If you're anything like me although you appreciate art in many forms, you sometimes feel you lack the talent, skill, or creativity needed when it comes to certain aspects of it. This project will change that all. There are lots of reasons that a person might feel intimidated by creating their own art - being uninspired, not knowing where to start, being afraid you might be doing it wrong - all of those things inhibit true creativity. There are also certain personality types that claim not to "mesh well" with art. This personality tends to be systematic, and/or somewhat of a perfectionist and therefore limit themselves to what they know and rarely step outside of their comfort zone. That's where String Art comes in. Not only can it be a very systematic and even mathematical form of art, but it's also a very tactile way of focusing energy and calming the nerves. Ok, on to the good stuff!!!
Materials:
Yarn, string, thread, embroidering floss, whatever you like
nails
a surface for your art (right into the wall, into a wooden board...etc)
Tools:
hammer
scissors
Step 1: Decide on a Shape
We went with a circle, but you can do any shape you want. In general, the more nails you use the more intricate you can get with your patterns. We kept it simple because this was actually a project for the kids tonight.
Step 2: Where to start?
What's so great about this part is the satisfaction of being able to start anywhere you want without ever being wrong. This is where it's easy for a perfectionist or a worry-wart to get hooked...there's no wrong way. Tie whatever color you choose onto one of the nails of your choosing and trim off the excess.
Step 3: Choose Your Path
For the first path, Caleb chose red and he chose a simple "path" of 7. We counted 7 nails from where we started, looped around the 7th nail and counted 7 again and looped, repeating until we got back to where we started. You don't always have to do a complete lap and you don't need to follow a pattern. There is no wrong way.
Here is the result. You can see that because we chose such a big path, we were passing through the center with each loop, filling the middle of our circle with a nice pop of red. Great start Caleb!
Step 4: Connections and Contrasts
Aislin wanted white for the next layer and chose a simple path of 3.
Caleb wanted blue for the next layer and did a simple path of 5.
Next Aislin used lime green and a simple path of 6.
The Masterpiece!
This is a great project for kids and grownups alike. The possibilities are endless here!
Just a few notes:
If you are looking for something systematic at first, start with a big, simple path. For instance, if you have 30 nails, maybe try a path of 13 or so. This will have your thread passing through the center of your circle with each loop, filling the it with color. For your next layer, drop your path to maybe 7. This will allow the center of your circle to remain your base color, but will add a pop of color outside of that. Try adding a 3rd layer with a simple path of maybe 3. The result should be a bull's eye of nice contrasting colors :)
For those of you who love intricate patterns, experiment with more involved paths - maybe count 7, loop, count 3, loop, repeat. Play with it. That's the fun of it.
For those who love chaos, use a random shape and random paths. You would not believe the beauty that comes from allowing your hands to work without the constant criticism of your thoughts!