Konstantin Khlanta - String Arts & Nail Patterns | String Art

Konstantin Khlanta - String Arts And Nail Patterns | String Art | The Intricate Nail And Thread Portraits of Konstantin Khlanta | Artist Creates Stunning Portraits with String 

An Konstantin Khlanta artist from Russia has created extraordinary works of art using nothing but nails and coloured thread on canvas.String art or pin and thread art, is characterized by an arrangement of colored thread strung between points to form geometric patterns or representational designs such as a ship's sails, sometimes with other artist material comprising the remainder of the work.

Konstantin Khlanta, 27, from Tula in Russia, is a string art artist who uses his creative talent to produce portraits of celebrities including Adele and Avril Lavigne. Konstantin has also put his hand to creating artworks of fictional characters too, with one of his most striking pictures portraying Heath Ledger's version of The Joker.

In order to create his pictures, Konstantin said he begins with a sketch of the person he is creating - either a celebrity or a commission. He then attaches nails over the sketch to create an outline, before removing the sketch and beginning to work with the thread.

Describing his workflow, Konstantin said: 'I know that many artists who do string art use schemes, like from nail 1 to nail 5 etc. I don't have schemes, I use thread like a pencil and just draw. 'How to make layers and shadows I was learning by drawing with pastel. So it seems the same for me.'

Although now working on string portraits, Konstantin began his art career with pencil drawings in 2008. He watched the music video for Linkin Park's 'Numb' in which he saw a woman drawing and decided to give it a try himself. His connection with the band Linkin Park didn't stop there though, because when lead vocalist Chester Bennington died he decided to create a string portrait of the musician.

Konstantin said: 'I've never been to artists school or something like that. The death of Chester Bennington triggered me to find another way to share my feelings. Drawing was not enough.'On the other hand I was often told that I couldn't compare with a camera in realism.'So in 2018 I made my very first string art portrait of Chester Bennington. It was made with one thread. The artist posts his incredible creations on his Instagram account which has nearly 4,000 followers.