I started diamond painting during covid lock downs...like 90% of everyone else...and they were from Amazon...because they were cheap and I didn't know if I'd like it. Diamond painting was actually suggested to me by my vision therapist....I was in vision therapy after being hit by a car as a pedestrian and it affecting my vision....the thought was it would help my eyes converge and focus. So I was doing diamond painting as "homework". My nephew decided that he liked it and wanted me to make a special one of a picture of his cats...I don't know where he ordered it...but I noticed it was better quality. So I decided that I might as well order some "custom" projects and I used "painting with diamonds"....these were my first square drill and the first one turned out beautifully and the second one ran out of drills...I'm waiting to see how they resolve this problem. I have recently bought a few more from Amazon because I am still simply using them for vision exercises. My biggest issue with buying from some of the bigger and arguably, better quality places is that the artwork is either very generic (the same old landscapes), some kitch anime/Japanese girls, or childish pictures. I don't know who hangs this stuff in their house for esthetic reasons but it's just not my style. I would probably invest in pieces if they were more affordable for the custom designs....like my own photographs or artwork that isn't mass produced (I have some beautiful vintage signs that I would love to do). I appreciate the higher quality...and maybe someday I'll make one...but for now, Amazon it is....sadly
Hi, Finn! That is interesting! Have you found it does help your vision? That is very cool! I totally understand that people are at different places in their DP journey and will do what's right for them. :) Some of my favorite canvases ever have been customs from Ali Express of public domain artwork like John William Waterhouse, Leighton, Monet, Mucha, etc. :) Definitely more "grown up" and great for hanging as well as quite affordable! :) Wishing you all the best with your DP journey!
Craftibly is by far my favorite! Paintings come in a hard plastic telescoping tube along with many extras (Washi tape, drill stickers, logbook stickers, weights to keep the cellophane cover out of your way, etc). Canvas backing feels like brushed suede. Super fast shipping, and it's an American company out of Texas (no sales tax!).
You are an amazing person. I just started Diamond Painting. I will be following your channel. I would like to say that this was the best thing that can happen to you because it shows you and others who you really are...that good, honest person you are. All that you have given up will be returned to you in many ways. Thank you for your excellent research and presentation of facts. Karen
I'm glad you mentioned Diamond Dotz first. A lot of people skip over them because you can buy them in store, but they have excellent quality. I've done a lot of DD canvases, and their drills are always perfect, the canvases are never damaged, and they have a large variety of images. DD and DAC are the two I purchase the most.
I agree completely! They have really great quality control, and they're really accessible. A lot of their big fine art pieces are STUNNING too, so it's sad they sometimes get classified as only a beginner brand. :)
My very first canvas was a diamond dotz partial. It was only $15. I was bored with my first hobby love which is needlepoint but I was also bored not doing anything. I was about an hour in to my black cat partial when I knew I was hooked! Now, about 18 months later with many RU-vid videos under my belt I have a stash of about 30 from a number of shops I’ve learned about from you and others I watched. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us.
That is such a great story, Bernice! They do have a really great product. :) Have you done any of their Klimt pieces? Those are on my wish list for sure! :) Thanks for hanging out today!
Jessica, I absolutely love your channel and this video was no exception! We’ve chatted a bit over on IG but I’m just terrible about remembering to leave comments here on RU-vid. Thank you for your dedication to keeping the diamond painting community informed about the importance of licensing, and for keeping us up-to-date on companies that legally license their artwork! I love that there are even more than last time 👏🏻 I totally agree with your Top 5, with the exception of TSA which I haven’t had the chance to actually work on yet. I’m a broken record because I say it all the time, but I’m seriously so blown away by Robyn’s (and your!) work with building Distracted by Diamonds into what it is today. The artwork and the kit quality is fabulous, I love it! Thanks again!
Oh my gosh, I feel like I have a celebrity commenting on my channel! I am your biggest fan on Insta - it's so fun to see you here! :) Thanks for your kind words! I love that you are loving the art at DbD - that seriously means the world. Sadly Robyn gets all the hard stuff, and I just get to consult on all the fun stuff! She is seriously incredible and her work ethic is just amazing. Thanks for hanging out! :)
I am new to your channel and I am fairly new to diamond painting. I love cross stitch but it takes so much more time and it is way easier to pick up a tool with the wax at the end than to constantly have to change thread in a needle. your channel is a wealth of information. I love that you touched on the subject of diverse subjects in this video. There is still a great imbalance I feel and there are so many talented artist out there.
