Diamond painting is just as it sounds: you create a beautiful painting on a canvas.
However, rather than using paint, you actually embellish hundreds of sparkling resin crystals to their designated space on the canvas. The finished product is a shimmering work of art that can be displayed in your home or be given as a personalized gift to a loved one.
What are the best diamond painting drills? Diamond painting drills are actually the crystals that will be embellished on the canvas. You can choose square, round, or even special-shaped drills to create your work of art. However, make sure to choose the 5D resin drills for the most durability and brilliance.
If you are curious about this type of art, this article will tell you all about how to select the right type of diamond painting drills for your specific project.
Diamond Drill Buying Guide
When we mention the word “drill,” it is easy for most people to assume that it is a tool that you use to modify or embellish the crystal beads.
However, for diamond paintings, a drill is actually just a substitute word for the crystal beads that are used to embellish the canvas itself.
As you can tell, the drills are what create the visuals on the canvas, so they are hugely important. Their colors, material, and radiance can all affect how the final piece will look.
There are two main types of drills used in diamond painting: round and square. Some people prefer to use one type of drill over another, while other crafters say that it can depend on the project you are making.
Square Drills
Square drills are commonly used to create a mosaic piece. Think of it like a puzzle, where the edges can fit perfectly together without any gaps. Without the white space between the beads, the entire piece is complete.
Square drills are quite popular because they can give your painting a clean and finished look. The lines you create will be super crisp and clean, which a lot of painters prefer.
However, imagine having to line up hundreds of squares in neat rows if you are a beginner. Without the precision that you can only gain through practice, it’s quite easy for the drills to become misaligned and therefore make the piece look messy and incomplete.
Round Drill
Round drills, on the other hand, won’t be able to cover the entire canvas because the edges don’t meet, leaving gaps between the drills. Perfectionists may not like this, as it looks like the canvas is incomplete, especially when they investigate the canvas up close.
However, the round drills can give the canvas some texture that resembles cross-stitching.
Many beginners still prefer round drills over square drills because they are much more forgiving when it comes to mistakes. Since the gaps don’t perfectly align, you don’t have to be very precise when placing the drills.
The round drills also fit perfectly with the diamond painting pens, so they are also easier to pick up, especially for beginners.
For those who would like a bit of practice with placing the diamonds on the canvas, then they will appreciate the round drills much more than the square drills.
Full Drill Vs. Partial Drill
There are two main types of diamond paintings: full drill and partial drill.
Full drill paintings are when you cover the entire canvas with diamond drills (either square or round). Every detail in the painting is made up of different colored drills to create a mosaic. This effect is especially strong with a square drill.
On the other hand, partial drills are diamond paintings where only part of the canvas is covered with diamonds. This is a neat trick to help you highlight areas of the painting that needs a little sparkle, such as the moon or a boat on a river.
Because the diamonds are 3D, you can see the highlighted part much better, both in terms of texture and vibrance. Both round drills and square drills can be used with both types of diamond paintings.
Material
You should know that the diamonds in diamond paintings are not made from actual diamonds – otherwise, this can be quite an expensive hobby!
Instead, the drills are made from epoxy resin, poly-resin, acrylic, or even ABS plastic. All the drills are 2.8 mm in size, as this is the standard size to allow the best flexibility for painting while still giving you room to create small details.
The epoxy or poly-resin drills are usually the most durable. They can be scratch-resistant and can maintain their shine for longer. On the other hand, if you are on a budget, then ABS plastic can be great for practice as well.
Regardless of the materials, the drills are usually shaped like diamonds – with 5 facets on each side (5D) to give them the maximum luster. This design gives each drill depth and allows them to be extra sparkly.
Some diamond painting kits also come with 3D drills, but these ones are usually less shiny than the 5D drills.
Diamond Painting Kits
If you are new to diamond painting, getting all the necessary supplies can be overwhelming. You will need a canvas to ‘paint’ on, the drills, adhesives, a diamond pen, you name it. That’s why a lot of companies offer diamond painting kits.
When you buy a kit, you’re getting all the supplies you need to make a beautiful piece of diamond painting. The design is preprinted on the canvas, with the colors clearly indicated on the canvas, so completing a diamond painting is quite stress-free, especially for beginners.
All the drills necessary are also included in the kit, so you don’t have to worry about mixing and matching the colors to get the perfect design.
If you are using square drills to create a mosaic, there’s also less room for errors since all the squares are neatly printed on the canvas, and you can match the drills to the corresponding square each time.
If you accidentally lose a few drills, that’s no big deal, either. There are plenty of options for replacement drills. As long as you find the correct color code (which is printed in the instructions as well as on the canvas itself), you should be able to find replacement drills quite easily.
You can practice embellishing the beads with different colors, shapes, and designs before moving on to more complicated designs. This way, you can get familiar with different techniques used in diamond painting.
This is a great way to practice putting the drills on a canvas, and you can choose from the hundreds of design options on the market to create the best work of art for your style.
