The Relaxing 3D Pearl Christmas Art

About this panel

A twelve inch square of thick flocked canvas, printed with a Christmas scene and a grid of small letters. Round pearl beads go onto the letters one at a time. Because the beads are domed rather than flat, the finished picture is raised: the beard, the snow and the wreath all sit proud of the board and pick up a lamp from an angle. It fits a standard twelve inch frame, which is how most of them end up on a wall rather than in a drawer.

How the canvas behaves

A stiff flocked board with a matte, non glare finish and an adhesive layer sitting under the print. Beads stick on contact, so there is no glue pot and no drying time between sections. The coding markers are printed sharply enough to follow under a single lamp in the evening, which is when most of this work actually gets done. The board does not curl at the corners the way thinner canvas does.

The beads

Round solid resin pearls with a smooth coating, in several sizes and colours. They are noticeably bigger than standard diamond painting drills, which makes them easier to pick up and harder to lose under a chair. The colour holds rather than fading, which is the usual failure point on cheaper bead sets after a summer in daylight.

Working through it

Two to four hours for an adult in one sitting, or four or five shorter ones. Children spread it across several days. You work letter by letter, so any block of the picture can be finished and left. The placement pen, the wax pad and the sorting tray are all in the box, along with a printed guide that lists the bead colours against the letters.

Where it ends up

Most people frame it or stand it on a shelf against a wall where a lamp can reach it. Under warm light the domed beads throw small highlights across the surface, which is the whole reason for building it this way rather than filling it flat. The raised texture also means it reads as a made object from a distance rather than a printed picture.

Specifications

Type	3D pearl art kit
Canvas	Flocked adhesive board, 12 x 12 in
Beads	Round resin pearls in mixed sizes and colours
In the box	Canvas, bead set, placement pen, wax pad, tray and guide

How an afternoon goes

1. Sit at a table

   A tray of round beads on a sofa cushion ends badly.

2. Work by colour

   Fill one colour at a time rather than one area.

3. Stop when the light goes

   The adhesive does not dry out, so an open canvas waits overnight.

4. With a child

   They pick the colours and place them; you keep the tray upright.

In the box

• 1 x pre-printed flocked adhesive canvas
• Colour-coded pearl bead set
• 1 x placement pen and wax pad
• 1 x sorting tray
• 1 x instruction guide

Care

Keep the finished panel flat and out of direct sun, which keeps the pearl coating truer to colour. Dust it with a dry brush. If the panel will be handled, or if it is going to a child's room, a thin spray of clear sealer after the last bead keeps everything down.

Questions we get asked