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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a “drill” and what are special types of drills?
A “drill” is another name for the little diamonds you place on your canvas. They are rather small, around 2.5mm, or less than 1/8 of an inch for each one! This means that the diamond painting uses a lot more than you’d expect, but also, that means that each one has shimmery facets so they sparkle even more.
All of the drills I use are resin drills, which are shinier, brighter, and all around prettier than the cheaper acrylic ones. They’re more environmentally friendly than acrylic, too, in the manufacturing process, as there’s much less plastic waste created. So it’s a win-win!
They come in all sorts of styles, from “regular” drills that are an opaque color, to a bunch of specialty ones. The specialty you’ll most likely see are:
- AB: This stands for “Aurora Borealis” and means they’re coated with a film that makes them shine in a rainbow of colors when the light hits them.
- Fairy Dust (FD): These are a little translucent in color, and have glitter embedded in the resin that adds a subtle sparkle to them. They also seem to have a softer color effect which I really like.
- Crystal: These drills are transparent with a tint of color in the resin, and a silver backing so they reflect like a rhinestone or mirror would, so they shine really bright.
- Glow in the Dark: Exactly what you think of when you think of glow in the dark. They take in light and slowly let it off in darkness, and they glow in the color the drill is. Some colors glow brighter or longer than others, but they’re all fun none the less to light up the night.
- Metal-like: These are a lot like AB, but instead of a multi-colored film on them, they have a shiny, metallic coating on them. They’re the newest kind of drill available, and I really love how they shine. I didn’t want to refer to them as “metallic” as that implies they’re made from metal – they’re still resin, but shine like they’re metal without all the extra weight.
What should I know about square drills?
I design almost exclusively with square drills, as they replicate the pixel art look exactly. I can probably have the art printed with round drills if you prefer, but the sizing will be a bit different, and you’ll wind up seeing bits of the canvas between each round drill you place.
Square drills are a tighter fit, though, so don’t be surprised if you have to push them to “click” them into place as you’re working on your project, or before you hang it up. I recommend getting a roller, or running your hand over the top of an area you’ve just completed to find any that aren’t fully sat in place, and pop them in with a satisfying click.
If there are wide areas of the same or similar colors, consider putting them down in a checkerboard sort of pattern. This keeps the lines straighter and makes it easier to fill in. Take a look on the diamond painting subreddit for some more tips for filling in with square drills, or feel free to ask there. Everyone is super helpful.
How accurate are the colors on the mock up images?
I do my very best to make sure that the designs you see on my site match how the finished product will look. However, even using the DMC color codes that are pretty standard, each batch of drills can vary slightly… and when you’re working with something this small, even a slight variation can make a big color difference.
I do follow the DMC color conventions, and they should be very accurate, as I double and triple check everything as I’m working on it to make sure it’s just how I envision the design.
I am trying to order samples of every design I make, but as my pile of “to make” paintings grows weekly, I may not be able to keep up with them all. So please be aware that the mock up images may be a little different from what the actual will be, due to both manufacturer changes and design choices on my end.
If something is glaringly wrong – like that should be bright red but it’s dark brown?! – contact me and I’ll see what I can do. If you’re working on the design, just skip over that color for now until we get it sorted. It could be that the manufacturer messed up and sent the wrong color, or I could have messed up and picked the completely wrong one. I am just one person doing all of the art and the charting for every design, and I own up to my mistakes. I’ll see if it’s an issue and we’ll work together to resolve it ASAP.
How clear is the canvas to read?
The canvas is where you put your drills down. It is printed with the code for what goes where, and then the surface is coated with a very strong glue that you press the drills down onto.
The canvas for my kits is really exceptional. It is a smooth surface, there are no lumps or holes in it. This allows the drills to stick to it easily, no matter where they’re placed. The glue is crystal clear to see the design printed under it, and it is so smooth that you’re not worrying about lumps and bumps like you are with low-quality canvases and glue.
The printing on the canvases is really high quality, too, and super easy to read. Since I go in and assign each symbol and DMC color code to every dot, I make sure they’re easy to read. I also make sure that they’re designed to not be very confusing when they’re next to each other, too. I have poor eyesight to begin with, I don’t want to make it worse trying to figure out if that was a Y or T next to each other on a similar colored background!
