Welcome
Welcome to Mandala String Art. This is the original and number one resource for this craft, which is a relatively new method as an evolved form of the original art made popular in the 1960s/'70s. It is based on geometry, which is considered sacred in some cultures. Tibetan Buddhists define Mandala as "an integrated structure organized around a unifying center". The word itself is ancient Sanskrit synonymous with 'circle'.
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Book
A method has been developed to create a new form of string art where a single string is wrapped around all nails in a simple spiral, fractal, and/or toroidal geometric pattern, starting and ending (glued/tied) to a single nail. The book Mandala String Art (now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and elsewhere) details how, beautifully illustrated cover-to-cover with over a hundred full-color pictures and 800+ drawings.
We begin with an infinitely small point, where all emanates. The most basic form of expansion from this origin is a circle. When dividing this simple shape equally and connecting these points continuously beautiful patterns emerge. As it turns out, it's possible to draw the resulting geometry with a single line starting and ending at the same point. From this concept we create Mandala String Art.
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Shop
Templates with detailed instructions for select Mandala String Art designs are available for sale here, so you can create your own without drawing the pattern yourself or having to figure out the path of the string. This is especially useful for the beginner. In the future we may also provide full kits for your convenience.
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Artists
The book Mandala String Art feautures a few artists from around the world, including Anna Pankova from Kyiv, Ukraine; Dana Maria Olteanu from Bucharest, Romania; and Kevin Fernandez from Montjean-sur-Loire, France; who you can connect with here.
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Video
Time-lapse videos of creating Mandala String Art can be seen here. Satisfying to watch come together and also helpful as instructional to learn how to find the path of string, inward and outward.
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Instructions
Detailed, step-by-step instructions for the classic circular string art design, the Sun Mandala, is available here.
This is Prime Number in art form. Oddly, the original books on string art from the 1960s/70s fail to mention a most basic fact: the number of nails must be a prime number in order to make this work. 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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Cardioid
This geometry is the cardioid, "a plane curve traced by a point on the perimeter of a circle that is rolling around a fixed circle of the same radius" per Wikipedia, which can also be created with string art. The best explaination for this is the video Times Tables, Mandelbrot and the Heart of Mathematics by the YouTube channel Mathologer. The discovery of these patterns come from the mathematician Simon Plouffe, explained in this article (PDF) and you can generate your own here.
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Gallery
A gallery of Mandala String Art can be seen here. If you have a finished piece that you would like included, feel free to contact us using the link at the bottom of the page.
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Apparel
In the introduction of the book Mandala String Art there are several drawings from the early life of the author, many of which can also be drawn using the lessons learned from the book. This is an online store with apparel of these original art pieces, which helps to support the artist and this website.
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Tools
Here are the tools you'll need to get started. You can use any materials you'd like. But if this is your first time, recommendations can be helpful. This list includes some of the basics and is based in the United States. For those abroad you'll have to adjust to your region and use what is available to you.
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Tips and Tricks
These are general instructions with tips and tricks for more advanced designs.
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Books
There are several book recommendations at the end of the book Mandala String Art for those who are interested in learning more about string art, mandalas, sacred geometry, and other concepts related to these topics. This is the full list with a few extras.
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