Welcome to White Diamond Art UK.
If you don't see what you like, message us, and we will try and get it for you.
Some frequently asked questions!
1. What are "drills"? Drills are the little coloured plastic diamonds that you use on the picture, also called Gems.
2. Can anyone do Diamond Art? Yes! I wouldn't recommend children under 5 do it, due to the size of the gems, but male or female, young or old can do this.
3. Round or Square? Round drills are quicker to fit in (you can purchase a "grid" ruler to slot them in), but the squares fill up the whole space, so the end result will look better.
4. Why does the finished result look pixilated? When chosing a canvas, the bigger the canvas, the clearer the end picture will be (see sizes below). We do not recomment a custom canvas to be any smaller than 60x60cm to get details into the picture. The further back you are, the clearer the picture.
5. I do cross-stitch, is it like that? Yes, it is a cross between Cross-stitch and colour by numbers.
6. Do I need to buy a load of bits and pieces to do a picture? You can buy extra's (light boxes, containers etc) but it is possible to do a complete picture with what you get in the package. You get everything you need, not necessarily everthing you want!
7. What do I get in the package? You get the canvas, the drills, a placement pen, a set of tweezers, a drill tray, and some wax
8. And what do I do with those? You lay out the canvas on a table or tray. If it is curling over, just peel the cover gently off each corner (to the middle) then replace and repeat on each corner. This should straighten the canvas. If this doesn't work, a warm iron should flatten it, or lay it under some heavy books for a couple of days. Some people put the canvas under their mattress overnight. Check that you have all the colours you need (the grid is on the side of the canvas, match the code to the number on the bag and you are away! Peel a small section of the covering off of the picture, leaving it attached so that you can cover it when you have finished. Peel the plastic off of one side of the wax and push the pen into it two or three times, so the "nib" is full. Pour some drills of one colour into the tray, shake the tray so that the pointed side is up, and gently touch one with the pen. Then stick it onto the picture on the relating code/colour. Some people like to do all one colour, some like to do one section at a time (you can buy extra trays to have different colours at the same time) there isn't a right or wrong way of doing it, and there are plenty of Youtube video's to help if you get stuck..
9. I can't get the square drills to stick straight! You can use a plastic ruler to start an edge, and some people find that the tweezers are easier to place the square diamonds on the picture, but the fun of this is if you do it wrong, you can pick the drills off with the tweezers and reset them in the correct place.
10. What if I want to frame it afterwards? Brush the painting gently with a clean toothbrsh to remove any dust. You can seal the drills by painting them with gloss Mod Podge or PVA glue, and then frame it, You don't have to cut the colour code off if you are using a frame, as that won't be seen.
11. Disaster! I have dropped a whole tray of drills on the floor, what is the best way of picking them up without having to do it one by one? This is easy - either lick your finger and dab at them, them wipe them into the tray, or get your vaccum cleaner, put a sock over the end of the tube, and suck them up. They will stick to the sock rather that get sucked up.
12. I have bubbles under the sticky paper, what can I do? Get a pin or a craft knife, and gently pop the air bubbles (don't cut the canvas). Then, with the top end of the tweesers, smooth the air out of the paper. This may leave the canvas looking scored, but this will be under the drills, so won't be seen.
13. Some of the drills are popping up, how do I keep them stuck down? When you have finished your painting, put a teatowel over the painting (or greaseproof paper) and roll with a rolling pin. You will hear a click as they go back into place.
14. There are parts of the canvas that are not sticky - do I have to return it? Not necessarily! There are ways around this. Firstly, you can try Pritt stick or clear nail varnish (if it is a small area), or if it is a larger area, using a craft knife, gently cut and peel away the dry sticky sheet and replace with double sided sticky tape. The old sticky sheet HAS to be peeled of slowly otherwise you might peel off the symbols. If none of this works, please get in contact to see what we can do, sending me a Private message including a photograph of the problem.
15. My drills have a fine dust over them/are stuck together - what do I do? If they are stuck together, pour into a sorting tray, and put another tray over the top and push down. You should hear them coming apart. Then shake the tray and repeat if they are still clumped together. Some companies use a fine powder to stop the drills sticking together. You can get around this by laying them on a wetwipe, and gently wiping them to get rid of the powder, or you can put them on the canvas and then wipe with a wetwipe afterwards. If they are greasy, put them in a fine seive and swish them about in hot soapy water, then dry with kitchen towel.
