String art generator with printable nail templates
Make a circular string portrait with measured nail positions and a numbered path you can follow at your own pace.
String Art Workshop
Try the original owl sample first. Your image is processed on this device.
Supported scope: PNG, JPEG or WebP: up to 20 MiB and 40 megapixels. · Circular frames only; one dark thread on a light background. · 100–800 mm nail-center circle, 24–240 nails, up to 4,000 steps. Minimum template nail-center spacing: 2.5 mm. · The image is center-cropped and reduced to 128 × 128 grayscale. · No claim of physical color matching or a certified material/safety specification.
Set up your frame
Required fields are marked with an asterisk.
Your workshop
Review your output, then save it to your device.
Make the next step clear.
Your findings, assumptions and next steps will appear here after you run the check.
String Art Workshop · https://stringart.kitforma.com/ · KitForma
Actual nail coordinates and thread estimate
A4 / Letter tiled PDFs and 1:1 SVG
Pause, step and save a portable project
Understand the evidence.
Focused guides explain the rules, the edge cases and the checks worth doing before you act.
Prepare a photo for a workable string portrait
Choose a crop and contrast that can survive connected dark strands.
Read the guide ↗Field guide / 02Print and assemble a full-scale nail template
Keep the measured geometry intact from download to board.
Read the guide ↗Field guide / 03Follow the winding sequence and keep your place
Use the player as a guide and keep a portable checkpoint.
Read the guide ↗Before you start
Is this a string-art image effect or a real plan?
It generates a connected sequence of real nail positions and measures the straight length of those chords. Download the numbered winding CSV/text and a physical template. The preview still approximates thread coverage, so test a small sample with your materials.
What does the diameter measure?
The circle passes through the nail centers. It does not include board-edge clearance. Template paper extends 20 mm beyond the circle on each side; choose sufficient physical board clearance for your nails separately.
How do I print the template at the right size?
Choose the matching A4 or US Letter PDF and Actual size / 100%, with Fit disabled. Measure the 50 mm bar before joining pages. Adjacent pages repeat 10 mm; align the repeated features and registration crosses rather than placing pages edge to edge.
Why are there fewer steps than I requested?
Your number is an upper limit. The optimizer stops if none of its allowed next chords reduces the modeled error. Adding more dark thread after this point could over-darken the design.
How do I resume winding tomorrow?
Pause at the step you want to retain and click Save current project in the preview. Reopen that JSON using Open a saved project. The player also remembers a position for this exact plan on this browser when storage is available, but it is not a backup of your original image.
Are my photo and progress uploaded?
No. The photo, grayscale target and winding sequence are processed locally. A saved project contains the reduced grayscale subject and should be treated as a private image file. The project download preserves your position; there is no account or server backup.
Sources & assumptions
Formats, algorithms and supported features are documented below. Check the stated scope and inspect your output before using it.
- SVG coordinate systems and units ↗
SVG output declares millimeters and a matching viewBox for the physical template.
- Adobe: print at actual size ↗
Printer scaling can change geometry; measure the included scale bar.
- Canvas pixel processing ↗
The image is decoded and sampled locally in the browser.
Reviewed 2026-10-18. Read our methodology or report an issue.