i’ve been DP on and off since mid 2019 & i still feel like a beginner compared to most of you guys! what would your tips or tools that have made it easier and/or better for DP?
this is my current set up. the black box has all my extra trays, wax, etc that comes with every painting. super glue & tape. extra drills separated by color in ziplock bags. extra ziplock bags. scissors & a couple other items.
I think as long as you are enjoying doing it, the gradient of "beginner" vs. "intermediate" vs. "advanced" can get a little fuzzy. As that you've dipped for years, I doubt you're a beginner at all!
For me, finding just the right tray and just the right pen was like, a bit of a turning point. Those moments are when I fell into comfort while doing it, so it kind of came more naturally and enjoyably peaceful to do. Finding the perfect storage system, combined with canvases that have just the right ✨vibe✨??? * chef's kiss *
I like to put on a TV show like Mysteries at the Museum or How It's Made in the background. My trays are Cateared's Traybricks and my pen is the Diamond Art Club twisty-filly-up pen. My storage is the Traybricks filed into little slots I made for a zippered storage carrying case. My favorite subject matter is cats, and I actually just finished one tonight that came so easily to do!! So it's like, finding that perfect storm of materials and feel!!
okay! i feel like my pen & storage system definitely play a part in how comfy my set up is. i have my pen wrapped to make it wider for my hand as even the “thicker” ones i found online weren’t thick even for me. i honestly like & will do ANY projects but i definitely have some i like more then others so finding the right ones might make a big difference!
Hmmm, perhaps some of the adaptive pens on Etsy? I've seen some that are designed like a ball almost, which might do it for ya! I can't recall what to type in the search box though. Fortunately, it's fun to experiment for this hobby and no rush!
Oh that's so clever!!
And curiosity was getting to me (read: bedtime procrastination) so I was searching on Etsy. And "palm pens" is what I was envisioning. But a tennis ball??? That's really smart (and crafty too!)
(pic attached) these are the same exact pens. one i customized to work best to help my hand pain & one is the same brand different DP designs i looked at “palm pens” on etsy and there was a bunch of different shaped ones?
if this question is for me, i have no idea what a DAC twist and pick pen is but i use just the regular wax that each kit comes with. these are my waxes.
The last DAC I did that came with the twisty pen came with an extra little square of stuff. It was like a cross between the pink wax and sticky tack. I've actually never had to refill any! When it's time I plan to use what DAC sent. It strikes me as a proprietary mix, but I am sure that really anything could be used!
There’s something about the narrator’s voice in How it’s Made that always puts me to sleep. I don’t know if I could watch it and DP at same time. Plus it’s very visual and I can’t have anything on the tv that I need to ‘watch.’ TV is on only for background noise when I DP.
Lol!! The older ones can lull me to a nap as well! The newer ones not so much with the younger-sounding voice. I don't actually 'watch' either of these shows, I treat them more like podcasts really, just listening or not even really listening but having background sounds. Even radio would do the trick, I suppose, but I get a lot of enjoyment of learning little tidbits as I go!
I have a lot of metal and screws in my right wrist and carpal tunnel I don't know if it was caused by the broken wrist or not. I really have to be careful cuz I'm heavy-handed and I'll start to hurt but I'll never go back to not having a vacuum pin unless the power is out
I saw you mentioned that you move around with your DPing a lot, which made me think of my DP “go bag”. I use a zip-up case which holds 60 jars. It has a mesh pocket on the lid, which fits my A5 light pad & power cord, a couple of my favorite pens, a little tin of extra putty, and a tray for drills. I lay my set of mini canvases on top of the drill jars, zip the whole thing up, and I’m ready to go! In this pic, I put a case together for my aunt as she’s going on a trip, with a set of 12 mini canvases, and another set of 20 magnets. And it all fit in the case!
This system works well for plane travel, hotel rooms, long road trips, camping, going over to my parents’ house to “watch the game” (I’m obviously seeing about 8% of the actual game 😂)… very convenient for DPing on-the-go, or just with limited space.
In your case, you might have to take the canvases separately (looks like they might be a little larger than the 7x7” ones in my pic), maybe in a gallon zip lock bag to keep them safe and clean? And it looks like your pen might not fit, especially if you go with the tennis ball idea - really creative btw! But these zip-up cases are a good way to travel!
I use these cases too! I also have a laptop tray with a lamp that clips on. I have to stay in bed alot, and this has helped so much. I also keep all my extra stuff in a tote bag, that way if I want to mover the couch, I can.
They’re from Amazon! And the grid looks like it’s printed for square drills, but it comes with round drills, which was perfect because my aunt gets nervous about squares. But having the grid printed like this helps the finished image look sharper. And she loves camping, so these were perfect!
I love the vacuum pen, and it's made doing this so much easier. Oh, I also use light boards and just got a headlight with changeable magnifying lenses. I'm in my 50s, and I can't see these tiny little symbols anymore.