16. Someone has put a piece of paper over the sticky part and I can't get it off! Help! No problem - get a baby wipe and dampen the paper. It will come off and once dry, the sticky part should be sticky again. If not, use low tack paint, Pritt Stick, E8000 glue or clear nail varnish.
Enjoy yourselves, and if you find yourself getting confused, send me a message, and I'll try and help. The point of Diamond Art is to be relaxing, so don't get stressed, anything can be sorted!
Question from customer: I am having problems with the clear plastic that covers the painting. What can I do about it?
There are a few things to know. The first is the plastic only works one way - sounds madness, but if you get it on the wrong way, it will stick too hard and you'll struggle to get it on/off. I put a label on the front so I know which way it goes on. You can also cut it into a grid and just remove the part you are working on (put a coloured dot on each section so you know which way round it goes). If you are still finding problems, remove the plastic and replace with non-stick greaseproof paper. Hope this helps! Thanks for the question.
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I have had a question from someone who has recently started DPing:
"A few diamonds have flicked to another universe and I have no idea if they will be necessary. My question is: do the kits come with more diamonds than required or pretty much bang on the right amount?"
The answer for anyone else wondering this, is that I always check you have the amount of bags listed, and each painting should have roughly 20% more drills than you need, to cover any broken/hollow drills, and for the odd 'pinger'.
If you have a major disaster (the dog knocks the tray over and the budgie eats the drills) normal colour drills have a DMC number which relates to that colour, and these can be brought from places like Smiths beads UK for only 30p for 200.
The Diamond Painting Dictionary
Like many hobbies, diamond painting has developed its own set of terms and abbreviations that can leave newbies and outsiders scratching their heads. This post will act as a handy reference for those looking to understand what diamond painters are saying.
Centimeters: Okay, you probably know what a centimeter is. But I include it here because most sellers measure their diamond paintings in centimeters-- and that can be a little confusing if you're an American. An easy way to convert centimeters to inches is to multiply by 4, then divide by 10. So if something is 30 centimeters... 30 x 4 = 120, 120/10 = 12... it's approximately 12 inches.
Checkerboard: When working on a large area of the same color, many diamond painters like to create a checkerboard pattern with their diamonds first, then fill in the gaps. This makes the task less monotonous, can create the coveted "click" (see below), and seems to help with making straight rows and columns. Checkerboard can be used as both a noun (the pattern) and a verb (the act of creating the pattern).
China Mail: Because many diamond paintings are manufactured and shipped from China, diamond painters will often refer to diamond painting kits received in the mail as "China mail".
Click: The sound (and sensation) often created when placing a diamond, especially a square, snugly into a spot already surrounded by other diamonds. Also called a "snap," many diamond painters find this very satisfying.
Confetti: This term is used to describe an area of a diamond painting where there are many different colors. These can seem random and chaotic (like confetti) up close, but when viewed from a distance often help to add depth, detail, and shading to the picture.
Crystal/Rhinestone: Crystal or rhinestone diamonds (also referred to as crystal rhinestone) have a more jewel-like or metallic appearance than regular drills. Many kits using these types of drills are partials, but they can be used in full-drill kits as well.
Custom: Many sellers offer an option to create a custom diamond painting kit, using photos or other images you provide.
Diamond Cross Stitch: This is just another term for diamond painting, used because of the similarity between the cross-stitching and diamond painting crafts.
DMC: DMC is actually a brand that sells embroidery floss and other products. Different colored DMC flosses are identified by different numbers, and most diamond painting products use these same numbers to denote the colors of their diamonds. So in diamond painting, DMC refers to the number that corresponds to a particular diamond color, such as 310 for black. I have a file on the DMC colours in the menu.
Diamond Pox: A funny term invented by diamond painters to describe the condition when you start to randomly find stray diamonds on your body.
DP: Acronym for Diamond Painting (both a noun and a verb)
Drill(s): Another name for the resin "diamonds" that are used to create a diamond painting. Drill can also be used as a verb, describing the action of placing diamonds on the canvas (so "to drill" and "to diamond paint" are synonymous).
Drill Pen: The stylus that is used to pick up drills and place them on a canvas
5D/3D: You will often see reference to 5D diamond paintings, or to a lesser extent 3D diamond paintings. When asked about the difference, some claim that 5D diamonds have more facets than 3D, but the author of this blog is not convinced of this. PWD says 5D is just a "marketing buzzword." More than likely, if you see one DP labeled as "5D" and another as "3D," there is no real difference other than the marketing terms the seller has chosen to use-- but you can always ask them to clarify.
