Traditional String Art - Sun Mandala
This is a detailed, step-by-step set of instructions for the classic circular string art design, the Sun Mandala. Templates are available for sale
here. Measurements and materials are based in the USA. Adapt as desired for your region. Options are endless.
Any wood can be used. One type that works well and is commonly available is birch plywood, which are sold as 12" by 12" square pieces in arts and crafts, woodcraft, hardware, and lumber supply stores in thicknesses of 3/8" (minimum recommended), 1/2" (recommended), and 3/4" (maximum recommended). Paint as desired.
Panel board nails are recommended for this type of string art, since they are thin and available in long lengths, and have small heads and ring shanks. They are also commonly painted black, illuminating the colorful strings better. The pictures below show both birch plywood (painted with black acrylic) and panel board nails.
^ Click here for additional information with recommendations, including tools and materials.
The one, big secret to making this work - which is something even the original books on string art from the 1960s/70s fail to mention - is the number of nails must be a prime number. This allows for string to start from any single point, and loop exactly once around each nail before returning to the first, completing the circle.
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^ Tie string (thread) to the first nail (can be any nail and a simple, single knot is sufficient) and pull straight across the middle through the opposite side of the circle, so that an equal number of nails are on each side of the string.
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^ Move over the first nail counter-clockwise from middle and loop around.
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^ Pull straight back to the original nail and loop around the first nail counter-clockwise from the original nail.
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^ Go up again, loop around the nail counter-clockwise of the previous, and down, doing the same.
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^ Continue this pattern.
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^ Eventually you will reach the original nail, completing a full circle.
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^ You can tie off and glue now if you are using multiple colors, or simply coninue to the next layer in a single color.
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^ Since this is the first layer, which is the lowest, you will want to be low on the nail, consistently all around.
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^ An easy method for the next layer is simply following the path of the previous...
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^ ...and then moving over the first nail counter-clockwise from that and loop around. This is the key step of the process that is used for the remainder of the design. For the beginner, it may be helpful to have a more detailed step-by-step guide, which is provided here.
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^ Pull it back and notice the symmetry, confirming the correct path.
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^ Continue and return again to the original nail.
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^ For the especially meticulous, you can carefully wind around to the next ring shank with each layer.
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^ It will become easier as you progress and soon you will return to the original nail again. It is possible to make a mistake and still end up on this nail, but the mistake will (usually) be obvious. Simply unwind until you are confident the mistake has been undone and try again.
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^ To verify after completing a layer, you can closely review each nail to confirm consistency. 4 layers = 4 strings
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^ This is 7 layers. You can choose to stop at any point or continue all the way to outermost circle.
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^ The results of precision.
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^ Paying attention to the direction and spacing of each previous string makes it easier to find the path of the next layer.
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^ A top-down view of a completed circle.
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^ Cut, tie, and glue string. After glue is cured, carefully cut as close as possible to remove excess string.
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^ Some string, like those of neon colors, will glow under black light.
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^ Here's a version with neon orange.
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^ This is a natural color on exotic wood, without paint. Ebony, katalox, wenge, walnut, and kingwood are some examples of dark wood. Staining is also an option.
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^ Here is an example of multi-color (gradient) version, with each layer being a single colored string.
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^ Interesting black light effects can be incorporated.
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^ Orange sun using black light reactive thread.
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^ This one uses escutcheon pins instead of ring-shanked nails, which are gold colored, and thicker string instead of thread. You can use any materials you like. It also has an even number of nails, which is also okay, per the artist. But then you will not always loop around each nail once before returning to the first, which means you have to cut and glue the strings several times over multiple nails to complete the circle. This can be difficult, messy, and undesirable. But the end result can still be beautiful.
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^ This one uses embroidery thread, which is possilbe, and generally preferable perhaps, due to a relatively low number of nails
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^ Here is the opposite extreme, with 113 nails. Each nail had to have a hole drilled first to keep the wood from splitting.
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^ There are 31 layers. This takes many hours and a half mile of thread.
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