFi

Is there something better than the little green tray that is either larger, or has higher sides, or that doesn’t get spilled so easily when we shake it?
Trays with higher sides, such as this No Cats Allowed set, makes shaking the tray less worrisome, as well as easier to pour the leftover drills back into your storage container without spilling the lot of them, thanks to the little guard section. They also stack nicely, which allows you to use one on top of the other as a safety lid, to further keep spillage to a minimum as you get used to the shaking process. .https://amzn.to/4sXBsZy

Trays with clear lids are a good option as well. Those with opaque lids, such as the tray set above, don’t let you see the results of your shaking, although over time you will know if the majority are upright or not even if you can’t see them. Sometimes, the movement from taking a snap-style lid off a tray may cause some drills to flip back over. Here is a set with clear sliding lids in 2 sizes that solves both situations. https://amzn.to/4lGzCtx

Now, these little drawers/boxes below are my new favorites! The drawers are large enough to hold multiple packets of drills, (I often do more than one of the same kits) and the removable tray keeps the lot of them out of your way while you work until you need to refill it. The perpendicular line allows you to pour excess drills back into the bottom storage area without disturbing those that have flipped. You can close the attached lid (without snapping it closed), to tilt the drills onto the upper tray; then shake them along the grid; open the lid and get to work. They easily double as storage for the leftovers, and the containers travel well. The drawers do tend to slip out of the white shelf, so be careful with accidentally tipping it forward. https://amzn.to/4cWbCQK

There is a variety of clear box/drawer sets to choose from, but while they are large and can store more of your drills, you can’t fill them too full if you want to use the built-in grid on the floor of these, because too many gems will be in the way. That’s why I love the removable tray in the previous set, because it solves this problem.

I have heard that there are trays created specifically for square drills and they line up better than they do in the standard round drill trays. Is that true? Yes, due to the fact that square drills are smaller than round drills, and the majority of diamond painting trays available are designed to fit round drills, this means that in most trays, square drills will not line up as perfectly as one would like. So, there are now specialized trays that have single grids where each individual square drill can fall into and be perfectly aligned with all the others. This makes them easier to pick up and place because you’re not having to twist your hand around.. There are also multi-grid trays for those who like to use multi-tools with square drills. There are different spouts on them, and they come with covers, too. They are 3-D printed and may be found from various sellers on Etsy, but they are hard to search for, even on the site where I accidentally stumbled across them on. I found my set at I found my set at https://www.bellaartdenicole.com/products/dots-of-kindness-3d-printed-diamond-painting-drill-trays?variant=47230581997817

What can we do with the 1001 little green trays we’ve been collecting with our kits over the years?
Well, if you happen to like using the little green trays, or simply can’t bring yourself to throwing anything away, you can get a few of these shelves: https://amzn.to/40FZRXh

Or this style: https://amzn.to/4bROmST

Or maybe not… :)

Help! We are being overrun by little green trays! How can I use them rather than purchase the item in the solution above?

Someone has given this some thought as well. One method is to use all those green trays you’re collecting and put them in racks such as these. However, the first two do include trays, which can only compound the problem, but it shows what is possible if you want to make your own. https://amzn.to/4bpugPW

This is the same concept but in a different orientation: https://amzn.to/4sXmQsX

Or you can stack them in a tower. This one does not appear to come with trays so you can use your little green ones in it. Yay! https://amzn.to/40KDNLk

Or you can teach freestyle diamond art classes using little 5 x 7 mini diamond art cards that don’t come with any drills at all and give everybody their own little pack of 3 tools from your monstrous stash. They are a great use of excess drills, too. See the last page of this book for advice. https://amzn.to/4vBGxZl

I use square drills and they don’t always line up well in the trays I have. Is there any tray that is specifically designed for square drills?

I recently came across this unique set of cool square drill trays that offer multiple options for getting your square drills sorted quickly. They have higher walls for drill shaking, thicker internal lines for flipping drills, and drill-catching grooves for smooth multi-drill pickup, along with a drill reservoir to keep the extra ones out of the way, Some have single compartments and others have combinations of 1, 2, 3 and 5 drill compartments for those who like to use multi-placers. They also have sliding lids, stack well and come in multiple sizes. https://www.bellaartdenicole.com/products/dots-of-kindness-3d-printed-diamond-painting-drill-trays?variant=47230581899513

Previous Question Answered: How to Choose a Diamond Art Painting Kit
Next Question to be Answered: Drill Picker Pens and Styluses

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - How to Choose a Diamond Art Kit

2026-05-06T22:19:24.050-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Lingo
Next Question to be Answered: Drill Trays or Boats

Choosing a Diamond Art Painting Kit This is the first question everyone should ask themselves. There are a lot of misleading ads out there for diamond art kits that show it framed over a couch, and when you receive it, it’s only large enough to fit comfortably on the corner of your desk. They come from abroad, and are usually measured in centimeters, not inches, so do not mistake 30 cm for 30 inches! Additionally, the images shown may have a lot of details that will not show up well, if at all, on the size of canvas they are offering. My very first canvas of an intricate fractal shown only as a JPG image in the advertisement was extremely disappointing as a 30 cm x 30 cm canvas. It looked very pretty when finished, but it did not look at all like I expected the fractal JPG to look.