Full Drill/Full: A "full drill" diamond painting is one in which the entire canvas is covered with diamonds. Fulls are generally preferred by most experienced diamond painters.
Inventory: When you receive a new diamond painting kit in the mail, it's a good idea to "do inventory." This means checking the inventory list provided by the seller (this may be a separate piece of paper or may be printed on the side of the canvas itself) to make sure that all of the packets of diamonds necessary for your kit to be completed were received. If anything is missing, contact the seller right away to get it resolved.
Junk/Trash: This refers to misshapen drills and any other stray, unusable pieces of resin that end up in a bag of diamonds.
Kit Up: Kitting up refers to the process of getting ready to start on a new diamond painting kit. Usually this means getting your diamonds into new containers (as opposed to the bags they come in) and labeling them.
Lightpad: A lightpad is probably the most frequently recommended tool for diamond painters (besides those like the drill pen and tray that come with every kit). These thin LED lights can be placed behind a diamond painting canvas to make it easier to read the symbols on it. Sizes range from A4 (approximately 9x12 inches) to A1 (26x36 inches). My opinion: Plug the lighpad cable into the socket on the lightpad. Then leave it in, and unplug from the other end each time. The socket in the lightpad is very weak, and repeatedly unplugging/plugging it in, will weaken it.
Partial Drill/Partial: A "partial drill" diamond painting is one in which only part of the canvas is covered with diamonds. Partials can be good for beginners or those looking for a smaller or easier project.
Popping: Popping drills have unfortunately become a not uncommon problem for diamond painters recently. This is when drills that have been placed on the canvas buckle, come loose, or completely pop off of the canvas. It can be due to oversized or poorly formed diamonds, weak adhesive, bubbles or creases in the adhesive or canvas, or a combination of factors.
Rounds/Round Drill: One of two shapes that diamonds come in is round. Round drills are known for being easier to place than square drills, and can also create a shinier painting.
Sealing: Some diamond painters like to seal their finished diamond paintings with a glue or spray-on sealer. There are many different sealers to choose from, all with their own pros and cons (and advocates and detractors). Not everyone sees sealing as necessary, especially if diamond paintings are being framed behind glass, but it may be needful to seal even while your diamond painting is in progress if you experience popping drills.
Special/Special Shape: Drills or kits can be referred to as "special" or "special shape" or "Gems". Special shape kits (usually partials) use drills that are not just the standard square or round, but of varying shapes and sizes. These drills are usually crystal/rhinestone drills.
Stash: Any unfinished diamond painting kits you have stored up for future projects.
Square/Square Drill: One of two shapes that diamonds come in is square. Square drills can be more challenging to place than round drills, but result in a more full and detailed-looking painting.
310: The DMC number for the color black. Black drills (310s) often make up a large portion of a diamond painting and also tend to contain more low-quality drills and debris-- perhaps because they are manufactured in larger quantities-- than other colors, and consequently inspire a lot of dread and/or complaining in diamond painters.
Tray: Most diamond painting kits include a slotted plastic tray. Diamonds are poured into this tray, and by shaking the tray from side to side, most of them can be flipped so that they are flat-side-down (faceted-side-up) and ready to be picked up with the drill pen.
"Trust The Process": This has become a common phrase in the diamond painting world to reassure people who are working on their diamond painting and feel uncertain about how it is going to turn out. Working up close on something that is supposed to be viewed from far away and that is still incomplete can cause people to worry, but usually if they "trust the process", keep going until the whole picture is completed, and step back, they will be happy with the results.
Wax: A pink wax that, when inserted into drill pens, allows them to pick up diamonds
WIP: Acronym for Work In Progress-- a diamond painting that is in the process of being completed
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Credit to Diamond Painting Digest
Another guide for the beginner - best sizes for customs.
10”x12” (25cm x 30cm)- Low resolution, great for beginners (this will be slightly larger than a portrait photograph of 8"x10”)
16”x20” (40cm x 50cm))- recommended size - perfect for hanging, and shows lots of detail.
20”x28” (50cm x 70cm) - Best quality, high detail - about as tall as a 1-year old child.
24”x47” (60cm x 120cm) - The most impressive, most detailed art. Bigger than a standard movie poster (24x36”)
credit to Cheryl Allen Van Houter for writing this.
2010 - present
2010 - present
These are the different size bags you might receive in your kit.