Psst – if you’re colorblind or have other color sensitivities, let me know and I’ll customize the grid for you to make your life easier. This is a hobby after all, we should all be able to enjoy it!
I spilled them! Help?
If there are any issues with your order, such as a damaged canvas or spilled diamonds, just let me know and I’ll get a replacement to you ASAP.
If you have an accident (I have cats… I have had epic spills) let me know and I’ll do my best to get you replacement diamonds for free or a heavy, heavy discount. Life happens, there’s no reason you should be worried about your hobby too.
Can I share the art?
Thank you for asking! Truly – as an artist, asking before just randomly sharing things really means a lot!
As for sharing – yes! Feel free to share your in progress shots, your finished pieces, or even the mockups of designs you like.
I only ask that you either tag me on the posts (either @SamInJapan on Instagram or @SamInJapanArt on Facebook), or link to my site or the store item for others to see it.
Why? Because this is my passion, and in order to keep making art, I would really like for people who like my art to order it from me directly. I keep my markup as low as physically possible because I want everyone who can to enjoy the work, but making the art for these pieces is a lot of work. I don’t use AI or other automation to do it, I hand-draw every. Single. Diamond. Dot. It takes a lot of time, and then I have to go in and make sure the charts are correctly colored, easy to read, and don’t have errant issues.
Basically, feel free to share what you’re working on, but give me credit for the artwork and link people back here or to my Insta or FB, too.
Can you do custom art?
You bet I can! In fact, I spent so much of my time creating original and custom art for people that it’s second nature to me. I still do commission artwork for friends from FF14 too, so taking commissions for specific diamond painting designs is something I would absolutely love to work with you on!
Please contact me and let me know what you are thinking of. Is it based off of a piece of art I’ve already done? Or a specific character from a show or game? Or if you just like my style and want me to customize one of my existing pieces by changing something or adding something to it, just let me know! I will gladly work with you to get you something truly one of a kind and original. There may be some extra fees involved, but I will do my best to keep it as reasonable as possible; give me some idea of a budget up front and I’ll see if I can create it for you.
If you just have suggestions for something you’d like to see (“I’m a fan of Squirrel Girl, any chance you’ll do a cute design of her?” “I love Sailor Venus, can you make her like your Sailor Moon one?”) let me know too – I am always looking for more inspiration!
I cross stitch or have a bunch of extra drills. Can I just buy the chart from you?
As of right now, I don’t sell the chart/patterns for my designs.
If you’re a cross-stitcher (I know, I am, too! And embroidery as well… I have too many hobbies) contact me to see about getting the chart for use with cross stitching. I have it all ready to go, I am just debating putting them online.
Why? Because I know a lot of artists who have had their charts downloaded and just given away, or worse yet, resold. I am hesitant to do this, but if there is a demand, I may start just selling the designs for use with cross stitching or if you have a bunch of your own drills and a blank canvas.
Contact me and we’ll talk about it!
Can I sell the finished piece?
While there isn’t anything that I can do to stop you from selling the finished pieces, I would like to at least know if you’re making them to resell. Maybe we can work out a deal.
If you’re giving them as gifts, go right ahead! That’s super cool! I would still ask that you give me credit, that would be nice. Who knows? You might get your loved one hooked.
Why is the pricing in yen in the shop? I don’t want to convert currency!
By default, the pricing in the shop is in Japanese Yen (JPY/￥) because it’s where I live and I guess it’s just how my brain works now.
However, you should be able to see a live conversion of what it would cost in USD ($) and Euros (€). If you are not shopping in one of those currencies, I recommend taking the yen value and plugging it into google to see the general conversion into your local currency. Since payment is through PayPal, it will automatically convert your currency to yen or USD (it mixes them up on me because I have it set to either/both) so it’ll all work out in the end.
If you cannot use PayPal or don’t want to, contact me for more ways to pay, and let me know your country and zip code so I can figure it out for us both.
How much is shipping? Will I get a surprise added on?
