Talking Brush: February 2021

String art or pin and thread art, is characterized by an arrangement of colored thread strung between points to form geometric patterns or representational designs such as a ship's sails, sometimes with other artist material comprising the remainder of the work. Thread, wire, or string is wound around a grid of nails hammered into a velvet-covered wooden board. Though straight lines are formed by the string, the slightly different angles and metric positions at which strings intersect gives the appearance of Bézier curves (as in the mathematical concept of envelope of a family of straight lines).

Quadratic Bézier curve are obtained from strings based on two intersecting segments. Other forms of string art include Spirelli, which is used for cardmaking and scrapbooking, and curve stitching, in which string is stitched through holes.

String art has its origins in the 'curve stitch activities invented by Mary Everest Boole at the end of the 19th century to make mathematical ideas more accessible to children. It was popularised as a decorative craft in the late 1960s through kits and books.

Steps to make scenery string art:

1. Cut the wood ply of size you require .

2. Make he scene outline through pencil or chalk as you prefer . I have preferred chalk as it can be rubbed easily.

3 .After drawing the outline start putting nails at distance of 1cm approx dont push nail to inside as this can lead to less space above and rolling string can be difficult.

4. Erase the outline and for wood to become shiny you can paint it with wood colour or any .

5. Choose your preferred colour of thread you can take simple thread or DMC thread which i preffer as it is thick as perfect, shiny as well as in budget .

6. Take each colour of string once and roll in across pins as the sky looks either straight ways of zig zag .

I have taken straight ways at top and little zig zag at bottom.

7. I preferred to make boarder as it enhances the look of board string art .