Hello and welcome! Thanks so much for your kind words. :) I also love cross stitch, but I am sometimes frustrated by how slow it is, even though there is nothing quite like the tactile feeling of fabric in my fingers. I am so glad that at least one company out there has some issues of diversity in mind, but you are so, so, so completely right! There is still so much ground to cover in this regard!
Hi Jessica, Great job as usual. I just love the informative, relaxing, chill vibe of your videos. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to this hobby 🥰👍🏽❤
I completed The Flaming June and it's one of my favorites. Canvas was great as well as the drills. Can't wait to order my next one from Distracted by Diamonds.
Thanks so much for sharing. Always nice to have experienced diamond painters help out newbies (like me) with advise. I love that you take so many different aspects into account. Greetings from France
Diamond Art Club is my absolute all time favorite site to get my canvases from, but I've also gotten some from Diamond Dotz, Treasure Studios Art (boy are those rounds TINY!), Distracted by Diamonds, Dreamer Designs, Bella Sephina and Diamond Painting Factory. As a Christmas present to myself, I'm wanting to finally get a canvas from DIY Moon Shop. Thanks for such a great video as you have given me many more places to check out.
A great selection of some of my favourite diamond painting companies... 'definitely the greatest hits' for all diamond painters to consider. 💎💗🤗 Thanks for sharing and for showcasing some of your beautiful projects. Have a sparkly weekend, Katy 😉💎
Tysm for making this! I had never heard enough about DIY Moon Shop before to actually look at their store. I must admit I am quite intrigued by their Fruits Basket painting 👀
Diamond Dotz is a brand that is readily available in Australia and is a firm favourite of mine. I guess DP is relatively new here so there are very few ways of purchasing apart from online stores. Unfortunately the cost of shipping from USA, UK etc makes it prohibitive for many to invest in products from places like DAC and diy Moon Shop etc. Thanks for your great video clips - I really enjoy them. 🐨
I always love your videos! 😍💗 A couple of other shops for licensed diamond paintings are Jacarou Puzzles and Jaz Higgins. Jacarou Puzzles is owned by Anie Maltais. She is also the artist and uses her own art on jigsaw puzzles and diamond paintings. They are very fun and colorful! She recently started licensing other artists as well. Jaz Higgins is an artist also who has diamond paintings made from her own work 😃
I couldn’t agree with you more on EVERYTHING you have said in your video... I love DIYMOONSHOP, I have ordered my first TSA so I will let you know, of course DAC but my favorite is robyn’s store because of the diversity and how exclusive it is ... so Bravo to you as well!!!
OHHHH!!! I literally just bought Flaming June because of your other video about a DBD artist! I was SO EXCITED to get it! I've never gotten there fast enough to snag a canvas, so I feel like I just won the best Christmas gift ever! I love her - she is SO BEAUTIFUL! I'll probably get some special drills for her from Tina.
New artists today in Robyn’s shop. No purchasing for me, just window shopping but very exciting. I have my fingers crossed for a website in her future.
I want to thank you for this video! I first discovered Distracted by Diamonds from you. I am definitely addicted to snagging her kits. I am now at 8 kits 😍
I hope to be able to try DIY Moon Shop someday. Thanks for this video and for showing DAC's Starry Night. I've been thinking of getting that when it comes back in stock, if it does. I love that painting.
Hi, Mary Ann! I am glad you enjoyed the video. The Starry Night is beautiful! I think their rendering is looking nice so far - and it has some beautiful AB's if I remember correctly! :)
My favorite way to create a foundation row is to hold a straight edge (a plastic rewards card or credit card works great!) along my first row with my left hand so just the edge touches the canvas and then place my drills along the edge with my right hand. Works like a charm!!