How do I choose a canvas that will look like the image they are selling?

When purchasing a canvas, look for a picture that shows it with the drills attached. Many do not show you the completed version, so check the drill chart carefully if one is provided (which, again, they often are not) and see if the drill placement in the detailed areas is to your liking, or if there are any drills in the detailed areas at all. Often there is no chart presented or finished image to view, so you will have to learn by experience how to choose what size canvas a particular image might look best on.

Rule of thumb when you have no chart or final view: Simple images with very little detail, or those with large blocks of color, such as a cartoon, abstract, mandala, minimalistic or boho style, can look good on small 20 cm x 20 cm canvases, coasters and keychains. But when you start getting more details, or there are words in the design, start looking for the 30 cm canvas size, and when they get truly complex, or with long phrases, even a 50 cm canvas may not be large enough to satisfy your desire for the details. Eventually you will gain an eye for the good stuff and be pleased with every canvas you choose. But ideally, you should view a chart or finished version before purchase.

Here is a tip when looking at the charts: Notice that there is no such thing as a two-toned drill so do not be fooled by charts that appear to show two or more colors within the same charted square or circle. (This is most often more noticeable in square drill charts). This means you will need to choose which color may look best in that spot, and it may not be the manufacturer’s chosen color in the symbol key, or legend, along the edge.

The larger the canvas, the more colors there will likely be in the image, and this is a good thing because they help with gradient shading to make the final project look good from a distance. It may feel more tedious to kit up a large number of colors, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Before I get started, and lock myself into something, which drill shape is best? Square or Round?

The choice really depends on your own visual preference as well as the availability of a desired image, which may only be available in either round or square. I don’t consider myself to be “locked into” any one style, but most of the projects that appeal to me have only been available in round drills. I do have some projects in square drill, as well as a complete set of the square drill colors in case of color shortage.

Round Drills are 2.8 mm in diameter and have 26 facets which allows them to catch the light from more angles so that they twinkle with more sparkling. They are ideal for beginners because they are quicker and easier to place, due to not needing to be oriented in any particular direction before placement, and they can create smoother curves due to their roundness, but they leave visible gaps that show more of the painted image underneath, which may or may not be a good thing. The finished paintings look better from a distance. If a round drill is not placed correctly on the chart, the grid circle may be visible and this can give a less than professional appearance, especially if the other drills are not lined up properly. See Alignment Techniques. Please note that the Diamond Dotz line of Mini Dotz diamond painting kits use a smaller, 2 mm mini drill size, so be sure to store them separately. There are also some 2.5 mm rounds out there being sold as 2.8 mm for diamond art, so read reviews carefully. You can also use these smaller ones as embellishments on a square canvas if you accidentally end up with some.

Square Drills are 2.5 mm and have only 9 facets to catch the light. Because they fit together perfectly this gives them a cleaner, more brilliant and refined shine or glossy look. They are a little trickier to place because not only are they a tad smaller to grab, but they need to be oriented “squarely” onto the canvas. This does require precision and can be frustrating for beginners. You know you have placed a square drill correctly within a group of them when you hear a satisfying “crunch”. This sound also appears when you are rolling over the drills to tighten them to the canvas before moving on or sealing the project. There are tools available to help with lining them up if needed. See Alignment Techniques. Curves on small canvases may look jagged, so larger canvases are best when using square drills in a project that has a lot of curved lines. But they do provide enhanced sharpness and high-resolution imagery by covering the entire canvas so that the image below is no longer seen. This makes them particularly suitable for projects requiring intricate detail or more complex designs. But again, detailed and complex images should be done on large canvases anyway, whether square or round. Because the square drills are smaller, 2.5 mm rather than 2.8 mm, the same image may be a full centimeter, or more, smaller than the round drill version of the same project, but at the same time, the smaller size provides a higher resolution image. Think in terms of “pixels” per square inch and you’ll get the connection.

There are many YouTube videos regarding the differences between the round and square drills, but here are a couple to get you started. This one is a comparison of the drills and processes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmaJhzrIyvc&t=155s

This one compares the same project in both square drill and round drill so you can see the end results of both styles within the same image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKoZRsM0jNA&t=230s

What is the difference between 3D and 5D drills?

