Make Your Own Skull String Art

One of my goals this year was to create a couple of decorations for each season that I would be excited to store and pull out for years to come. This skull string at is a new favorite! It’s large (2×3 feet!), so it makes a great statement piece above our piano in our dining room. It catches my eye and makes me smile each time I walk into the room. Do you wanna know a secret? It’s really simple to make! Here’s how:

Supplies: 2’x3’ piece of wood (about ½ inch thick), white nails, black paint, and white string.

1. Paint your piece of wood black and let it dry completely. 2. Print out a skull photo (we used one we found with Google) as a blueprint copy with the widest part of the skull measuring about 18 inches. The shape of our skull print is all that matters- so no worries if the print comes out a little pixelated.

Note: If you don’t have time to get a blueprint copy, try this (easier) method instead!

3. Tape your skull on top of your black wood and use a highlighter to plan out where you want your nails to go (you will want to make an outline around the skull, eyes, nose, and mouth). Space your nails about one inch apart and make sure to put one at any point your outline switches direction.

4. Use a hammer to nail in your nail outline, but be careful not to go through to the other side of the wood. Once your nail outline is in place, you can rip off the paper skull guide underneath the nails.

5. Tie your string to one of the nails that outlines the head and follow the nails to make a string outline around the head (go around the head twice). Do the same for your eyes, nose, and mouth outlines.

6. Starting at the bottom of your skull, begin to wrap the string in a zig-zag pattern between the nails and continue to zig-zag your string until your area looks full. Make sure to switch the direction of string often and include strings going both horizontally and vertically.

7. Repeat this process for the middle third of the skull and then, finally, for the top third of the skull.

8. Tie your string to whichever nail you end on, and you’re finished!

Tip: When the season’s over, use craft paper to wrap this art up for storage and label the package, so it’s easy to find next year. You don’t want to damage those pretty strings.

There’s nothing more satisfying than a DIY project that turns out exactly how you envision it! If you give this project a try I think you will be surprised how easily it comes together. Do you have any halloween themed crafts you’ve tried and loved lately? Tis the season!

xo. Elsie

Credits// Author and Photography: Elsie Larson, Project Assistant: Laura Gummerman