Best Diamond Painting Drills
If you are keen on getting some dependable diamond painting drills to create your own unique artwork, let’s take a look at some great options for diamond painting drills below.
| Rank | Product | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | ARTDOT 5D Diamond Painting Beads | Acrylic, round/square |
| 2. | Glitter Beads for Diamond Painting | Acrylic, round/square |
| 3. | Glow in The Dark Diamond Painting Beads | Acrylic, glow in the dark, round/square |
| 4. | Rhinestones Diamond Painting Beads | Resin, square |
| 5. | Healifty Diamond Painting Replacement Diamonds | Resin, square |
| 6. | Glow in The Dark Diamond Painting Beads | Resin, glow in the dark, square |
| 7. | CRPSEN Store 5D Shiny Crystal Diamond | Acrylic, round |
| 8. | PP OPOUNT Rhinestones for Diamond Painting | Resin, round |
| 9. | AB Diamond Painting Beads | Acrylic, round |
1. ARTDOT 5D Diamond Painting Beads
This set of high-quality diamond drills from ARTDOT is perfectly cut for fine diamond painting. The set comes with a whopping 445,000 in 445 different colors, so you have the room to create whatever design that you please with your diamond painting.
You can choose between working with round beads or square beads, as this product offers both options. Either way, this is the perfect choice to add some sparkles to your work or even to create a mosaic painting by covering the canvas entirely with drills.
Each drill is finely cut to have 26 sides, allowing for a maximum degree of sparkles. These drills are made from BPA-free, non-toxic acrylic materials, and their high quality ensures your diamond paintings will last for years!
2. Glitter Beads for Diamond Painting
Make your diamond painting more captivating and beautiful than ever with these sparkly drills!
This set contains over 4,000 high-quality glittery beads in 20 different colors that will make your painting stand out beautifully.
These diamonds are made from non-toxic acrylic that can be friendly to children to work with.
Each round shape drill has 26 facets that reflect light from all the different angles to create a sparkling effect.
Each bead even contains a little bit of glitter to add even more shine to your artwork, and you can see the glittery effects from all angles.
3. Glow in The Dark Diamond Painting Beads
Diamond paintings are fun, but did you know that you can also create glow-in-the-dark diamond paintings as well?
These Glow-In-The-Dark diamond painting drills are just the way to do that. During the day, your artwork will look just like any other diamond painting, but it can glow when the lights are out.
You can transform your regular diamond painting into a glow-in-the-dark diamond painting with these fun drills. They come in both round and square shapes to suit a variety of designs. The drills are made from safe, non-toxic, and high-quality acrylic.
These drills will look like jelly under regular light but will glow in the dark with different hues when the lights are turned off.
Thanks to the 20-color range, you can use them to create regular designs as well as glow-in-the-dark designs that can turn into a conversation piece at every party!
4. Rhinestones Diamond Painting Beads
These beautiful square drills from the Forever Young store are absolutely gorgeous!
They are made of clear, translucent resin and come in 20 different colors, with 4,000 pieces in total.
Thanks to the 5D construction and the clear resin aesthetics, each piece has its own luster that resembles real diamonds!
The resin material means that these drills are not only beautiful but they are also highly durable and scratch-resistant.
If you would like your artwork to last, then this is absolutely the way to go.
5. Healifty Diamond Painting Replacement Diamonds
These square diamond painting drills are a great way to add shine and dimension to your diamond painting project.
This package contains 36 different colors of resin drills, perfect for adding all kinds of intricate details to your diamond painting piece.
The drills are made from high-quality resin, which means they are safe, durable, and long-lasting.
The drills are brightly colored and have a sparkly shine, which means all the details in your diamond painting will appear vibrant and lustrous. Thanks to the quality of the material, the colors won’t fade and will last as long as you’d like!
6. Glow in The Dark Diamond Painting Beads
This set of 3,500 square drills that come in 6 different colors can help you do that. Made from high-quality resin, these beads are perfect for creating intricate designs on your projects that will last.
This is a fun way to add beautiful, glow-in-the-dark highlights to your artwork or even create a hidden design that can only be seen during the evenings!
Although the color options are limited, you can use these square beads along with other regular square beads in your mosaic diamond paintings.
The design will look one way during the day, and then during the evening, a whole other design can be revealed to showcase your creativity!
7. CRPSEN Store 5D Shiny Crystal Diamond
This stunning collection of diamond drills includes over 35,000 round drills in 175 different colors.
This set of beautiful, sparkling diamond-shaped drills is perfect for creating stunning diamond paintings.
Thanks to the variety of colors, you can create beautiful mosaics and gradients, as well as small intricate details with all the colors from this set.
Each drill has a 5D shape that resembles real diamonds, and thanks to the transparent acrylic material, the light can peak through, which allows each drill to sparkle just like real diamonds!
8. PP OPOUNT Rhinestones for Diamond Painting
This set of rhinestones is a great way to add some bling and sparkle to your diamond painting projects. You will get a huge variety with this set, which comes with 60,000 round drills in 60 different colors.
Thanks to the strong resin material, these bright, solid-colored beads are shaped like real diamonds, which make them a fun addition to your lovely diamond paintings.
The 26-facet design also allows them to reflect light from all angles and add sparkles to your painting.
The durable resin material not only holds color very well, but it can also stay in shape very well without being damaged by scratches, temperature changes, or humidity.
When using these drills, your diamond paintings will absolutely last for quite a long time.
9. AB Diamond Painting Beads
This set of 4,000 diamond drills that come in 20 different colors can add a truly unique touch to your diamond paintings.
Each round drill is made with a layer of film on top that has a metallic texture, which allows it to refract light and make it shinier.
This makes these drills an ideal choice for diamond painting, where they can shine from all angles under all types of lighting.
The durable acrylic materials also ensure the beads are easy to work with and will stay fresh and strong even long after your diamond painting is finished.
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