Mono
5 tones from deep black to bright white. Portraits with clear light and shadow. Elegant, timeless, and our fastest build.
How it works
Five steps between a photo on your phone and art on your wall — and about twenty quiet hours in between.
1
Pick your style and size
The same photograph looks completely different in each of our three styles.
Vivid
7 saturated colours. Bold and pop-art. Best for pets, children and anything with strong colour.
Retro
7 warm sepia tones. Vintage and cinematic. Best for old prints, family photos and golden-hour portraits.
Sizes
A4 Medium
A3 Large
Finished size
A421 × 30 cm
A330 × 42 cm
Canvas
A481 sections of 9 × 13
A3143 sections of 9 × 15
Bead positions
A49,477
A319,305
Beads supplied (Vivid / Retro)
A422,400 — 7 colours × 3,200
A344,800 — 7 colours × 6,400
Beads supplied (Mono)
A416,000 — 5 colours × 3,200
A332,000 — 5 colours × 6,400
Time to finish
A4~20 hours
A3~38 hours
Best for
A4A gentler first project
A3More detail — shows most in faces
Why we send more beads than the canvas needs.
We can't know in advance how your photo will split across the colours — a bright portrait might lean heavily on two packets, a landscape on five. So every packet is filled for the worst case. You'll finish with plenty spare, and you won't run out mid-section. Your pattern PDF prints the exact figures for your photo: how many beads of each colour it needs, next to how many are in your box.
2
Your kit arrives
You don't upload your photo when you order. The kit ships first, and your photo goes in afterwards — which is what makes Pixelette work as a gift. The recipient opens the box and chooses their own picture.
Inside every box
CanvasA sticky-backed panel, divided into numbered sections
BeadsLabelled packets, one letter per colour — A, F, G and so on
Applicator penPicks up and places each bead
TweezerFor picking up strays and straightening beads that land crooked
Bead trayGrooved, so beads line themselves up the right way for easy pickup
Wax padPress the pen tip in; the wax is what makes it grip
Zip-lock bags + stickersReseal opened packets and label them with their letter
Kit code cardYour QR code and activation code. Keep it safe — it's the only way to unlock your pattern.
3
Activate and create your pattern
About two minutes of setup.
1
Scan the QR code on your kit card, or go to create.pixelette.shop
2
Enter your kit code
3
Upload your photo, crop it, change the orientation and zoom in so the face fills most of the frame
4
Pick your favourite look — Signature, Radiant, Crisp, Dramatic, Soft
5
Generate pattern — view the step-by-step instructions on your device, or download them as a PDF
Choosing a good photo
Works well: bright and clear, with the face large and centred in the frame.
Doesn't work: faces far away or small in the frame, shadow, or anything out of focus.
Use the original file from your phone rather than a screenshot or a WhatsApp forward — those have usually lost too much detail. Old printed photos work well too; just photograph or scan them in good light.
Try as many versions as you like.
There's no limit on your kit code — upload a different photo, adjust the crop, switch to another look, and download whichever PDF you prefer. Nothing is locked in until you start placing beads, and even then you can generate a new pattern whenever you want. Just be aware that beads you've already placed follow the pattern you started with.
4
Assemble your diamond painting
Your pattern PDF — on your phone or printed — opens with a preview and bead table, then the master map, then a grid for each numbered section. You never work on the whole picture: just one grid of about 130 beads at a time.
1
Find your section. The master map on page two shows the whole picture with every section numbered. Pick one, then turn to its grid in the pages that follow — the sections run in order, nine to a page. Start anywhere: large areas of background go down in minutes, and starting with one is a good way to get the hang of it.
2
Read the grid. Columns run 1–9 across the top, rows down the side — 1 to 15 on A3, 1 to 13 on A4. The same numbers appear on your canvas, so column 4, row 7 in the PDF is column 4, row 7 on your canvas. It's also how you find your place again after a break.
3
Match letters to packets. Your beads come in packets labelled A, F, G and so on, and the PDF uses the same letters. H means a bead from packet H, and H¹ H² H³ means three H-beads side by side.
H¹H²H³= three beads from packet H
4
Place the beads. Peel back a little of the film, press the pen tip into the wax pad, pick up one bead, and place it on its matching letter. Work one section at a time, and leave the film in place over everything you're not working on.
5
Two things that make it easier. Tip a small quantity of one colour into the grooved tray and give it a gentle shake — the beads settle flat side down and line themselves up. When the pen stops gripping, press it back into the wax; that's all it needs.
6
Take your time. It's repetitive rather than skilled: the first twenty minutes feel fiddly, then it becomes automatic. It's meant to be picked up and put down over a few weeks rather than finished in a weekend.
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Running short of a colour? Unlikely, given how much we pack. But if a packet does run out, message us with your kit code and we'll send replacements free.
5
Finish and frame
Press the whole surface down firmly when you're done, then frame it — standard A4 and A3 frames fit without trimming.
We'd love to see it. Tag @pixelette.shop on Instagram if you'd like your board featured.
Free preview
Not sure which style?
Send us your photo on WhatsApp and we'll send back previews in all three styles, free, before you buy a kit.