All these shops are awesome great choices! I hope Robyn does customs of one of her artists in the future I seriously want to either invest or be first in line 🤣🤣🤣 ok maybe the first three? Is that still being selfish? 🤣🤣
@@sheilawatts2730 I would say DAC has slightly better canvas quality, and DIY Moon Shop has better artwork. I think it depends on taste and what kinds of pictures you enjoy working on. 😀
There are so many licensing issues there that I can’t display Amazon canvases here or recommend them on a widespread basis to new painters. 😢 Staroar does do some in-house licensing, and I heard from Lucy that she’s moving to full in-house licensing in 2021, so that is awesome! 😀
What's the best way to use bags you use the bags when they come in bags How do you set them up work them I would have bags all over the place what's the best way to organize them I hope this makes sense I'm a little confused on how to use bags but it would save on containers
Hi, Jackie! I usually write the symbol on the bag with permanent marker, and then I organize the drills alphabetically. It is slower, but it’s a nice short term solution if all my containers are full. 😀
I have recently started diamond painting and My daughter had bought me a few off Amazon unlicensed but it got me addicted so I went to Joanns and bought 2 Camelot dotz powered by diamond dotz kits and 2 diamond dotz kits and I ran out of drills on one of the Camelot dotz kits contacted they apologized but never sent me the drills I needed to finish it and the square kit I got from diamond dotz was so bad it had lots of gapping and trash in the drills and the canvas was streaked I wasn't to happy with them and I'm currently saving up to buy a kit from dreamer designs and dac and diy moon and crafitibly 😂
Aww, man! That stinks!! There are a few drill exchange groups on Facebook (I think?), but you might be able to find freestyle drills in the same color if you want to finish your DD Camelot. It's terrible after all that work to have to leave a kit unfinished. That is such a bummer! 😭 I hope some of the other options out there allow you to find a project you adore!!
Definitely customs! Images created before 1927 are free and available for anyone to use, and customs can be purchased anywhere guilt free. Sites like Pixabay or Unsplash can also offer nice artwork with no copyright constraints for personal use. My very favorite finish ever cost in the $30 range as a copyright-free old master. The possibilities there are truly endless!
Yikes, I’m sorry! That really stinks! I don’t know of any stores located in Canada that do fully licensed work, but I will definitely keep my ears open. Hopefully some other commenters will chime in. 🥰
Sorry if asking to many questions, but are the colors universal with all companies? Beginning new what size or canvas do I start with or does it matter? Why don't the trays have stoppers and covers so you don't spill beads? I thought I seen some of your canvas with the artist Mucha, where did you get them? I have several prints on my walls. Thank you for the help! 1
Hi, Sandra! The colors are basically standard and conform to DMC thread colors, but each company uses different symbols to represent that color. The Mucha canvas was from Distracted by Diamonds. 😀
Just starting to look to do the diamond painting. When you go to buy how do you know if it is a glue back or double adhesive and I see on one site it does say what price is in American money so how do you know what the price is?
Great questions! If the listing doesn’t say and a canvas has a paper opaque cover, it is almost always double sided tape, and if it’s clear plastic it’s almost always poured glue. 😀 When I’m looking at sites outside the US, I Google an exchange rate calculator to help me figure out the cost, but I find that international shipping can be quite spendy. 😢
Thanks for this video. I had heard about all of these companies except for Distracted by Diamonds. I went and had a look at her Etsy store and I note that she doesn't carry much stock at all (but you did mention this in your video). Also, the paintings seem to be on the expensive side, jjst like DIYMoonshop (although I think theirs might be even more). Do you happen to know if she works with any affiliates who offer a discount code perhaps? Thanks a ton.
Hi, KK! Correct - she has a hard time keeping enough stock in her shop since she is small and doesn't have any employees yet. :) She posts just what she can ship out in a day or two. They are definitely on the pricier side - similar to DIY Moon Shop in the sense that both license art from fine artists rather than commercial art sites, thus the higher price point. :) I think they are worth it, but I am definitely biased. ;) I think we all have to purchase the kits and art that we connect with most at the best price point for us. Thanks for the comment!
Any seller that does not list artists' names makes me nervous. Super sus in my opinion. Amazon is basically the new Ali Express for copyright infringing products.
Hi, Edith! Usually round and square drills are not interchangeable because they are slightly different in size unfortunately. Amazon also sadly carries a ton of unlicensed images from overseas sellers, so that can be an issue too. 🥰