These designations refer to the number of facets, or faces, on one side of a diamond drill. The D stands for “dimensions”. When diamond art first came on the scene, they were of the 3D variety. Now, 3D is rarely seen, other than in beginner kits, lower priced kits, or kits for kids. 3D drills have a total of 9 facets, 3 faces on each side. They appear rounder with not as much sparkle. 5D drills have 5 faces on a side, or a total of 15 facets. Because there are more facets, 5D drills have more light refraction from different directions and that results in more sparkle, deeper color, and depth. You can see a comparison picture of round drills here: https://fabercastell.com/blogs/creativity-for-life/5d-diamond-painting-vs-3d-diamond-painting?srsltid=AfmBOorYfGv6qp_4oPBjwnSB5wF_poezN100Dh3Zql9LLmm3sFeYxEHE

There is no difference in the difficulty level between the two “dimensions”, they simply provide a different visual effect. If you have been doing diamond painting for many years, or buy lower priced kits, or get your kits from various suppliers and haven’t been paying attention to the D number, you might want to make sure you don’t mix the two types of drills in the same jar. It could have an interestingly uneven effect if both are used on the same canvas, unless you are intending to create a special shapes effect.

You may also run across a 7D designation as well. These are typically flat-bottomed gems in special shapes and so far are not used in standard square or round drills. You can see 7D gems here along with a square vs round comparison, and a canvas size guide: https://tonysourcing.com/diamond-painting/

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Lingo
Next Question to be Answered: Drill Trays or Boats

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle (visible link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZKGSVKS) and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Diamond Painting Lingo

2026-05-06T21:44:22.721-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Introduction to Diamond Painting
Next Question to be Answered: Choosing a Diamond Art Painting Kit

Diamond Painting Lingo
Every hobby seems to have its own vernacular, or language, and diamond painting is one of them. Here is a video where each common term or phrase is defined for you. I will also try to define terms as I use them in this book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DsY1VMwhqc&t=524ss

3D/5D – this refers to the number of facets or “dimensions” on one side of a diamond drill. 3D drills have 9 facets, 3 on each side. 5D drills have 15 facets, 5 on each side. Don’t mix them up.

AB - stands for “aurora borealis” and is a type of drill style that can twinkle in multiple colors

Boat – another term for the boat-shaped tray that the drills are poured into for use.

Canvas – the medium that the kit uses as the template for the project. It can be fabric, acrylic, or any material that has a tacky glue spread on it to hold the drills.

Canvas Size vs Frame Size - The canvas size refers to the size of the image. The frame size is how large the frame needs to be to display the entire canvas, including its border.

Charting – the act of determining which colors go where when creating a diamond painting.

Checkerboarding - a placement technique that resembles a checkboard for large one-color areas by applying diamonds in every other space and then going back and filling in the missing spaces.

Clay/Mud – a term for the little sticky pad that comes in every diamond art kit.

Color Key/Legend– this is the little table/grid printed on the edge of a fabric canvas that shows which symbols match which colors. May or may not include the DMC code of the colors used.

Confetti - an area that has multiple colors and looks like random confetti when viewed up close.

Cover Minders – cute magnets paired with a 2nd magnet placed on the other side of the canvas to keep the film or parchment paper out of the way of the section you’re working on.

DMC – refers to the Dollfus-Mieg & Compagnie list of thread color codes devised in 1898. and is the closest thing we have for a standard guideline for the industry. Not all manufacturers use it, but there are conversion lists available.

Drill – what the “diamonds”, beads or gems used in diamond painting are called.
Full Drill/Partial Drill - defines how much of the template is covered by drills. A full drill is completely covered, while a partial drill uses drills only to highlight portions of the image.

Kitting Up/Down – this is the act of organizing your drills and tools in whatever manner you normally use in your workflow to make the project go smoothly. Kitting down is when you are sorting, cleaning up, and putting everything back into storage when the project is completed.

Picker – the handheld device, or stylus, that looks like a writing pen, but with a slight stickiness on the end and used to pick up drills out of the boat.

Poking – the act of picking up a drill and then placing it onto the canvas.

Stash – can refer to all the extra drills in storage and available for use, or all the diamond kits you have that you are looking forward to completing.

If you need even more than what I have defined throughout this book, here is a huge list: https://www.diamondartclub.com/blogs/diamond-painting/diamond-painting-terms

Previous Question Answered: Introduction to Diamond Painting
Next Question to be Answered: Choosing a Diamond Art Painting Kit

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a fewearn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all. Thank you for using my links.

