Have more pleasure with these diamond painting techniques

New diamond painting lovers may feel confused, how to start the diamond painting and what technique (or method) to use during the process. In my opinion, this is your personal artwork, so you can work your way. But, please, read this small article what methods are used in diamond painting worldwide and what are the benefits of each one.

Confetti, or multicolor areas

Multicolor areas of diamond painting usually are floral bouquets, trees or gardens. Sometimes it seems that these areas are covered with the full range of colors in the kit. And sometimes you need only a few diamond drills from the whole kit.

Working on areas of confetti or multicolor can be trickier than solid colored spaces as you are constantly having to switch colors and differentiate the small symbols. It will take longer to complete these sections, but the result of the work is undeniably stunning!

Here are my recommendations to work on multicolor areas (also, this method can be applied to your regular diamond painting habits):

1. Decide if you would like to work in sections or by color. Firstly, evaluate the canvas. If you have a very colorful section, probably it is worth working by section. If in the canvas you can see some dominant colors, it’s definitely worth working by color.
2. Working with several trays at once can help you save time switching colors. If you have 4 dominant colors in one space, set them all out on individual trays and hop between them to complete your sections! According to my experience, do not try working with several trays with very similar colors. E.g. dark red with dark red. In the beginning, it goes very smoothly. But if your family member or a pet takes a second of your attention, you may forget which color is in the specific tray. And that annoys very much and does not let you finish a section faster.
3. Keep a limited amount of drills in your trays. If you are working with more than one color so that any spills are not disastrous.
4. Store your trays in a chocolate box or larger tray to keep them together and avoid spills! If you plan a break of several days, you should label these trays with a symbol ar DMC number. Otherwise, you may forget which exact diamond color is in the specific tray.
5. Keep your pets and kids away from your workspace to avoid spills and keep your canvas clean.
6. If you are painting by color, keep your tray parallel to the canvas and close to the symbols. If you have your tray set at an angle then you will have to lick your wrist to place down your diamond straight. Be sure to keep your tray in line with your canvas pattern so that your wrist is not twisting and your diamonds are placed down perfectly.
7. Take frequent breaks to rest your eyes and stretch your shoulders and back.
8. Be patient! Multicolor sections take longer to complete but trust me, its worth the extra time!
   

Work on one section at a time

This method means that you divide all the diamond painting into squares and work Square-by-Square. Complete the rest of the square slot in a particular area before working on the next. Use one color category at a time and refill the pen with gel every once in a while. When you finish filling an area with one color category, start with the next.

This method is similar to confetti or multicolor areas. Some diamond painting lovers say that working this way is fun and more enjoyable. If you plan to finish your artwork very fast, probably is it not the best way of working. Because you are forced to waste the time changing the colors of diamonds in a tray, especially if you have multicolor areas.

Moreover, be careful working square-by-square, as there is a risk to leave unfinished square and not cover with the protective cover. The pet hair and dust may ruin your painting.

I prefer to divide the protective film up to 4 pieces. So if I am working with the specific area, the rest of the painting is thoroughly covered with the protective cover.

Checkerboard diamond painting technique

The checkerboard method of placing diamonds helps align your lines as straight as possible to create a perfect masterpiece! Checkerboard means where you place a diamond in every second square, leaving one square free and on the next line placing the diamond under that empty square, you will find you produce a straighter result. You place a diamond drill every second symbol. Then you go back and fill in missing ones.

This technique is useful because the risk of gaps between drills and having “messy” diamond painting is minimized. And the biggest advantage of this technique – having a lovely click. Often when you fill in the “holes” you hear a 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. This method also makes the large areas of the same color not so frustrating.

If you are doing square drill diamond painting, you can start doing the checkerboard with tweezers (if it is comfortable for you). Using the tweezers you can place diamonds more neatly or use them to straighten out any rogue pieces as you go. Then you can fill the holes with the pink pen. It is because sometimes tweezers are not so comfortable and are too big to fill the holes. If you are looking for an ultra-precise result, opt to use the single placer rather than multi-placer ends.

“One color at a time” method

This one doesn’t require much explaining – just work your way across the canvas one color at a time! The downside here is that the exposed areas might get less sticky over time. But on the plus side, filling in all of the blank spots is that much more satisfying than going row by row, for example. This method helps me in the beginning. Then I have lots of energy and enthusiasm to start and finish all the painting as soon as possible. And I am a person who likes doing everything according to the instructions and order. For example, I like to see the descending stack of bags of specific colors. And I love the moment when I can cross out the color from the total list of colors that diamond painting has.

The Windows method

This method is useful when you have to work on the large one-colored areas. Using your imagination, just divide your area into the smaller rectangle “windows”. For example, you can make 5 diamond wide and 5 diamond length “windows”. And make as much as it is convenient for you. After this, just fill empty places with the needed color diamonds. Working this way is similar to the checkerboard method. And it helps to keep the lines straight. Using this method you can form “windows” frames with multi-placer ends and fill the areas with a single pen or the tweezers.

Did it sound like a game? Probably yes. But your artwork and your hobby, in general, should be fun. If you like this game and you enjoy it – just do it.

The “work your way up” method

Some say you should always leave the best for last. The “work your way up” method involves starting with your smallest quantity color first, and then finishing up with the color you have the most of. Or vice versa. Things should get easier as you go along since you can place more of the same color at a time with multi-placer ends pen, especially in large one-color areas.

Shake shake shake!

When putting the diamonds on bowl or tray, you must not forget shaking them. This will ensure that the diamonds always lay on the flat side. This will help you to make good use of the applicator tool when it comes to picking up the diamonds. You can also have them placed onto the canvas without too much of a struggle.

The summary

Some of the methods are very important when you are working with a square diamond painting. Some of them are useful in general. If you have a small canvas, probably you will not use any of them, if you finish your painting, especially the part drill, in an hour. But, please remember, this artwork is your hobby – you can do your painting in the way you like or love.

Do you have another way of doing your diamond painting? Please share with me in the comment section below.