r/diamondpainting • u/Yup_Mhm_1539 • Nov 06 '25

Question Newbie Question…

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So… I finally pulled the trigger and started working on my very first kit… I thought I’d chosen a “doable” size to be my virgin kit, but I was overwhelmed by the tiny drills and the number of colors it came with lol… But anyway, I got over that and finally started. The tiny section on the bottom left is what I’ve accomplished so far.

I wanted to keep things simple accessory-wise, so started with the little ziplock bags… Marking them with codes, trying to draw the symbols as best as I could, etc… But it was taking too much time, so I bought 1 container(?) of 46 colors (I think). But my kit came in 83 colors. My question is - what do you usually do in this case? Is buying another container the only answer? 🥲

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u/DcubedWY Nov 06 '25

I also jumped in the deep end with my first diamond painting, a cross stitch conversion 100x50cm with 230ish colors. A blank canvas, the PDF pattern on my tablet and very poor quality acrylic drills. You are in much better shape starting with a DAC kit (I think) so the drills will be lovely to work with. I have Elizabeth Ward containers, the tiny size. 78 tiny containers fit into each tray. I put the DAC stickers on each container and fill it with 1/2 to a whole bag of drills. I keep all excess drills in their original bags (open bags taped closed) in larger ziplock bags and refill the containers as needed. I don’t have the room for some of the bigger containers, but if you like your current containers and have the room, get more. I pour the drills onto a dryer sheet and scrunch them around before pouring them into the container to help with static. Also, in order to help with searching for colors and being overwhelmed, I pull out the colors needed for a section and put them in roughly the order I want to place them.

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u/Yup_Mhm_1539 Nov 06 '25

Wow, that would’ve made me quit on this hobby lol But yes, I really do like the container I got ☺️

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u/DcubedWY Nov 06 '25

Then, I’d get more of those containers. And you can enjoy doing this painting. I think it’s a Randal Spangler? I did his Autumn Magic as my first kit (2nd diamond painting). I love his work, I have his dragons doing diamond painting one on my DAC wishlist.

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u/Yup_Mhm_1539 Nov 06 '25

Yeeees!!! I have that one on my wishlist too, the one where they’re doing the birdie dp, right? That one is so lovely, I really would like to get it 😍 And yes, I’m getting more inclined toward getting one more 46 containers of the same kind ☺️

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u/DcubedWY Nov 06 '25

Yep, that one. I adore his dragons but don’t have anywhere to put them - hubby is good with his houses that have small dragons (and fairies, lol) but are mostly cool houses. I want the diamond painting one because it is diamond painting and would be just for me. I have his summer house kit in my stash and really want the winter one.
Having an easy system for your drills is so important to maximizing your enjoyment of this craft. And, it’s really a buy once and you are set scenario even though that initial investment can be painful. And try my method of taking out just the colors needed for a section, I think it’s so much easier to be dealing with 10-20 containers instead of 83. If it doesn’t help, no harm no foul - it’s free!

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u/Yup_Mhm_1539 Nov 06 '25

I hear you! I do scan a small section and put out the containers that have those drills in them at the end of my session for the next day, and close/put aside the big box! It does make it easier. I’m slowly but surely finding ways to make it work for me, and all these advices and shared experiences are so, so helpful ☺️

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u/DcubedWY Nov 06 '25

It is a slow journey of trying different things to find out what works for you. My latest big thing was to get a vacuum pen, which I adore. It was seeing so many recommend them on this subreddit that made me try it. But if you do multiplacers, the verdict is out on the usefulness. Nothing works for everyone, lol.

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u/Yup_Mhm_1539 Nov 06 '25

True that lol 😆 Vacuum pen is probably the one thing I’ll consider getting (accessory-wise) down the road, but once I get confident enough with my placements. The current pen is leaving like tiny clear, sticky stuff on the drills/canvas that I’ve been having to pick up… Maybe I’m not using the pen correctly? 😓 And I haven’t had the balls to try multi-placing yet, but hopefully very soon… succeeding it would make my day 😖

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u/DcubedWY Nov 06 '25

I can’t place the drills well to save my life 🥴. It’s probably my horrendous hand-eye coordination but I use a straightener after I finish a section to get them to line up pretty well. Is the sticky stuff the putty or wax you are using? That’s a nice thing about the vacuum pens, no wax or putty at all. Also AB drills are no different than any other drill with the vacuum pen, I’ve heard about the wax or putty being pulled out of the pens with the ABs. I never tried to place any ABs without the vacuum pen so I have no experience myself. I never tried the multiplacers, I just figure I would have very short straight runs in various slightly diagonal positions.And some people use tweezers! I think I’d lose half my drills from them popping off and flying about the room 🪽.

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u/Yup_Mhm_1539 Nov 06 '25

🤣🤣 I can’t imagine picking them tiny drills with tweezers at my newbie phase lol I’d be dropping them on random sections of the canvas, if not on the table/floor. I’m not sure what it is, it’s whatever the pen came with - the DAC pen had something pre-filled. Also, what do you mean by “straightner”? 😲

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u/DcubedWY Nov 07 '25

A straightener is a plastic or metal tool to help move the drills. 5D Diamond Painting Roller and Fix Tools Aligning Repair Kit, Tomorotec Art Diamond Painting Accessories for DIY Craft https://a.co/d/6iTLVSt Has a couple of plastic straighteners. benote Diamond Art Painting Accessories Tools Roller Pressing Pen Metal Correction Plate, 5D Diamond Art Kits Straightener Rhinestone Embroidery Paintings Accessory https://a.co/d/flVM3pK Is a metal one. If the DAC pen is filled with a clear substance, that is wax. Their putty is white. I bet the wax is what you are seeing on the drills, you possibly have too much wax on the end of the pen. I only use tweezers to remove drills I already placed. I can’t really imagine clumsy, klutzy me being successful with using them to place the drills.

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u/Yup_Mhm_1539 Nov 07 '25

Thanks for the link! 🤗

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