Round or Square Diamond Drills for Diamond Painting?

When starting a diamond painting project, one of the first things you have to decide is what kind of beads to use. Here, we'll compare the two most popular shapes of beads used in diamond painting - round and square - and help you decide which one is right for you.

Shape

The most obvious difference between round and square beads is, well, their shape. This can affect the overall look of your diamond painting once it's finished. Round beads will give your painting a softer look, while square beads will give it a more geometric look. It's really up to personal preference which one you choose. However, keep in mind that some paintings may look better with one bead shape over the other. For example, a flowery design may look better with round beads, while a cityscape may look better with square beads. If you're not sure which bead shape to choose for your particular design, try doing a quick search online for "diamond painting [design] round vs square." This should give you a good idea of how each bead shape will impact the final product.

Sparkle Shimmer

Round diamonds provide for a really sparkly, almost shimmer of light effect on your finished diamond paintings in a way that you just won't see on a square diamond painting. If you're after a really shiny painting, we'd recommend buying a larger canvas as this is where the round diamonds and their sparkle really come into their own.

Clean and Crisp

Square diamond beads (or known as drills) create a clean and crisp picture, since every diamond piece fits firmly with each other piece on all four sides - with limited to no gaps. That said, it definitely requires more experience and time to line up the squares as neatly as possible to give you that amazing, symmetrical finish. Square diamond drills are generally the preferred choice when it comes to smaller diamond art due to the lack of gaps between each individual diamond drill piece.

Ease of Use

One thing to consider when choosing between round and square beads is how easy they are to use. For some people, dealing with small diamonds can be difficult, especially if they have dexterity issues. In general, round beads are easier to work with than square beads because they can sit easily in the diamond painting pen tips and can be placed on your diamond painting canvas with better control. Due to square diamonds symmetrical nature, square diamonds are certainly more difficult and requires a bit of experience to pick up and place down on your diamond painting canvas with their angular and sharper edges to get that amazing, finished diamond painting end result. So, if you're having trouble placing diamonds where you want them, you might want to try using round diamond painting drills instead of square diamond painting drills.

Round diamond beads are the most popular type of bead for diamond painting. They are easier to place on the canvas and stay in place better than square beads. Round beads also lay flatter on the diamond painting canvas, which gives your finished painting a more polished look. However, some people prefer the look of square beads, as they can add more dimensionality to your painting. 

All about the snap effect

When looking at getting a square diamond drill diamond painting, you’ve probably read about the ‘snap’ effect, well – it’s definitely true. Once you start to fill up your diamond painting with square diamond drills, the snap effect is soothing to your core, and makes for a strangely, satisfactory and pleasing effect. This snap effect is caused by the flat edges of each bead rubbing against each other when the diamond painting canvas is moved. For your diamond painting to have this effect a steady hand will be needed and a keen eye for placing the diamonds exactly side by side so that they don't flick off with any movement of your diamond painting canvas.

Conclusion - Round vs Square:

Summarized simply, square diamonds snap closer together and can create a full looking painting but are difficult to pick up and place down on your diamond painting. Round are easier to diamond paint with and still create a great finished diamond painting but will have some empty spaces between each diamond bead. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter whether you choose round or square beads for your diamond painting project - it's all about what works best for you. If you're having trouble deciding, we recommend trying both kinds and seeing which one you like better. Whichever bead shape you choose, we wish you happy crafting!

If you have a bunch of leftover diamond drills, have a read of our article on What to do with your leftover Diamonds