Modern String Art

This is totally a 4th grade project.  AND, it looks fabulous on my wall.  String art.  Not only does it add color, but it ads texture, which adds interest.  You could do a heart, a letter, a bird, a tree...whatever your little heart desires.

Materials needed:

- Hammer
- String (usually found in the yarn section at your local crafty store, or perhaps on your hubby's workbench:)
- Wooden plank, etc.  I got mine at Hobby Lobby, in the unfinished wood section.
- Paint (optional) You can paint your wood thing or decoupage, etc.
- Nails.  I use 1" finishing nails
- Paper template
- Tape
- About 1 hour of time without kids, but you can add wine or beer.

Nails and String and Template

1.  If you want to paint or decoupage your wood plank, now
would be the time.  Please allow enough time to dry well.  Before painting, look on the back to make sure there's a way to hang the finished project.  If not, you'll have to make that happen.  Now...paint.

2.  Cut out a template.  I chose a heart as this was going on my living room wall as a part of my new gallery wall.  Using a scrap piece of paper, trace and cut out object.  It has to be an object that without definition, will still look like that object.  A letter is perfect, or a shape.  Something like an airplane might not work so well as it needs more definition to not look like a blob.  I

3.  Center the template on your wood and secure with tape (under template).  It's okay if you don't want to measure. I didn't.

4.  Hammer nails into wood surrounding template.  They don't need to be in super far, just stable.

5.  Take your string and tie one end on a nail, leaving about 5" of tail for tying off later.

6.  This is where the fun begins!  You can take your template off now.  Start by making an outline 2 times around the perimeter of the object.  Each time you come to a nail, wrap the string around it and go to the next.  It is VERY important that the outline is done a special way.  When moving from one nail to the next, always wrap the nail in a clockwise motion.  This forms a very neat line.  Keep your string taught as you wrap the entire time.

7.  Now you can move onto randomly wrapping the nails.  Sometimes I wrap twice on each nail.  Move around and fill up your space!  Occasionally, you'll have to push some of the string down the nails so you have room to keep wrapping.

8.  How do you know when to stop?  You stop when you like how it looks.  It's all up to you.  Finish up by tying it off at the starting point.  Done!!!  Sit back and admire your craftiness!!

There are lots of ways you can make this your own with colors and design.  Have fun!!

~Jayna