DIY Simple Modern Spirograph Art
Sometimes a little bit of simple art is all that you need to make a room come together. You can purchase art at a premium, frame printed replicas or create your own. Since I’m not terribly keen on reprints (I’d rather have a cheapie original than a reprint of a world-famous reprint for some reason) I tend to make my own. But what if you’re not much of an artist? There are lots of techniques that you can use to get fun and impressive art without any drawing or painting skills.
Today we’re covering Spirograph art. You may have had a lovely little kit that kept you and your friends or siblings busy for hours. Take that same thing and utilize colors that work with your decor and frame them, and well you have some simple, modern, and fun new art, my friends.
For this project you will need:
- Spirograph kit
- Sharp colored pencils
- Good quality colored ink pens
- Drawing paper
- Cardboard or foam core
- X-acto knife with ruler or paper cutter
- Frames (if framing)
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(if framing)
For this project, you will need a Spirograph kit. Kits are sold online and in book stores and maybe even in bigger toy stores. I used The Art of Science and Spirals by Victor Dorff. The set was a gift my Aunt Lisa received and didn’t want so she sent it my way. The set is small but I was able to get a few decent Spirographs out of it. BUT if you’re purchasing a new set I would NOT recommend this one. The parts are lightweight and I had a hard time making four without mistakes (in fact two of mine have some fairly obvious ones).
I’m only mentioning this set in hopes that you do not purchase only to be disappointed. The original Kenner Spirograph kits from the 60s can still be purchased on eBay for around $30 and are much coveted. I’m considering buying a new set to replace my current one because I really enjoyed this project. I’m personally looking at one of the Spirograph kits by Kahootz (they have excellent reviews).
You’ll also need either really sharp colored pencils or some good quality colored ink pens, paper (I used drawing paper from an artist’s pad), and cardboard or foam core board to pin your wheels onto. If framing you’ll need the frames and either a paper cutter or a ruler and a cutting blade like an X-acto knife. Let’s get started.
I first practiced on some scrap paper. I took the gears and wheels and played with them to see exactly what kind of an effect I could produce. While I most often used inspiration from the booklet that came in my kit, I also used these sheets to pair up the different effects to make my own custom designs.
Take your wheel and use pins (should be included with your kit) down to your paper and onto a piece of cardboard or foam core board to hold nice and steady.
Draw your first shape.
And continue to add to it. You can use the gears on both the inside and the outside of the wheel.
Continue until you’re happy with the effect.
Next, I took the cardboard from my frame and traced the shape onto a Spirograph lightly with a pencil.
Cut the shape out… and turn the piece over. Patch the tiny holes with a little piece of the original paper you are working with and a smidge of tape. This will help keep our holes from being too terribly obvious.
and frame. I used these cheapie 5×7 frames I found at Dollar General for a BUCK a piece! I LOVE them for this project. They are simple, sleek, and modern and I think they pair perfectly.
Make as many as you need to for your set. I’ve made four and they’ll be adorning my master bathroom for an upcoming redecoration project in there! I’m not sure how I will pair them. Maybe in a square shape, maybe in a straight line. But either way, I’m sure that I’ll be very happy with them when they are officially hung!
This is also a great project for kids and they can easily decorate their own rooms with fun Spirograph art. I’m taking my kit, or more than likely a newer, better model, down to my nephews. They just might create some awesome artwork that I will use to replace my own creations!
A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.