The Art of String
String art emerged in the late 19th century as a way to teach mathematical ideas to children. Mary Everest Boole invented "curve stitching" to make algebraic concepts tangible - showing how straight lines, when arranged systematically, could create the illusion of curves.
The craft exploded in popularity during the 1960s and 70s, when artists began hammering nails into wooden boards and weaving colorful thread between them. Geometric patterns, words, and portraits all became possible through this simple technique.
What makes string art fascinating is its fundamental constraint: you can only use straight lines. Yet through careful placement and density, those straight lines create curves, shading, and depth. The overlapping threads build up in areas of shadow, while sparse threading creates highlights.
How to Use This Tool
Auto Mode (recommended): Click to place pins, and strings automatically connect to any nearby pins within your set distance. Adjust the slider to control how far the auto-connect reaches. Great for quickly building up density.
Pin Mode: Click anywhere to place pins without connecting anything. Useful for laying out your composition first. You can drag pins to reposition them.
String Mode: Click a pin to start threading, then click subsequent pins to connect them manually. Click the same pin twice or press Escape to end the current thread.
Image Guide: Drag and drop any image onto the canvas to use it as a tracing guide. Place pins along the contours you want to capture, then hide the image to see your string art.
Tips for String Art Portraits
The key to string art portraits is thinking in terms of light and shadow. Place pins along the edges of features - the jawline, eyes, nose, lips. Then thread densely in shadow areas and sparsely in highlights.
Use lighter thread colors (white, light grey) for the main structure, and darker threads to add depth and definition. The background color matters too - white thread on black creates a dramatic, ethereal look.
Keyboard Shortcuts
P - Pin mode
A - Auto mode
S - String mode
1-4 - Thread colors (white to black)
Escape - End current thread
Ctrl/Cmd + Z - Undo