Using clear tape to tape down your pattern is helpful in case you can’t avoid taping over the black dots.
Using clear tape to tape down your pattern is helpful in case you can’t avoid taping over the black dots.
Photocopy your pattern of choice from this book, enlarging it at the percentage given. Position the pattern to your liking on your string art surface. If you are using a smaller design and excess paper is getting in the way, loosely trim the pattern to a more manageable size.
If you want to center a pattern, a handy way to do so is to place it all the way to one side of your board, let’s say the left. Measure the distance from the right of your board to the right edge of your pattern and divide that number in half to determine how much room should be on each side of the pattern.
Once you’ve chosen the best spot for your pattern, tape it down.
You’ll want to work on a flat, sturdy surface—preferably somewhere you can sit down for all the hammering that’s ahead. Be sure the work surface is protected, to prevent any damage from hammering or a nail that goes too far. I like to use a large towel folded over one or two times. This protects my surface as well as muffling the sound a bit. If you are sensitive to sound, you may want to put on some ear plugs—it’s hammer time!
The black dots on your pattern represent nails. I find it easiest to nail directly through the printed pattern, then tear off the paper after.
If you would like to be able to reuse your pattern printout, use a thumbtack to push holes into each black dot, then remove the paper. This will mark the pattern on the wood, creating pilot holes for nails.
There’s no right or wrong place to start your nails on the pattern; choose what’s comfortable for you. I start my nails on the right and work left. Since I hammer with my right hand, and hold the nail with my left, this makes it so my left wrist is not resting on a bed of nails as I work.
Taking your time, pound the nails straight down into the wood, leaving them sticking out about 1⁄4" (6mm) to 1⁄2;" (1.3cm). Keep in mind you need to leave room for many layers of string to wrap around each nail. If you’re using 5⁄8" (1.6cm) nails, pound them just about halfway in. Don’t worry too much about the exact distance—eyeball it as you go, stopping periodically to check that the distance is roughly the same. The strings will blend everything together smoothly.
Double-check your work to ensure all the black dots of the pattern have been nailed. Gently tap any nails that look noticeably higher than the rest, to even them up. Again, the distances don’t have to be exact, as when the string is added, you won’t notice minor height differences.
Once everything looks good, tear off the pattern. Grab a side and slowly pull up. You’ll see the paper start popping right up and over the nails. Be careful—if you go too fast you’ll have lots of shreds to pick out later.
After the bulk of the pattern is removed, you may still have small bits of paper to remove at the base of the nails. Needle-nose pliers are lifesavers here, as they can grab what fingers can’t. If there is a tiny piece at the base of the nail that the pliers can’t grab, remember the strings will completely cover the base of the nail, hiding the paper.
Now you’re ready to string. At this point, the project just looks like a bunch of nails, but once you add the string, your pattern will emerge.