Hanoi artists paint with thread, color with nails

For a group of artists in Hanoi, thread and nails are materials to create colors, shapes, and the emotions of the subjects in portraiture.

Pham Thi Thuc Anh carefully examines the sketched portrait and then carefully hammers each nail into the frame. From these nails, she will stretch thin white threads, creating lines for the artwork.

Pham Thi Thuc Anh during the creation. Photo courtesy of the artist

Although it seems simple, making a string piece is quite difficult. She won't know for sure if she has succeeded or if she needs to take the thread out, remove the nails, and start over until the process is complete and she looks back at the work.

While hammering the nails, she confided that she was fascinated by the unique, attractive beauty of string paintings, and she took the trouble to learn about this art form four years ago.

"String art is a visually appealing yet difficult art form. The hardest part in the beginning was learning how to make string art that was eye-catching, intricate, precise, and colorful. It took a lot of trial and error to get the method right. We practiced and studied a lot to get over it, even if it meant throwing away hundreds of thousands of flawed versions," Thuc Anh said.

To complete the painting, the artist uses hammers, nails, and thread in an elaborate manipulation. Each finished work of art is the result of thousands of nails and hundreds of yards of thread being precisely connected to create shapes and levels of light and dark for the artwork.

One of the satisfied artworks of the group.

Many complex artworks require the whole team to do it over and over again. Thuc Anh often racked her brain, changing the base wood from many suppliers, testing all kinds of nails and threads, and removing and re-stretching countless times. The process of completing a painting takes more than 10 days to several months.

Another challenge, according to Thuc Anh, is marketing the works. As a relatively new art form, not many people are familiar with it. Artists also find it difficult to communicate and introduce their work while they are still exploring the technique.

"To compound the difficulties, small accidents happen every day, like hitting your hand with the hammer or hammering a nail," Thuc Anh confessed.

After all these challenges, the group of artists focused on research to develop their own methods and produce string art with unique visual effects and approaches.

To pursue string art, Thuc Anh believed that artists need to master nailing technique, the ability to create shapes and compositions, and an understanding of materials and tools.

"It is crucial to exercise patience and refinement in every little aspect. In addition, originality and artistic sensibility are crucial to creating unique pieces," she added.

So far, the group of artists has created many works that have attracted attention on social networks and the art-loving community.

The latest is a striking nail art depiction of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, which has garnered a lot of attention on social media.

"We put aside all other work to complete the portrait of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in a short time to express our respect for a visionary leader with a heart for the country," said Thuc Anh.

In addition to this piece, Thuc Anh finds great value in the 80 x 120 cm (or quite enormous) nail painting of an ethnic girl. The group of painters had numerous challenges in managing the method while maintaining the creative element due to its large size.

From the photo provided by the customer, the artists will transform it into string artwork.

"We are happy with the motifs on the shirt, with the character's eyes and smile. When the painting was finished, everyone was very moved," said Thuc Anh.

Thuc Anh's colleague, Tran Ngoc Khoi, recalled the portrait of a customer's grandmother in the northern province of Nam Dinh.

"The client told us that her grandmother had died and she wanted a portrait of her. This was one of our first commissions, and we did it over and over again, examining every strand of hair, every wrinkle, and every vein in the photo the client gave us. "This is our most record-breaking artwork so far: the one that took the most time to research and make, and the most threads, up to 1km," said Ngoc Khoi.

Regarding the longevity of nail-and-thread artwork, Ngoc Khoi explained that all that is required to ensure its durability is to keep the painting out of direct sunlight and in an environment with high humidity. The collage should ideally be hung in a dry, open area and cleaned by lightly dusting the surface of the artwork with a soft brush or a light vacuum cleaner.

Sharing their future plans, Ngoc Khoi said that the group is planning to organize an exhibition to introduce their works to the public. This will be an opportunity for the group to meet and interact with people who share the same passion for art, and bring the art of nail and thread artwork closer to everyone.