Do You Need a Diamond Painting Straightening Tool? How to Fix Gaps in Diamond Paintings

When it comes to painting with diamonds, it takes patience to place your diamond drills perfectly. If you find yourself dealing with gaps in your diamond paintings or are having trouble keeping everything aligned, a straightening tool can be a great help. This handy diamond painting accessory is used to keep all of your diamond drills in a straight line. And neater lines make clearer and more brilliant images.

If you happen to prefer working on square diamond paintings, there are several other things you can do to keep the square drills consistently even. Keep reading to learn more about diamond painting straightening tools and discover some alternate ways to fix gaps in your diamond paintings.

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What Is a Diamond Painting Straightening Tool?

A diamond painting straightening tool is an essential piece of equipment that assists you in creating perfectly aligned “diamonds.” This handy device looks a bit like a paint scraper or putty knife, and it’s used to adjust the rows of sparkling drills into the proper position. You can find one of these helpful tools in the Diamond Art Club® Forever Stainless Steel kit.

How Does It Work?

Using a diamond painting straightening tool is really very straightforward. All you have to do is place the device along a row of “gems” and tip it to a slight angle. Then press firmly on the handle, pushing the diamonds into a straight line. Depending on the size of your canvas and how many drills you need to reposition, this may take some time, but it will be worth it when you see how much better your design turns out.

Additional Tips for Keeping Your Diamonds Straight

While diamond painting straightening tools are explicitly designed for aligning drills, there are also several other ways you can keep your drills straight if you’re not quite ready to invest in one. Here are a few of our top tips:

• Position Your Tray in Line with the Pattern: If your drill tray is not in line with the pattern, it can cause your wrist to twist while you work. Aligning the tray parallel with the canvas keeps your wrist in a natural position and makes it easier to place the drills in a straight line.
• Use a Multi-Placer Tool: Multi-placer tools make it easier to place multiple diamond drills at once, ensuring that they are all laid down perfectly straight the first time. All you need to do is pick up a few sparkly gems from the tray with the multi-placer and then apply them to the canvas.

Discover 5 Helpful Diamond Painting Multi-Placer Tips Here

• Arrange the Diamonds in a Checkerboard Pattern: If you prefer using a single-placer tool, arranging the drills in a checkerboard pattern will help you maintain straight lines. This means that you will place one diamond and then skip the next space before placing another, repeating the pattern until you have completed the row. After completing a few rows, go back in and fill in the gaps. Square diamond drills will even click neatly into position, making a satisfying "snap" that tells you they are placed perfectly.
  
  This strategy works best with light-colored diamond drills and helps you avoid obvious gaps and misalignments.
  
  

• Straighten Your Rows with a Ruler: If you want to make sure your rows of diamond drills are perfectly aligned, you can also use a ruler or other straight-edged tool to help keep them square. Place the ruler on the canvas and gently press it against each row, pushing the drills into a neat line. This is the same process as using a diamond painting straightening tool and allows you to achieve nearly the same results without purchasing a separate tool. (It just might not be as easy to use or fit as nicely in your hand.)
• Fix Crooked Drills with Tweezers: If you find that some of your diamond drills are crooked, use a pair of craft tweezers to correct them. Twist the drill into the desired position, not moving any adjacent drills. Take your time and use a gentle hand to avoid damage.

Straight and Sparkling

Each of the accessories made for painting with diamonds is there to make the craft more enjoyable for you. And while using a diamond painting straightening tool may be the easiest way to keep your drills aligned, you can also use the tips above to create stunning artwork with perfectly even edges and no gaps in sight.  So, if you’re ready to get started on your next masterpiece, grab one of your diamond painting kits, (and straightening tools) and let’s get crafting!

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