The accessible craft of diamond painting explained by kit illustrator Mel from Meldel Crafts
We’re always fascinated by new crafts and evolutions in techniques and materials, so when we heard that an illustration by Folksy seller (and Folksy team member!) Mel Jones from Meldel Crafts was now available as a diamond painting kit by Diamond Art Studio, we were delighted for her, as well as intrigued. Diamond Painting is a new to us, so we asked Mel to tell us more.
“Diamond Painting is a craft that is a blend of cross-stitch, mosaic and paint by numbers,” explains Mel. “You hand place resin ‘diamonds’ – also known as ‘drills’ – one by one, on to an adhesive-coated canvas that has been pre-printed with a colour-coded picture or pattern to create a colourful, shimmering piece of art.”
In the same way as colouring books took the world by storm a few years ago as a popular mindful activity, Diamond Painting is a particularly accessible, relaxing craft that doesn’t require any specialist skills. A little like doing a jigsaw, you pick each gem or ‘drill’ in turn and place it in the correct position on the canvas to build the complete artwork. As you carefully place each flat-backed ‘diamond’ on the corresponding symbol on the canvas, you can benefit from the meditative aspects of focusing on a simple, repetitive task with a gratifying end result.
Diamond Painting, which is also known as Crystal Art, looks like a great entry-level craft for anyone who wants to be creative and enjoy the benefits of making, but doesn’t yet feel they have the skills or confidence to create their own work. You can even start with kits like Mel’s, and then, once you feel more assured, move on to your own designs.
As well as creating artwork for your wall, once you get the hang of diamond painting, you can use the technique to create a multitude of items, from bookmarks and greetings cards to coasters and even brooches.
For illustrators or artists, there is also the option of having your artwork picked up and licensed by kit manufacturers. For Mel, the opportunity came after Sam and Giles from Diamond Art Studio saw her entry in an online art competition.
“They loved my Woodland Mouse illustration and asked if I would be interested in becoming one of their licensed artists,” says Mel. “I was thrilled to be picked as one of the 20 or so talented artists they work with, and especially happy that they are committed to only using human-made art and have signed the Only Human Art Declaration. My illustration is now renamed Mouse In A House and is available in different sizes as one of their Diamond Art Kits. The day my kit arrived in the post was very exciting!”
Discover more of Mel’s artwork in her Folksy shop
https://folksy.com/shops/meldelcrafts
