This string art project is a first of its kind. Not because of an unusual technique or special materials: this has been the first time someone asked me to make a specific project for her.
At first it sounded quite odd: who am I to fulfill an order? My husband and I always made crafts for ourselves or our families, a couple of times as presents for friends when occasion arose, nothing more. My husband and I have always selected the designs ourselves, we have always been the ones who decided what to make and how. But my friend Giudy was so happy with this project she had in mind and so convinced to commission the making to me, that I was not able to refuse.
She wanted a string art portrait of Rocco, the Labrador of her kins she was going to visit for Christmas. So I had a precise request to fulfill, and a strict deadline, too! When I brought the news to my husband, he was very surprised at first, but after the initial perplexity, he was as longing as I to begin! We were confident we could make it as wished and in time.
That’s how our first commissioned piece was born.
Click for the finished project detailed photos
Eager to make my friend happy, I wanted the work to begin as soon as possible.
My husband selected and prepared the wood, a board we got during a trip to the Alps that we had just used in part for another string art piece. Meanwhile I adapted the selected design, and pairing with my father-in-law we hammered down all the necessary nails. The first two half days of work had been very productive: we were able to complete the preparation of the wood and the nailing in no time!
When you can split your work among different people, your project goes quickly and above all each participant can make the part that’s more suitable to him: this helps the speed of the making as well as he final result, since everyone is doing what he’s best at.
Next step, weaving the thread. This is the part I like most: my passion for any craft with thread is well known, as my husband’s passion for wood. I suppose this is one of the reasons why we approached string art back in 2016 and why we loved it so much. It’s a technique that involves two of the materials we feel the most and where we can express freely.
My husband loves looking for the right piece of wood and preparing it for the chosen image: a good design needs a good support. We carefully select and work the surface to enhance the natural veinings and we adapt the image to bring out the natural features of the wood.
Also the right thread has its importance. The first thread we used was made from bamboo: it’s the same one we chose for the Rocco portrait. It’s very soft and smooth, without lints, perfect to be threaded with out hole punch without the fibers breaking. In big projects we also tried different threads, from thick wool to fine cotton, to give a contrasting appearance to highlight the parts of the design.
In the end, we’ve been able to finish the piece on time for it to become a Christmas present. I was very pleased and proud when, a few days after giving the portrait to her, I received a photo of it in its new home, on a mantlepiece.
With this project we discovered we like making crafts for someone else: thinking about the pice following their taste, making everything with the other person in mind, hoping they will like the final result.
I don’t know if I’ll be making a lot of crafts for others, but when the occasion arises I know I’ll be enthusiast about it!
Looking for a tutorial?
Find our how-to instructions on how to make a string art project.
We have also a string art FAQ page with tips, tricks and suggestions, both for beginners and advanced string artists.
