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.
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