If you like rustic Halloween decorations, this candy corn string art project is for you! Keep reading to learn how simple it is to make!
I remember doing string art for the first time when I was in elementary school. I didn’t normally like art class as I can’t draw to save my life. However I loved the unit on string art. We covered a piece of plywood in fabric and then pounded in the nails in our choice of shape. I chose to make a pretty multi-colored butterfly!
I came across that butterfly a little while ago and it inspired me to make some Halloween string art to hang in my living room. I figured a candy corn shape would be simple enough to do.
I used a piece of basswood for the base for my candy corn string art. I love that it still has the bark attached at the edges. It gives the project a lovely rustic feel, which is just perfect given the rest of my decor. Plus the wood is soft enough that I didn’t have any problems driving in the nails.
Supplies Needed for this Candy Corn String Art Project
- Piece of basswood with bark attached (I used a Walnut Hollow Basswood Plank in the size extra large)
- Curly-Q Foam Alphabet Stamp Set – 1.5″ inch tall letters
- Brayer
- Black Acrylic Craft Paint
- 1 inch Finishing Nails (I used white, but regular silver ones work too)
- Worsted Weight Yarn in White, Orange, and Yellow
Walnut Hollow Basswood Country Plank, Extra Large
Speedball 4-Inch Pop-In Foam BrayerShow Offs Foam Alphabet Set
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Free Candy Corn String Art Pattern
Just right click on the image to download this free printable string art pattern to your computer so you can print it.
You might need to resize the pattern based on the size of the wood you choose. To resize this candy corn string art pattern easily, just insert the image into Microsoft Word (or the word processing program of your choice) and then drag one of the corners of the image to resize it to a size that will fit your wood.
Be sure to print this candy corn string art pattern on regular printer paper, not cardstock. You need to be able to tear it away from your wood after you have your nails in places.
Candy Corn Halloween String Art Instructions
I left my basswood unfinished to keep the rustic look. However, you could certainly stain it if you like.
First you want to start by stamping the words “Trick or Treat” onto your wood. I got my foam alphabet stamp set at Hobby Lobby in the stenciling section. However, you can also find a variety of cute fonts for foam alphabet stamps on Amazon. You want letters that are 1.5″ to 2″ tall.
I used a piece of washi tape down the middle of the wood to help me line up the placement of the alphabet stamps. The wood piece I chose wasn’t exactly symmetrical so I made sure that the washi tape was the same distance from the top at either end.
It might be helpful to play around with the placement of the stamps on your board before you ink them up. That way you will know how the phrase will look before you do any of the actual stamping. After playing around with spacing, I determined that I wanted the words “Trick” and “or” on the top line and the word “treat” on the bottom.
I started at the right end of the board and stamped the words backwards. Use a small foam brayer to evenly apply the black acrylic paint to the alphabet stamps. Using the washi tape to help you line up the bottom of each letter, press the stamp onto the wood, applying even pressure so you get a nice print of each letter. If for some reason one of the letters doesn’t stamp nicely, you can always finish the letter with a small paintbrush.
Allow the paint to dry completely before you proceed with doing the candy corn string art. You don’t want to risk smearing the paint and ruining your piece of wood, so I recommend letting it sit overnight to ensure it’s good and dry.
After the paint has dried, cut around the candy corn string art pattern, leaving about an inch border. Use masking tape or washi tape to adhere the pattern to your wood so it won’t move around while you are driving the nails. I cut the candy corn apart so I could play around with the placement but you could certainly leave it all in one piece.
Use a hammer to place nails about 1/2 inch apart all the way around your pattern. I found it easiest to place nails at intersections and then fill in the space from there. You could also use a pencil to make dots on the pattern at each spot where you want to hammer the nails.
Here is what it looks like with all the nails in the wood. Make sure that all your nails are at the same height. You want to drive each nail into the wood far enough that it holds. I left each nail standing about 1/2 inch above the wood.
After you have all your nails in the wood, you can tear away the paper. I found it easiest to try to ease the paper to the top of each nail before I ripped it off. That way I didn’t to take tweezers and pick out a bunch of tiny scraps of paper from around the nails.
Now you are ready to start stringing your yarn. I just used regular yarn as that is what I had on hand. Regular yarn is bulkier so it fills in pretty quickly. For a more open look, you could also use crochet cotton or embroidery floss.
Tie one end of the yarn around one of the nails and then start stringing back and forth in whatever pattern you desire.
I went in a zig zag pattern across the candy corn then changed the angle a bit and went back across. It doesn’t really matter how you string it, you just want to get good coverage. As you add multiple layers to a nail, be sure to push the earlier strings down towards the wood board to give you more room to work on the nail.
After you have finished a section of color, use the yarn to go around the outside of that section to create an outline. Finish off a color by tying a knot around the closest nail. Use scissors to cut off the excess string then repeat the process for the next candy corn section until you have filled the entire shape.
Here is a close-up of what the candy corn looks like after it is finished.
All you need to do after you have finished the stringing is to add a picture hanger to the back so you can hang it.
Pin this Halloween Candy Corn String Art Tutorial for later:
This candy corn string art project was so much fun to make. It definitely brought back fond memories of crafting as a child. The nice thing about string art is that it is an easy enough project for kids to do as well. Adults might want to handle the part with the hammer and nails for younger kids though.
My youngest daughter was watching me make this last night and has now decided that she wants to make some Halloween string art of her own. I can’t wait to see what my daughter creates! So tell me… have you made any string art before? What did you make?
If you enjoyed this candy corn string art tutorial, you might also enjoy these fun Halloween craft projects…
Candy Corn Crochet PatternSimple Halloween Crafts for Children to MakeHalloween Hot Cocoa Party Favors
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