How To Make a String Tree Wall Mural

This impressive mural (along with a few others) were made by artist Kathryn Anderson with nothing more than pushpins and yarn. We’ll show you how you can create your own, step by step and with tips from the artist.

Kathryn Anderson of KAndeArt has made some great wall murals out of nothing more than string and push pins. Here are her steps to creating a beautiful and unique murals from string.

Materials

Pushpins
Brown yarn or string
A piece of wood to use as a thimble

1. Make the Outline: Begin by putting pushpins into the wall in the general shape of the tree you’d like to create. Using a piece of wood as a “thimble” will spare your fingers from blisters and from becoming numb. Kathryn begins with a photo of a tree printed out to give her the basic guide as to the shape she’s going for.

A few tips from Kathryn on designing your tree:

• Don’t be too symmetrical or regular with the branches, trees are not ladders.
• Generally odd numbers of things look better than even.
• Don’t try to make it too perfect. Trees grow kind of wonky.
• Don’t be too linear. Jump around with the string.

2. Begin to Wrap the String: Using a brown yarn, begin to wrap the string around the push pins. Start with the trunk and then do each brand individually. Kathryn advises not to be too linear—jump around with the string and double back to give more texture or the appearance of bark. Feel free to use the same pin many times.

3. Add Character: To make knotholes, make a ring or two of pushpins and wrap the string in a circle while weaving in and out. Vary the size of branches and the spacing between them. Let branches overlap.

4. Starting and Stopping: To take a break, simply tack the string firmly into place with a pushpin and wind it around a few times to maintain tension.

Other pieces of Kathryn’s creation can be viewed at KAndeArt.

(Images: KAndeArt, used with permission)