How To: Holy String Art, Batman! 6 of the Coolest Thread Art Projects Ever

You may remember string art from your elementary school days. If so, it probably makes you think of the 2D geometrical designs that took every ounce of patience you had as a kid. Or those laborious curve stitch drawings, which string art was actually birthed from. But thanks to some innovative modern artists, string art has gotten a lot more interesting. Here are some of the most creative applications so far.

The Bat Signal

Artist Stephen Ball made this awesome string art Bat Signal out of thread, nails and wood. Instead of a searchlight, the distress signal is sprayed out of a spray paint can.

Here it is lit up at night.

You can see more of his 3D thread work on his blog.

Chairs

They may not be string, but they're close enough!

These chairs by Jessica Carnevale were made using latex, bungee and rope.

Visit her website to see more of her work.

Neural Patterns

Neural Patterns Deco is an impressive project that combines 2D and 3D string art with blacklight and LEDs.

Artist Chris 'Lizard' Griffin says that the "inspiration comes from Sacred Geometry, an ancient science that explores and explains the energy patterns that create and unify all things."

Read more about Neural Patterns here.

Sculptures

Some pretty impressive sculptures have been made with string art, as well.

Janet Echelman is an artist who creates sculptures that mimic the natural processes of wind, water and sunlight.

The installation above shows how the sunlight would move through the skylights if a solar eclipse were happening.

Check out her portfolio for more of her amazing work.

Jewelry

If you want to make something functional, jewelry is pretty simple to make with string. Here are some great examples of earrings...

Photos by ThisNext, Sword and Ivy

Or how about a simple necklace or bracelet?

Photos by Sea Salt

Typeface

Now that you've seen all of the awesome stuff you can do with string art, want to create your own? It's pretty simple. This version uses plywood, nails and a hammer to make typographical string art you can hang on your wall.

Just print out a pattern, attach it to a piece of plywood and plot out where your nails will go. Once you've got the nails in, all that's left to do is wrap!

You can find more details at the tutorial by Chris of Man Made DIY, or check out one of ours!