By Garen Robie
Summer is a great time to get crafty, whether it’s with kids or friends. String art is a fun and simple project to make an image, shape, or letter to add interest to any room.
Materials
- A piece of wood cut to the size you want; stained or painted if you prefer.
- Scissors
- Tape
- Linoleum nails (how many you need depends on the size of your project; one pack was enough for this project.)
- Hammer
- Embroidery floss
- Computer (optional)
- Printer (optional)
String Art Instructions
1. First you’ll need a piece of paper to use as an outline for placing your nails. When looking for an image, look for something straightforward and simple—I’m using the Ignite logo—or check around your home for illustrations to use as a pattern. You can always print an outline, or if you’re feeling particularly creative, draw your own image. For inspiration, check out Home Made Modern’s Sensational String Art Projects!
2. After you have the image you want, orient it in the way you’d like on a piece of wood. Here I’m using two pieces of ¼” ply. Make sure that your wood is thick enough for the nails, or have some backing underneath to make sure the nail doesn’t go all the way through and scratch your work surface. Begin hammering the nails along your outline at even intervals.
3. Once you are finished placing your nails, you can start wrapping your floss. Start at an end point, tie a knot, then proceed around your outline, wrapping the floss around the head of each nail. Remember to hold your floss taught as you progress, or else it might loosen and unravel.
4. Once you have done your outline in floss, remove the paper stencil by gently ripping it from the base of the nails.
5. You can now begin filling in your shapes by crisscrossing and wrapping the floss from nail to nail. There doesn’t have to be any specific pattern, just keep filling in until the shape starts to stand out.
6. If you want to get really fancy, try adding an additional outline with a different shade of your chosen color to really make the image pop.
Voila! Another great do-it-yourself project from Ignite Studio! Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to share your projects with us on Instagram #HamiltonEastPL #IdeasLiveHere, or Facebook at the Ignite Community Discussion board.
