Introduction: Stag Deer Head Drawing Pin Art

About: Innovation consultant by day; design and innovation researcher and general tinkerer by night. Interested in all things digital, but also getting hands dirty making physical creative things for fun and sharing …
I'm a mountain loving kind of chap and had the idea to create a deer drawing pin art project a few years ago. I finally got round to making it and thought I'd share the results. You can buy a whole bunch of drawing pins on eBay for around £5.00, so its a fairly cheap project to do too.

What you'll need:
  • Sheet of 8mm MDF wood
  • 3 metres of 2"x3" wood
  • Screws, saw, drill, wood glue, hammer and screwdriver
  • Roll sheet of cork (got mine from a model railway shop)
  • Cork spray glue (for floor tiles)
  • Tub of wall emulsion and paint brush
  • A projector
  • Stag Deer outline template (attached below)
  • 1000+ silver drawing pins
  • Patience...

Step by step:
  1. Cut the MDF to your desired size
  2. Cut the 2"x3" wood into mitre join (45 degree angle) strips to fit on the back of the MDF panel
  3. Glue the wood strips onto the back of the MDF, drill pilot holes and fix into place
  4. Paint the sides of the panel with the white emulsion (several coats needed)
  5. Roll out the cork and glue into place with the floor tile spray glue
  6. Cut off excess cork along the edges for a nice finish
  7. Use a projector to project the Stag Deer Template zip file below
  8. Start pressing in the drawing pins into place in the black area of the template and gently fix into place using a hammer
It took me about 3 hours to get them all into place, but is worth it in the end. Its a beautiful piece that changes with different light throughout the day.
3rd Annual Make It Stick Contest

Participated in the
3rd Annual Make It Stick Contest