If you are new to Diamond Painting, you may have been advised to use the checkerboard pattern. What is this pattern and why is it used? These are two questions that I intend to explain here.
What is the checkerboard pattern?
If you have seen a chessboard then you probably have an idea of what the checkerboard pattern is. Namely, on a chessboard is every other box in one color and every other box in another. When you say that something has a checkerboard pattern it is simply that it has squares with every other box in different colors. In Diamond Painting you put a drill in every other place. Which makes it look like a chessboard when you have put down a lot of drills.
Why use checkerboard pattern?
Now that you understand what it is, you might wonder why you should use it. There are a few different reasons for that. One of the more commonly stated is that the drills end up straighter. Another reason is that the risk of gaps between drills is minimized. Then of course we have the lovely click. Often when you fill in the “holes” you hear a click. Which many find quite satisfactory. I am one of those who does, why can’t I really answer. But for some reason it feels extremely good when you hear the little click. This method also makes the large areas of the same color less tedious.
Personally, I usually use the tweezers when I start with the checkerboard pattern. I find it easier to place the drills with the tweezers than the pen. Then I fill in the holes with the pink pen. This is because the tweezers feel a little too big to put the drills in the holes.