String Art Generator
Turn a photo into circular string art and get the exact nail sequence to thread it yourself.
Drag & drop files here
or browse to upload
A high-contrast portrait works best — the image is cropped to a circle
How it works
Nails are placed evenly around a circle. The generator repeatedly picks the chord that covers the most remaining darkness, then subtracts what that thread already covered — which is what builds up shading instead of a single black smear. You get the nail order as a numbered list.
Turn a photo into circular string art and get the exact nail sequence to thread it yourself. The generator repeatedly picks the chord that covers the most remaining darkness, then subtracts what that thread has already covered - which is how shading builds up instead of collapsing into one black smear.
Frequently asked questions
Nails are spaced evenly around a circle. From the current nail, every possible chord is scored by how much of the remaining darkness it would cover, and the best one is taken. Crucially, the darkness that thread covered is then subtracted, so the next line is forced to go somewhere new. That residual subtraction is what creates tone.
High-contrast portraits and silhouettes. String art has no colour and a limited tonal range, so a busy or evenly-lit photo turns to mush. A clear subject against a plain background gives the strongest result.
Around 200 nails and 2,000-3,000 threads suits most portraits. More nails allow finer angles; more threads build deeper shadows. Both increase how long the physical build takes, so it is a trade-off between detail and patience.
Download the nail sequence, mark your nail positions evenly around a circular board, then follow the numbered order wrapping the thread around each nail as you go. The tool estimates how much thread you will need for a 50cm board.