Wintery String Art Photo Frame

Turn Festive Works of String Art Into Picture Frames

by A.V. Bautista, production designer and kooky Klutz crafter

‘Tis the season to be stringin’ and it’s excitingly easy!

There are so many awesome string art projects in the String Art book from KLUTZ. 

Once you’ve given a couple projects a try, you’ll be eager to venture out on your own to make any string art you can imagine.

Inspired by the holidays, I thought it would be crazy cool to make a snowflake string frame. And to keep in the spirit of giving and sharing, here’s how I did it.

What you’ll need:

• Pins (from the STRING ART book)
• Pinning tool (from the STRING ART book)
• String (from the STRING ART book or any of your own)
• Glue
• Tape
• Cardboard boxes
• Wrapping paper
• Art to trace and turn into string art
• A photo to place in the center 

Step 1

Get cardboard boxes and cut them up to whatever size you want for your art. My boxes aren’t big enough so I’m sticking multiple pieces together to make a larger piece.

Step 2

Glue three cardboard sheets together in a stack. The goal is to make cardboard that’s as thick as the pieces included in the STRING ART book. The thick cardboard will help hold the pins up. 

Step 3

Get wrapping paper that would make a good background for your art. For my snowflake string art design, I’ll be using a wintery snowflake wrapping paper background. Make sure to cut your wrapping paper to a size slightly bigger than your cardboard base (about 1 ½ inches around the edges). 

Step 4 

Wrap and tape wrapping paper over your cardboard base. Make sure it covers one side completely.

Step 5

Print or draw a design on paper to use as a stencil for your string art frame. At the center of my shimmering snowflake I’ve left a hole for a photo. The center could be any shape: a circle, a rectangle, a heart perhaps for a valentine? Whatever you can think of. Place it right in the center.

Step 6

Pin all around the perimeter of your shape. Be sure to use the pinning tool from String Art. This will make your pinning go faster, keep all of the pins the same height (and straight!), and will protect your fingers from getting strained and tired. This tool is also great because it has an end that lets you pull the pins out if you make a mistake.

Step 7

After pinning around your center shape, rip off the paper with your traced or printed design. Thinner paper will rip off easier. My paper was thick, so I had to rip it off little by little.

Step 8

It’s stringin’ time! Wrap string around your pins to create your design. If you’re wondering how to string, the book has several marvelous methods that can help with your super-stylish string art. 

Step 9

Cut a photo to fit inside the size and shape of your frame.

Step 10

Tape or glue your photo.

Step 11

Ta-da! Stringin’ like you’ve never seen before! Now find a nice spot to display your masterpiece or wrap it up for someone special.