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

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)

Yesterday's 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.

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 



Yesterday's 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 (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 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

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)

Yesterday's 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/ 

Yesterday's 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

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)

Yesterday's 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

Yesterday's 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 (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 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

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)

Today's Question Answered: Introduction to Diamond Painting
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 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!  

Today's Question Answered: Introduction to Diamond Painting
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 (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 pennies from a few other sites mentioned as well, but not all.