Honestly? I hate dealing with figuring out how much shipping will be from place to place. Japan Post’s shipping rates are all over the place from country to country and region to region, and figuring out the formulas for that, or from the manufacturer to you, is just too much. So I’m paying the shipping cost to give you all free shipping.
There may be extenuating circumstances or locations that will incur a shipping fee, but if you’re worried about that, just contact me and I’ll research it for you and let you know if there’s any additional charges. However, for most places, it should all be included, to make your life and mine easier.
How long is shipping & handling?
As every kit is made to order, it does take a little while to be created, assembled, and shipped out to you.
Right now, as of April 2025, it takes approximately 5 business days to print the canvas and assemble the drills for the kit. It is then shipped out to you from mainland China. Shipping can take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks, depending on time of year and volume of shipping. Holidays will take longer to get to you, so if you are ordering for an event, please order as soon as possible.
For me in rural Japan, it takes approximately 2-2.5 weeks from placing the order to receiving it in the mail. In the US, it takes around 3 weeks total.
I do not have the ability to expedite the production or the shipping, as my manufacturer is doing these kits for me as a favor – their main production is for the “big names” in diamond painting, they just work with me because I happened upon the right person at the right time. As such, I can’t really make demands on them.
If there is a specific time frame you need something by, please contact me before ordering so I can be sure I can get it to you in time.
NEW: Shipping Options
As these kits are printed and assembled in China, they are subject to the current US tariffs on Chinese goods. Normally, I would just have to leave it at that and we’d both pay a bit more, but I have one other potential option for you.
I can have the kit shipped to my home in Japan, and then shipped out to you in the US.
This would bypass the 100%+ tariff on it from China (it’s 145% as of writing this, meaning if you ordered something that was $20, you’d pay almost $30 to be able to receive it).
So instead, I can have the kit shipped to me here in Japan, and then ship it Japan Post to you in the US. This would impose whatever the current US tariff on Japanese goods on it to it (as of this writing, it’s 10%, so a $20 order would cost you $2 to receive instead).
Disclaimer: I am simply offering a service to act as a “middle man” distributor for you. I am not doing this for either you or I to evade taxes and tariffs for US citizens; it is simply a shipping option that I have at my disposal as I am a legal resident of Japan.
The down side to this?
Instead of it being free shipping, you’d have to pay some for shipping from Japan to you, and Japan Post isn’t the cheapest. An estimate for a kit would add $10 to the cost to ship from here to you in the US. However, if you are ordering multiple, or if you have some friends who also want kits, I can easily combine the shipping for you to save more.
If this is something you’re interested in, please contact me for an estimate on the cost.
There is also a separate item you’ll need to add to your cart before you check out.
The only way I can realistically do this is with a separate “item” you’ll purchase with your kit(s), so you need to contact me ahead of time to be able to do this.
The additional cost for shipping right now is estimated to be $10 for the first kit, and $5 for each one after that.
(I will double-check the costs before your purchase, too, to save you every bit I can.)
If you’re getting other things, we’ll figure out the exact cost and that’s what we’ll do. Again, you’ll have to contact me for an estimate & the process so we can figure it all out together.
Also, it will take longer. Currently, it is taking roughly 2 weeks from placing the order for the kit to be printed, assembled, shipped and received to my home in Japan. I can only ship out once a week or so as I live in a very, very rural area and am reliant on my husband driving me to the post office to ship things out. It’s not something we can easily do except on weekends. Then, it will take roughly 7-10 days to get to you from Japan.
If you’re patient and want to save some money, it’s a way I can see to do it where it helps you out.
Also, if you want other things (like tools, contact paper, other random things from AliExpress or Temu to go with your kit), I can give you my home address to ship them to and I can pack them all up together to send to you with your kit. I just need to know it’s coming, and how much it is valued at as I do also pay a VAT tax on large purchases here in Japan, so I might need to work something out, but I am all about helping you how I can! If you’re ordering custom kits from someone like EverMoment along with a kit from me, I don’t mind also shipping that one to you together as well, just again, contact me and we can talk about it.
Customs? Tariffs? VAT? Oh my!
If you are in a country that has import customs fees, tariffs, or a VAT on things outside of the country, you may need to pay additional fees when the package is delivered.
