DIY Grinch String Art Decoration (with lights)

Add some extra light to your holiday decor and make a lit Grinch, using string and LED lights.

Do you LOVE How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss? Such a great story. It’s one of my favorite Christmas movies, if not my favorite. And I do mean the real one –the cartoon, not the Jim Carrey version. But I’m old fashioned that way.

Lately I’ve been inspired by great string art. And since it’s that time of year, I have been thinking about Christmas decorations.

So I thought a great option might be to utilize fairy lights as string art to put a bright twist to the craft popularized in the 60’s.

String art! What a fun way to celebrate my love of the Grinch. With this grinch decoration sitting by our fireplace each year at Christmas, we get to feel our little Grinch hearts grow three sizes each year. :0}

String art is also called thread art.

What kind of string is used for string art?

Many people like to use embroidery floss because it can provide nice detail and is easy to work with. However, you can use any string.

I didn’t wan’t the string to get lost behind the LED Christmas lights of this large Grinch thread art, and so I used yarn because it was more substantial than string.

Another idea is to actually leave the yarn off and stain the wood. That way you could use it as a lawn yard art Christmas decoration.

Many times you’ll see string art that’s filled in. This is where the thread will wind back and forth across the shape and fills it in. Again, for this one I wanted to keep it simple. I mean, the Grinch is a complicated soul, why complicate hime more? :0}

What nails are best to use for string art?

I recommend the escutcheon pins I have linked below or something similar. They have the right sized head that will hold onto the string but they also aren’t too obtrusive.

I used plywood for this string art project, but you can use any kind of material- as long as it’s soft enough to take a nail, yet firm enough to hold a nail.

Also, if you haven’t seen them yet, I even have two other Grinch decorations tutorials to inspire you this holiday season.

A Grinch Christmas wall decor tutorial, using cement and resin. And DIY Grinch Ornament made from clay.

And for coloring, here are 43 free coloring sheets all of the Grinch!

Do you want more Christmas crafts inspiration? Check out the 39 Dollar Tree DIY Christmas Crafts & Decor.

Some of the links on this page have been provided as a convenience for finding materials. These links may also be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

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DIY Difficulty Level | Easy

Supplies Needed For Making DIY Grinch String Art

• 1/2″ Plywood (less likely to warp than 1/4″) cut to 22 x 48″
• *220 grit sand paper
• Led fairy string lights-33ft
• 1″ Escutcheon pins or shade bracket nails (head should be 15 or 16 mm)
• Thick red yarn
• Tape
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Hammer
• Power drill*
• 1/16″ bit*
• Printer*

*Not shown in photo

The Grinch String Art With Lights Tutorial Steps

Step 1. Prep The Plywood

For the first step, sand the edges of the plywood smooth. They only need to be smooth enough that you remove the splinters.

Step 2. Print The DIY Grinch String Art Outline

Print out the Grinch using my free downloadable image. Your printer may require 15 sheets of paper.

To get the download, enter your name and email in the form below the image. This will give you access to each of my design downloads.

Step 3. Layout The DIY Grinch String Art Artwork

Keep the sheets in order when they come off the printer. Number them and then lay them out on the plywood. Now carefully tape the sheets together so that the outlines line up.

You can trim the edge of each top sheet that overlaps if you want to make it perfect.

After taping the image together, use the frame I drew in the printable to help center the image on the plywood. You may need to trim the outside edges of the paper if it overlaps the plywood.

Step 4. Hammer The Nails

Now follow the outlines and start hammering in the nails. Go deep enough that they don’t fall out, but they don’t need to be too deep. Mine were about 1/3 of the way in.

At the upper parts of the body, I was more detailed and I put quite a few nails close together. Use this image below as your guide on where to place the nails.

Step 5. Drill The Hole For Threading The Grinch String Art Lights

Drill a hole for the lights and string at the bottom of the Grinch where his feet meet.

Get it started by pulling the non-plugged end through the hole, and then tape it to the paper to keep it in place. You’ll thread the lights later in Step 7.

**Please note: I adjusted the way I did this. In the following photos you’ll see that the printed paper has been removed. Leave your paper attached, it will make it much easier.

Step 6. Remove The Paper

Gently remove the paper by pulling from the edge. This took a little bit of work where the nails were close together.

Step 7. String The Yarn And Then Lights

Next, start stringing the yarn. First, tie the yarn to the nail at the middle of the feet. Do this where the lights are threaded through. Then work the yarn around the nails, but don’t let the yarn overlap.

You may get to an area where you have to back track and it will overlap. And if that happens, just tie it off and trim the end, and then start with a new piece.

You may notice, I ended up with a couple of random nails for some reason that didn’t seem to be in the right place, so I just didn’t wrap yarn around them and pulled them out afterward.

The Grinch face is the trickiest to do, so use the image above as your template, if you’d like.

After you finish threading the yarn, string the lights.

Hint: Be judicious with the placement of the lights because there’s just enough strand length to complete the Grinch. You need to avoid overlaps as much as possible and you can’t cut the lights.

After the lights are strung, plug in your cheeky Grinch string art and let me know what you think. Merry Christmas!

Don’t forget to Pin it for later!