How to Make String Art: A Beginner’s Guide

String art is a great way to personalize a DIY project for wall art for your home or for a fun gift! This step-by-step tutorial will help you make string art, even if you are a complete beginner!

Sometimes DIY projects just fall into our lap. My brother-in-law was recently on vacation with his family in Destin, Florida.  He sent a picture of a fun beach string art project that he very subtly mentioned he would love to have my daughter make.

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So, what is needed for string art?

You very well might have many of these supplies already on hand!

SUPPLIES for String Art Project:

• Embroidery thread
• Wood Plaque – I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but here is something similar on Amazon. I have also seen some nice wood at WalMart as well. Or, if you are handy, you could use some scrap boards to put this together. String art can also be done on inexpensive canvas!
• Pattern for string art  We printed an image of a seahorse found online. Google whatever you want to use as your pattern and use it as an outline!
• Nails We ended up using the 18 gauge x 3/4 inch nails.
• Small Hammer
• Scissors to cut string as needed
• Stencil (I used my Silhouette Cameo 3 to make our words on the sign, but you could easily stencil them with paint.)

Wooden Plank Plaque

Embroidery thread

Nails.  Wondering what size nails to use? We ended up using the 18 gauge x 3/4 inch nails.

Let me give you a little background about string art…In December, we went to some dear friends’ annual Christmas party. Each year they have a fun craft prepared for the kids to complete.

This past year, they used lumber from an old family barn and hammered nails in the shape of a Christmas tree.

Each of the kids made a tree with different colors of green string.  My daughter made an extra for her Uncle Justin. We all loved how they turned out and were looking forward to adding more string art to our collection.

We now had our opportunity!

My husband and son were at a Kansas City Royals game recently with my father-in-law, so it was just us girls at home. We enjoyed an outdoor craft night on our new patio.

STEPS FOR STRING ART PROJECT:

 1. Print an image of choice to use as your design.

The art my brother-in-law mentioned was a seahorse.

So, we googled images of seahorses and found something with a fairly basic outline, then printed it.  But, you can use an image of whatever is personal and fun for you.

I’d love to make one of our state (Missouri) and possibly a soccer ball since we spend half of our lives at soccer activities. Perhaps another day;-)

Be sure to print an extra copy of your image so you can use that as a guide later. Think of it as the image on a puzzle box.  It helps to visualize what you’re doing.

2. Hammer the nails along the border of your image for the pattern.

You will need an outline for your string art.

We taped our paper to the board to ensure it didn’t move around as we were putting in the nails. Be sure to center your image on the wood.

Then simply hammer around the outline!

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3. After all of the nails are in place, gently pull off the paper for a nice outline.

You’ll then have a nice outline / pattern for your string art project.  Keep in mind that nail and string art can be made with just about any design.  Make it personal to you!

4. Start stringing your embroidery thread.

We simply tied a double knot around a nail and got started.

It works best to outline the general shape of your outline.

Use a variety of string colors for more depth and visual interest!

On our seahorse, we started with white thread for the base.  Then my daughter used a medium blue and finally a dark, royal blue thread.

We didn’t worry too much about the details.  I helped get the first layer going so she could see the image better.  Then, I let her do the rest.

REMEMBER:  As I mentioned above, be sure to print off another copy of your image as a guide.  It was really helpful to keep us from placing string outside of the borders.

5. Cut off loose strings.

After finishing each of your colors, be sure to cut off any loose ends of the strings.

6. Add a phrase / words to your sign if you’d like.

We wanted to add the phrase “On the Beach” to our string art project.  You can obviously personalize this as you’d like, depending on what design you choose.

Jason, my husband, got me a Silhouette Cameo 3 for Christmas.  I have only used it a few times because I find it really intimidating for some reason.  BUT, I did manage to use it for this. It was actually pretty easy to use and I’m imagining all of the projects I can try.

Do you have a Silhouette Cameo? If so, comment below with the things you like to make!

IF you don’t have a Silhouette Cameo, consider stenciling your phrase:

I thought about just using a stencil and painting in the words with chalk paint.  If you don’t have a Silhouette Cameo, that would be a great option.  I have stenciled on several projects and loved the outcome. Here are a few if you’d like a little guidance:

• Stenciling on Terra Cotta Pots
• Resusable Fabric Gift Sacks for All Occasions
• DIY 4th of July Home Decor

This is definitely an easy string art project for beginners.  We were able to knock this out AND enjoy a movie for our girls’ night!

We decided if Uncle Justin doesn’t like it, we will just keep it for ourselves!

Have you ever made any nail and string art? If you have some string art tips, please share!

We made a string art Valentine’s Day card last year.  Of course, no nails were used, but it was pretty darn cute! AND, we also made a fun string heart banner. Clearly I have a thing for string art crafts!

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