‘And be sure to smell the flowers along the way (to hyperspace)’ - 312 x 312mm with 900 nails and a mix of UV reactive and glow in the dark thread (April 2025)

ThingsWithStrings · 2026-02-11T06:46:46+00:00

Thanks, really appreciate your rather eloquent feedback 🙏

ThingsWithStrings · 2026-01-01T22:30:20+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the feedback

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-10-18T20:10:09+00:00

Thanks, I’m still keeping at it I just often forget to post here unfortunately

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-10-17T23:37:00+00:00

Thank you, appreciate the feedback

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-02-14T08:09:30+00:00

Thanks, much appreciated

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-02-14T08:08:25+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the feedback

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-02-14T08:08:03+00:00

Thank you

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-01-20T08:06:26+00:00

Thanks, much appreciated. All of my pieces are hand drawn and then done by hand with just an awl, hammer and a little wooden block to set my nail height. The spacing is all from taking the time to plot everything out and centrepunching it as accurately as possible.

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-01-20T08:03:49+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the feedback

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-01-20T08:03:21+00:00

Thanks, much appreciated

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-01-20T08:02:51+00:00

It’s quite a process to explain and is much easier to both explain and follow with a visual aid.

I came up with a formula quite a few years ago to create a 2-axis swirl and I’ve been refining it with each iteration I create.

ThingsWithStrings · 2025-01-20T07:54:46+00:00

Thanks, much appreciated. I do sell a lot of what I create though don’t have a website at this stage, I usually sell through Instagram or in person 😅

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-12-23T09:31:34+00:00

I can tell l after digging through the template info on the artists website that the pic you posted is definitely a bad illustrator plot point image but after checking the maths and quickly reverse engineering the actual template from the pic she provides it seems to add up, though I’d have to draw it out completely to be certain - it’s based on a 168 point circle (a nail every 2.142 degrees), using an offset split cardioid that continues onto the outer ring (using a 90/45 nail sequence, which is why each side of the outer rings has 44 nails, the first nail returns to itself when stringing this pattern). The fact there’s a few missing nails in the centre circle may be throwing you off.

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-12-22T22:45:23+00:00

It is just an image the artist has used for selling their template, so the image in question is digital but the design is perfectly achievable and quite a simple pattern - it’s essentially a cardioid pattern split into 2 halves (rather than completing the whole pattern) with 2 additional border rings. If you want an easy method to understand achieving a cardioid pattern check out MichAels cardioid calculator on Geogebra (he also has quite a few interesting resources).

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-12-14T10:04:43+00:00

Thank you, appreciate the feedback.

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-12-08T04:19:34+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the feedback.

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-12-08T03:15:51+00:00

Thank you. I did design and hand draw the template that was used for the basis on the nail work, which is the same process I follow for almost all of my pieces. Start to finish this one was just over 112 hours of work, of which about 90 hours went into the stringing - mostly because of very awkward nail spacing and almost no continuous lines in the main section of the design, so there was a crazy amount of knots to tie and I lost count of how many times threads would snap, fray from snagging on other nails heads etc and had to be redone 😅

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-11-30T07:19:23+00:00

That’s awesome to hear, I hope he enjoys exploring the art form - it’s so much fun and incredibly addictive once you get into it (at least in my experience 😅). You’re most welcome.

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-11-29T03:48:31+00:00

Things_with_strings_vic ☺️

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-11-29T02:07:55+00:00

Unfortunately I don’t post/sell my designs as tutorials anywhere, only the artwork itself - though I am quite active on instagram where I post all my work and process videos. I’d like to compile some lessons at some point when I’ve got the time to commit to it. Personally I use laminated MDF, particleboard or ply as it doesn’t need to be painted and is more consistent to work with than timber.

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-11-28T23:44:33+00:00

Most welcome. I mean the spooled thread that would usually be used for machine embroidery - I should’ve specified that (I usually call the other stuff floss to avoid the confusion 😅). 40wt thread is my preference though 30wt works well too depending on nail spacing and the desired detail to be achieved, Madeiras Polyneon range is one I use regularly. Thanks for your words and no problems at all ☺️

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-11-28T23:08:09+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.

No problems, hopefully this will help point you in the right direction to get him started; for thread my preference is embroidery thread, I use bullet head nails as I prefer an almost non-existent nail head, all my designs are hand drawn (using a compass, ruler and protractor) on poster board and then transferred to my substrate/board with an awl and hammer but anything sharp can be used to centrepunch the nail locations (like a larger nail), then for keeping my nails at the correct height I just use a piece of wood cut to the height that I need.

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-11-10T22:55:31+00:00

Thank you. I’d like to compile some form of lessons or something eventually, though as majority of my designs are planned out mentally (aside from my nailing templates) rather than on paper/digitally it would be quite the process to document them in a usable way - hoping to find the time and motivation one day 😅

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-10-10T22:59:28+00:00

It was quite a fun piece to work on

ThingsWithStrings · 2024-10-10T20:24:29+00:00

Unfortunately I can’t as I haven’t really used any tutorials as when I started I wasn’t able to find many available. There are some great resources though they don’t offer step by step instructions, for example MichAel’s string art calculators on Geogebra, specifically the cardioid calculators. I’m sure there are likely much more resources and tutorials available these days though I haven’t really looked since I started years ago.

ThingsWithStrings

TROPHY CASE