It’s easy to make your own string art projects with these 10 helpful tips! Design your own or make this project with a free printable pattern!
String art projects are such a fun way to create personal and customized decor. They make great gifts and are fun for kids elementary age and up!
Why “&”
About a year ago, I started collecting ampersands (& symbol) art. I love the symbol and what it stands for. And – there’s more. And – no matter the crisis, this isn’t the end. And – set your goal and follow through. So hopeful and motivating to think ahead! So, I wanted to create something to focus on moving forward. That’s my inspiration for this project!
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Supplies Needed
- Wood board (softer wood is easier)
- 1″ Wire Brads or Nails
- Hammer
- Crochet Thread, size 10
- White Paint
- Painters tape
- Cheap paintbrush
- Wood arrow
Make your string art project
Board Prep
- Measure to find the middle of your board lengthwise. Use a ruler to lightly draw a line across.
- Stick painters tape on one side of the pencil line.
- Using a dry brush, lightly brush paint along the angle you’d like your stripes to go. Do a few more lines to use as a guide.
*Hint – dry brushing can flip little specks of paint around so use a drop cloth or work in an area where this won’t be a problem.
- Fill in paint until you like how it looks. I left mine pretty rustic.
- Let it dry, then peel off the tape.
- Stick another piece of tape over the edge of the painted area. You want the paint to meet, so you can even leave a tiny bit of paint showing.
- Use your ruler to help find what looks like the opposite angle of the stripes you’ve painted. You can be fancy and measure or just eyeball it.
- Paint a few guide stripes then fill the area in.
- Let it dry, then peel off the tape to see how it looks. If you need to do any touchups, now’s the time.
Now for the string art
- Print your design, line it up where you like it on the board, and tape it down.
- Hammer nails around the edges. I put mine about 1/3″ apart.
- Work across your board, hammering the nails firmly enough in that they won’t tip with a little pressure,
- Once you have the nails in, pull your paper off. You don’t want to skip this step – it would be really hard to get off after the thread is on.
- Tie your thread tightly on one of the nails. Outline your project by threading around each nail, with the thread on the outside of the outline.
- Fill in threads with a pattern, or randomly. I love the look of random for this project!
- Work your way all around, change colors if that’s part of your plan, then tie off tightly when finished.
- Outline your project again to give a clean finishing look. Pull your threads to the inside of the work to hide them.
Enjoy!
Tips for string art projects
- Use softer wood to make it easier to get the nails where you want them.
- Avoid wood with knots.
- Be sure the nails aren’t going through the back of the board.
- Start with outlining your project by taking the thread around the outside of the nails, wrapping around each nail as you go.
- Finish your project by outlining again. This gives it a nice, clean look.
- Wrap the thread around each nail before moving on or occasionally throughout the process. It will help you keep the thread taut so you won’t have to pull as hard.
- Every so often, look at the board at an angle. The nails should be going in pretty straight. If they aren’t, fix the problem ones.
- Throughout the process, place your hand on the nails you’ve already put in to see if any feel way higher or lower than the others. It will help you stay consistent.
- If you need to take a break, keep the thread taut and wrap it around your board a few times so you can set it down without the whole things loosening up.
- Work from one side of your board to the other. It can be really awkward to get nails in the middle of an area that already has a few nails.
What projects have you made? Please share below!
Welcome to the Inspire My Creativity link-up! I’m co-hosting this link party with some blogging friends and each month we share our ideas to get your creative juices flowing. We’d love you to join in the fun- link up with us below!
Be sure to check out what the other hosts have made this month as well!
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I have always wanted to do a String art project. I think it would be cool with a G for my last name. I’ll have to try it.
That’s a great idea, Julia! A G would look awesome!
Awesome tutorial! Super cute! One to pin for later! =)
Thanks Kayla!
I love how you painted the sign! What a cool technique! I just made my first string art last week, so fun!
Thanks Amy! How fun that you’ve been doing this too!
I love the look of string art! Who knew it was so easy. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Meg! It’s kindof addicting…
Oh wow! This is so crafty! I didn’t realize how much detail went into it! So cute!
Thanks Renee! The nice thing about string art is it can be more or less detailed, depending on the project you choose!
I have REALLY been wanting to try a string art project! You make it look so simple, but I don’t think mine would turn out as cute. 😉
I’ve seen your projects – you’d do an amazing job!
Fun! I LOVE string art, but I’ve ever even done it! I think it’s time <3
It’s definitely time! 🙂
This is so cool looking! We have been looking for ideas for our house decor!
Thanks Bethany! I love how versatility of string art – you can do any size, color, or theme you’d like!
I love this! You did such a great job! I love how clearly you wrote out the instructions – makes it seem like something that someone could easily recreate!
Thank you Mary! It’s definitely a project most people could tackle!
Love string art! And great tips. Visiting from Inspire My Creativity.
What a fun and simple project! One trick I’ve learned to help get all my nails at the same height is to put another board on top and tap it with a hammer. This usually takes care of any little variances.
Cute! I love all things ampersand. String art is so relaxing (once you get those darned nails on there).
Thank you Jaclyn! I love ampersands too!
I love how string art has come back in style.
I do too, Pam! So much fun!
Can remember when this was quite popular in the 80’s.Mr.Furry made a wonderful ship, wish we still had it. He’s very good at some crafts I’,m really bad at, maybe cause he has much more patience than I do.
think I would like to start out with an ampersand since I have a few of them and do our initials to start, get the feel for string art.
Been said everything comes back and string art sure has. like that it’s a simple and inexpensive craft and can see how it would be habit forming.
Great way to add attractive art for very little.
Happy Sunday
So true! Thanks JaneEllen!