I cannot calculate for you if you will need to pay them, or how much they will be. The kits, unless we have arranged something that has them shipped to me in Japan and then out to you, will be coming from mainland China usually via China Post. If any fees are owed on the package, it is your responsibility to pay those; I will not refund the difference or anything like that. You may want to check with whoever handles your local mail delivery, such as the United States Postal Service, Hermes, or Japan Post, to see if you are going to be paying any sort of import tax, customs, tariff, or VAT.
See the tab on “Shipping Options” for some more information on a possible way around this all to save you some $ if you’re in the US.
How do I know you’re reputable?
I know it’s tricky to trust some random website online and give them your money. I am wary of it, too. The reason I’m on a personal website and not somewhere like Etsy is that Etsy was becoming just too expensive with their fees. I really don’t like the idea of over-charging customers just because Etsy is adding fee after fee to my transaction. The prices would have to be 50% more than they are to meet their fee structures, and that just seems wrong imo.
However, I used to sell on Etsy under SamInJapanArt for years, with a 4.9 star rating there. I had to shut it all down when I got really sick, though, so I’m not sure how to find those stats at the moment.
I am a PayPal Business seller, and have been since 2001. I am fully verified, and have no cases against me.
If you’re unsure still, though, you can find me on my Instagram or Facebook, and if you contact me on either of those, I can get you references of past customers you can contact. Heck, I can give you my Discord if you want to chat to prove I’m a real person if that would help. If you would prefer to check out some other way, too, such as Facebook marketplace, or a direct PayPal invoice, or even something I don’t know about, just let me know. I’ll strive to work with you to make sure you feel secure in your order. (However, I unfortunately can’t take Venmo, it’s not available in Japan, although I can take PayPay or bank transfers if you’re in Japan)
Who makes your kits?
Since I believe in full transparency in everything I do, I want to be absolutely clear where these kits are being made.
I have sourced samples from over 20 different suppliers in many countries, and they either failed to live up to my expectations or would not work with an artist who is making their own art pixel by pixel like I am. I almost gave up, honestly, until a friend got me in touch with a company in China. I have a direct line to their artist group, Maria, who helps me print my art into the kits for you, exactly as I envision them. However, that does mean that these kits are made in China, and are currently directly shipped from the manufacturer to you. We work closely together to get you what you need for your project. They are the manufacturer for a major diamond painting group, and are doing these for me as a favor.
As these are currently shipped to you from the manufacturer in China, there is a chance they’ll be subject to any import or customs fees on delivery. Please be aware of this when ordering, and I’m sorry for this inconvenience.
I can say, however, that the kits are really the best of all that I have had samples, and they are the manufacturer I use exclusively for my own orders. You will be getting high quality prints and kits at the most reasonable price I can manage. I know hobbies are expensive as it is, and I just want to make enough to cover basics and getting you art you’ll absolutely love.
Do you do wholesale or volume discounts?
If you have a shop and you’d like to sell my artwork, please reach out to me! I can definitely give you a discount based on how many kits you’d like, or if you just want the canvases as you retail the drills already, or if you’re a small craft store. Let’s talk!
If you are looking to order more than 4 kits at a time, contact me and I will give you a bulk discount code, too.
Finally, if you sell at an anime convention and would like to add my kits to your offerings in a vendor room or artist alley, let me know! I love working with cons, and will gladly see what we can do together!
Who even are you?
My name is Sam, and I’m the artist of all of the work on this site.
I’ve been an artist my whole life, and an illustrator for the past 15 years. My background is originally in Costumer Production for Film & Theatre, but when we moved to Japan in 2012 I picked up more traditional and then digital art as I couldn’t bring my whole costume shop with me!
I love crafts, games, and manga, and have had such unique experiences living in my little rural corner of Japan, and it all shows in my art. I used to specialize in artwork for clothing – tees and the like – but after getting into diamond art because of a friend, it’s become my latest craft.
I hope you love the artwork and it inspires you to be creative in your life with this fun hobby! While I am still a beginner when it comes to making the diamond paintings, I am a professional working artist who really appreciates your support for the little guy. I hope, with your support, to grow as an artist and keep on living with my husband and kitties in our little Japanese fishing village.