Sunday, November 16, 2014

Love Birds String Art

There were only 2 things that always came to my mind when someone said Love Birds

1. My mom singing this age-old tamizh song everytime we play anthakshari and she gets stuck with the letter 'l' to start her next song


2. The 1996 ARR album that had a few gems !

This weekend, after spending hours on Pinterest and Etsy - I have a third item that will come to mind when someone says Love Birds. This one -

Love Birds String Art


What you need - Spare plywood, Strings, Nails and a Hammer.


The original idea - http://www.pinterest.com/pin/198791771027487898/
"Pinspired" has got to become a real word and get added to the oxford dictionary soon.

Here's a step by step on the DIY process

Step 1 - Draw out your idea on a magazine paper and cut it out. Use a pencil, and draw a light outline on the wood. Use nails ( 3/4" ) and a hammer to pin the outline on the wood. Make sure that the nails are level (more or less)





Step 2 - The outline looks as below. I tried to keep the nails about 1 cm apart from each other so that the outline is clear and the shape is visible.





Step 3 - Use a twine / rope or string that will wind around nails easily to begin your string art.
Start at one of the nails and tie a simple knot to hold your twine in position. Then, start wrapping it around nails one by one to make your outline. Make sure to push the string down to the bottom of the nail to allow room to the nail head.


 

Step 4 - Continue winding to make intricate patterns as you please. It was quite therapeutic to wind this string from corner to corner and see the patterns create themselves. If you are not happy with what you weaved, retracing your steps and redoing it is quite simple - just wind back in reverse! Once done, put a fine know around one of the nails and tuck the loose end into the weave.


This way, you can create your own simple, mess free String Art !
Put those old cabinet doors to good use now, will you?