Accept bruised hands to do art, some works take months to complete

Not as colorful as paintings using colors, nor as soft and graceful as sophisticated embroidery, string paintings are a work of art with a completely different nuance.

The sharp, thorny nails combined with the seemingly lifeless thread, through meticulous hands and unlimited creativity, have transformed into a vivid and captivating portrait.

Ngoc Khoi and his team are the ones who hammer each nail and wrap each wire to create these unique portraits.

On a group with 2 million members, a post about the string paintings by Ngoc Khoi and his team received more than 18 thousand likes and more than 400 comments. Everyone was curious and surprised by these portraits made from nails and thread.

Thorny nails and thin threads can also create captivating portraits.

Ngoc Khoi and his friends created artistic portraits from nails and thread.

" The most elaborate painting we have ever created is a highly detailed portrait. This painting used more than 9,000 nails and about 2,000 meters of thread. It took us more than 200 hours of continuous work over the course of a month to complete this painting.

Every small detail needs to be done meticulously and carefully to create a perfect work " - Ngoc Khoi shared about one of the group's dedicated works.

Making a string painting is not simple. If the artists need to mix and match colors, Ngoc Khoi and his team start by hammering each nail onto the board. Then they start sketching the painting from the threads wrapped around the nails.

Den Vau and Do Mixi in the string painting.

"To make a string painting, we will first come up with an idea and sketch the painting. Then, we will prepare a board and mark the points where nails need to be nailed. Next, we proceed to nail according to the prepared sketch.

Once we have a complete nail frame, we start using thread to connect the nails together, creating the desired shapes and details. This process requires patience and meticulousness to ensure that the thread does not tangle and the details are completed accurately " - Ngoc Khoi shares about the process of making a basic nail painting.

Close-up detail of the string painting.

A work of art is not only created from creativity, but also from the bruises on the hands

The main materials used to make the painting are metal nails and cotton or polyester thread. The nails and thread are of high quality to ensure the durability and beauty of the painting.

Because of creating paintings with nails, thread and the main tool being a hammer, Khoi and everyone in the group had to endure pain many times because the hammer had slipped and their fingertips were bruised.

Of course, mistakes and errors are inevitable during the implementation process.   "In the process of making string paintings, the most common problem is that the thread gets tangled or broken while weaving around the nail. This can interrupt the process and take extra time to fix.

Sometimes the nails are not firmly nailed or are misaligned, we have to remove them and do it again. These incidents require us to be more patient and meticulous to complete the work. Sometimes a painting has to be redone several times to be completed."   - Ngoc Khoi shared.

The thorny, sharp-edged picture contains sacred stories that touch everyone's emotions.

Through the creative hands of Ngoc Khoi and his team, many string paintings were born.

"The painting that has the most special meaning to us is the painting of the customer's grandmother in Nam Dinh . Her grandmother passed away, and she wanted to make a portrait of her to give to her father. Her father really liked the oil painting of her grandmother that the artist had hung in her uncle's house, but the artist refused to do more paintings.

So she thought of making a nail painting version of that oil painting to give to her father. This painting was quite difficult because it was not a photo, plus the meaning of the gift and the customer's wishes were also a pressure.

This is one of our first painting orders, we have done it over and over again, examining every hair, wrinkle, vein... on the photo. Up to now, this is our most recorded painting: the most time spent researching and making, the length is only up to 1km " - Ngoc Khoi confided about a painting that he remembers most in his creative process.

"The painting that we will always remember is a customer who ordered a painting of his father who died in the war against America to save the country. He only had a small and old image of his father left. We restored the old photo with him and turned it into a string painting. This is not only a work of art, but also a spiritual gift for the hero in the cause of liberating the country. Each nail, each thread contains our deep love and gratitude " - Ngoc Khoi confided.

To preserve the string paintings, avoid exposing them to direct sunlight and high humidity. It is best to hang the paintings in a dry, cool place and clean them using a soft brush or a light vacuum cleaner to remove dust on the surface of the painting. The string paintings of Ngoc Khoi group have different prices, the smallest model is sold for 6 million, the largest painting costs about 25 - 30 million.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/gap-tac-gia-ve-tranh-chan-dung-tu-1000-chiec-dinh-quan-toi-1km-day-chi-chap-nhan-bam-tim-tay-de-duoc-lam-nghe-thuat-co-tac-pham-lam-ca-thang-moi-xong-20240630163424518.htm