Diamond Painting Basics, Accessories & the Problems they Solve - Introduction

2026-05-06T21:06:34.585-05:00

Every question you ever wanted to ask and some you haven’t even thought of yet
The Ultimate Diamond Art FAQ with Links
(A continuing series of excerpts from my Amazon Kindle Book)

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Basics Table of Contents
Next Question to be Answered: Diamond Painting Lingo

Diamond Painting, also known as Diamond Art, Gem Painting or Pearl Painting, is basically a mosaic art form based on the color-by-number concept using beads, known as drills, as the “paint”. These drills are usually round or square; resin or acrylic; solid and opaque colors or shimmering and metallic. Some resemble rhinestones, while others resemble pearls or tiny tiles. The drills may completely cover the underlying image that is printed on a fabric or acrylic “canvas” grid; known as a “full drill” project or they may only cover parts of the printed image as an embellishment. The latter often use what are called “special shapes” in varying sizes to enhance the design along with the standard size round or square drills. The most common size for round drills is 2.8 mm in diameter while square drills are 2.5 mm square. The special shapes can be any size, usually no more than 8 mm, but can be as small as 1 mm, particularly in the case of pearls and sometimes rhinestones.

You can purchase diamond art paintings as either a finished item, or in kits of various sizes or styles, where the outer dimensions of the canvas are measured in centimeters, while the actual printed image size is often not stated, and neither of which fit standard photo or canvas frames, though the market appears to be changing. Depending on the size of the canvas and the amount of detail in the image, the finished product may look more pixelated on a small canvas than it will on a much larger one. Think “Minecraft” versus a high-resolution computer monitor. If you are a fan of detail, then choose the largest canvas size that is available for the project you are interested in.

All you really need to make a diamond painting comes in the kit that you purchase, and every kit includes only what you need. And it always contains the same 3 things. There will be packets of rhinestones (officially called “drills”); a green tray to pour them into, that you shake lightly from side to side so that the motion flips the drills upright where you can grab them with the pink plastic pen that you have previously poked into the little square of pink “clay” that will allow you to pick up the drills and place them on a piece of fabric or plastic or wood item that has been covered with a tacky glue, and protected by a piece of plastic film that you will peel off to reveal this sticky surface. There may be other items such as chain hangers, tiny zipper bags, magnets, even small wind chime tubes, depending on the project. But the above three items are in every kit.

And that’s all there is to it… Or is it?

Those who have become obsessed with creating diamond art paintings, me also being one of these addicts, have decided that this basic process needs not only to be improved upon, but made more complex so that others will take our art form seriously and understand that it’s not as simple as it appears. Therefore, lots of people have created quite a few accessories, often with 3D printers, that solve problems we didn’t even know existed. And suddenly we can’t do without them! These products make diamond art painting easier, more professional looking, and more comfortable to work on for hours at a time.

Are any of these accessories required? Nope. But you ARE going to want them all once you know how they can improve your own rhinestone life.

DISCLOSURE
While this Amazon Kindle book is packed with information you can use right now, you will quickly notice that there are a lot of links for commercial products because I have found that sponsored links are the best way to augment the information that I have. There are a lot of cool products available for diamond painters, along with even more information on the product pages about how to use them, as well as reviews that sometimes share even more ideas. It’s easy to find yourself going down the rabbit hole, which is a lot of how this book came about. It’s been several months in the making.

Personally, I like to have a paper copy of a book to grab and flip through when I’m having issues, which is why this has been provided in a printed format. In the KINDLE version of this book, I have included two links for each entry, a short one and a long one, because in a print book, typing the short link will be a lot easier. The long link verifies where the link will take you and has been included in the Kindle version for those who are wary of short, blind, live links to. Plus, the long link serves an additional purpose: if a specific item later becomes unavailable, you can probably find the name of the item, or the search that was used, within the long link so that you may search for a similar product replacement. Additionally, I will be updating the Kindle version more often as new questions arise, and the print version will only be updated if there are significant changes or additions involved. So, you may want to own both versions.

You can find links to all the products mentioned here in my blog series, starting with the introduction. You can contact me through this blog at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this book, or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. There are also some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of this book, and, yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.

And now, on to the most common, and uncommon, questions!

Previous Question Answered: Diamond Painting Basics Table of Contents
Next Question to be Answered: Diamond Painting Lingo

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I have been doing diamond art for over 10 years. My book was published under my pen name. You can contact me through my blog here at https://ei-kan.blogspot.com if you have any additional questions to add to this section or to notify me of any dead links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. This book is available in its entirety on Amazon Kindle and there are some discount coupon codes for up to 15% off your purchases at select websites near the end of it And yes, I earn a few pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.