Get a good storage tray set. I really like the red two system. It makes things so much easier to have every color Ina tray ready to go so you just grab the color you need and it's already in a tray. I just have all mine numbered 1-60, and order them the same as they are on the color chart for the canvas. So, if the symbol for 1 is D, when I need the D color I just grab tray 1. If the symbol for color 12 is +, I just grab tray 12 when that symbol shows up on the canvas.
Also, a good pen or three. I really like having both an electric pen and a good thick wax pen with multi-placers. I don't often use the multi-placers but when there's huge chunks of colors it helps cut down the fatigue.
My advice would be microdots instead of wax, hard stop, hands down... Shove 1 or two in your pen tip, trim a little excess if needed and it will never ever go bad or dry out... If it's too sticky, I wipe it on something fluffy til it's the right level of sticky. If it's not sticky enough, I squish it around with a toothpick a few times to move it (meaning new layer of sticky) and it's perfect. You're doing great and I freaking LOVE your giant pen! ❤️
I would recommend a larger tray possibly with a lid. I upgraded from the basic tray last year after painting for a couple of years and love my new one. They sell an awesome variety on Etsy.
I have the art dot storage set and i love it. The only downside side is you have to store them in a separate bin as the set themselves don’t come in a case like the one you posted above. But I’ve seen people say they use the box it comes in.
I havent used one like that myself because I don't have the space for it but I have heard good things about this kind. Alot of people seem to like the ones sold by ArtDot or Forever Young. Those are both available through Amazon.
i 100% need to look into it. i feel like even though i’ve been DP for awhile, i was 15 when i started, that i never upgraded my set up because i couldn’t afford to when i started.
That's understandable. I also didn't upgrade most of my gear until well into doing this hobby. But I am so glad I now have and wish I had done it sooner but sometimes life gets in the way.
My best advice is a vacuum pen. It makes it so much easier, and you don't have to worry about the wax. Also, I only do one color at a time in sections that I put release paper on. I divide the painting into sections based on the size of my release paper. I start with #1 color, on the top left section, and go from there. This has made it so much easier and less stressful. Just remember, find what you like, and don't worry about any critics. It's meant to be fun and relaxing!!
I accidentally ordered a paint by number in one order and wasn’t even mad about it when I noticed. More like “why not start this on the side?!” and those kits are just as awesome at these cheap prices! Literally was $3-$4 each and now it’s $20.
I have one with a rubber hose attached to a pump, similar to the airpump of an aquarium. So at full power you can hear a light humm. People wouldn't want a aquarium with a loud humm. I can regulate the suction power. At a lower power, still forceful enough to suck the stones up from a millimeter distance, I don't hear it anymore.
There are also vacuum pens with puilt in pump ans battery.. They are heavier. I don't know if they are too heavy. I've notice that the atached hose to my vacuumpen isn't a nuisance, it's long and flexibele.
The wax that came with my first kit worked less and less. Sometimes I could hardly pick up a stone, and quite often a stone fell from the pen during transport. Someone here advised me a vacuum pen. I bought mine on a Chinese web shop for less than €10. I'm not sure they will be equalizer chip in the USA, with the tariffs.
Now I have no problem picking up a stone and transporting it to irs destination. It's such a relief to be able to focus on placing the stones, instead of trying to picking them up and carefully transporting them. I work way faster now.
I get really overwhelmed with the larger paintings and found putting a piece of parchment paper on it really helps me break them up. So ill take off the protective film for the whole piece and replace it with parchment paper. Then ill section off the parchment, number them, and gently cut out the section im working on. Not only does it break it into more manageable chunks, but it also adds a bit of fun where ill roll a dice to see which section to work on next.
Lightboard first
Trays from temu or artdot
Resin pen with stainless steel tips
Putty
Labels
In that order
Man these resin pens are sooo awesome!! Worth the money im a fanatic and I barely not even a year in! I wish I had kore money for more stuff!!!!
Treat yourself!!
Part of it for me is having a permanent set up. This makes me fortunate. So I can have all nice trays, one for each color (I hated pouring in and out of little bottles). Desk easel, light oaed, I also do pretty large 50x70s normally.
You work with what you have, space, finances, mobility etc.
i move areas a lot when i DP so being able to travel & be comfortable is hard to find! my house & other peoples house as i babysit/petsit/house sit for a job. i’ve been thinking about a tray storage system so i don’t have to pour from container to tray
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u/curiouslonely Mar 04 '26
I think as long as you are enjoying doing it, the gradient of "beginner" vs. "intermediate" vs. "advanced" can get a little fuzzy. As that you've dipped for years, I doubt you're a beginner at all!
For me, finding just the right tray and just the right pen was like, a bit of a turning point. Those moments are when I fell into comfort while doing it, so it kind of came more naturally and enjoyably peaceful to do. Finding the perfect storage system, combined with canvases that have just the right ✨vibe✨??? * chef's kiss *
I like to put on a TV show like Mysteries at the Museum or How It's Made in the background. My trays are Cateared's Traybricks and my pen is the Diamond Art Club twisty-filly-up pen. My storage is the Traybricks filed into little slots I made for a zippered storage carrying case. My favorite subject matter is cats, and I actually just finished one tonight that came so easily to do!! So it's like, finding that perfect storm of materials and feel!!