String Art Monogram
String art is an inexpensive and easy way to express your creativity. Create personalized home decor and have fun while doing it! Use the initials of a loved one to create a monogram wall decor for a housewarming or baby shower gift, or to keep yourself.
Materials:
- Wooden Board
- Wood Stain
- Paint Brush
- Paper
- Marker
- Hammer
- Finishing Nails
- String
Step 1: Prepare a wooden board using wood stain and a paintbrush to apply a thin coat covering its surface.
Step 2: Use a paper towel to buff away the excess stain, revealing the grain of the wood. After buffing, allow the stain to dry.
Step 3: Draw from memory or print out a monogram letter from a computer. Make sure the letter fits on the board.
Step 2: Once the stain is dry, place the paper with the letter onto the board. Use nails to secure the letter template to the board.
Step 3: After the letter template is secure, continue to hammer in more nails to outline your letter’s shape. Make sure to hammer the nails deep enough into the board without going through to the other side.
Step 4: After outlining the letter with nails, gently remove the template paper from the board.
Step 5: Pick a starting point and knot your string to a nail. From there, begin wrapping the string around each nail to shape your letter!
Step 6: To finish, tie off your remaining string with a knot.
Ideas to take your string art to the next level:
- Print a letter template with a fun border around it to create a negative of your letter. See an example here.
- Use the same method to create string art of a symbol, a word, or even a sentence! Click here for a list of ideas to help expand your creativity.
- Experiment with different colors of string to create a multi-colored monogram!
Learning and Discussion Questions:
1. By threading your nail outline with string, you learned that many lines together create an image. Throughout art, the element of ‘line’ is used in many ways! Artists use various types of lines to create beautiful works of art. Take this time to explore different types of lines and their role in the art world.
2. Petros Vrellis uses string art to create realistic portrait renderings. Check out his website showing his method of what he calls “A new way to knit.” Which piece is your favorite?
Thank you to our sponsor, PNC Arts Alive!, for helping to make this video possible!
