What are you doing with diamond paintings?

Diamond painting is a new craft hobby that is a mix between Painting by Numbers and Cross Stitch. With Diamond Painting, you apply thousands of tiny resin diamonds to a coded adhesive canvas to create brilliant diamond art. Adding your diamond painting to a frame gives it an elegant and finished look. Framing your painting is quite an easy process.

You can buy a standard frame at any craft store or search for a custom size that fits your specific painting. If you are buying a standard frame in the store, look for one that is a little smaller than your painting. Diamond art paintings have an extra border around the image so you can cut some of this material to fit the frame and focus more on the image itself. According to Chu, diamond painting is a combination of cross stitch and painting by numbers.

You use an applicator to apply hundreds of sparkling resin rhinestones, one by one, onto a color-coded canvas adhesive paint, she explains. The end result is a vivid and sparkling work of art. Each piece can be framed and hung in the office, given to a loved one or kept for you to enjoy. Even if you have used square drills, an unprotected diamond painting is more likely to be damaged by dust or dirt, and over time, exposure to the elements can break the adhesive that keeps the diamonds firmly attached to the canvas.

However, most diamond painters feel that diamond painting is not really finished unless it has been stamped. If you're not ready to frame or display your diamond art, check out this post on how to save your diamond painting. If you want the stand to serve as a kind of frame, be sure to select one that complements the colors and theme of your diamond painting. Once you have finished your diamond painting and are ready to store or display it, first spread it out on a flat surface to admire your handwork.

Mark two inches on the back of the diamond painting with a marker or fabric marker, then cut everything except the two-inch overhang with your craft trimming tools. Diamonds can stand out when they are not properly attached to the canvas or, on occasion, you may notice a diamond that has a small imperfection on the surface. This will give you two inches of leftover material that you will use to wrap the diamonds around the sides of the diamond art piece, so the effect will be like an oil painting you would buy from an art gallery. Most of us spend quite a bit of time working on a single diamond painting project because it can take a while to get each bead in the right place.

If you just finished a diamond painting and you want it to last, then finishing and sealing the painting is your best option. I have been working diamond paintings for about 2 years and have tried many techniques, from DIY to in-store shopping. When you are sure the painting is complete, take a soft brush (toothbrushes work fine) and remove dust or debris from the diamond painting. The easiest option is simply to cut the excess canvas with sharp scissors designed for fabric or crafts, and this option is certainly used by many diamond painters, especially for works of art with smaller diamonds.

Apply the same method to your diamond painting to mix things up a little in areas with large amounts of the same color.

diamond painting kits
LaToya Weitze
LaToya Weitze

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