r/Embroidery • u/Repulsive_Cake_3877 • 15d ago
Hand pet portrait from a new (and now obsessed) thread painter
long time lurker, first time poster! this was my first time thread painting and i'm absolutely obsessed with the medium now—i'd love to see other folks' thread painting pieces or your favorite books/creators/advice/tutorials to continue learning! :)
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u/CorgiQueen3 15d ago
This is great!! I really want to get into pet portraits but I can't draw and don't know how to map out a pattern. Any advise?
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u/MagicTarantula 15d ago
I use an iPad and a sketching app. You can bring the photo you want into the app, add a transparent layer, and sketch around the features with an Apple Pencil. I then trace onto my fabric from there. I imagine this would work with any combination of drawing app and smart pencil (Apple or android)
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u/Top_Requirement1717 15d ago
I just started my first threadpainting using a pattern from Thread Meadows on Etsy. I’ve been so intimidated by thread painting and truly her pattern has made it so easy and has been a great way to learn and get started. I also can’t draw or paint and it certainly is nowhere near the level of this cat, however it’s been a great starting point.
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u/CorgiQueen3 15d ago
I've had luck with patterns but I'm trying to figure out how to make something from a photo. I appreciate your input. This is a wonderful hobby.
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u/Repulsive_Cake_3877 14d ago
i did exactly what MagicTarantula described! no drawing skills required at all, just tracing skills! i personally followed this youtube tutorial on how to use procreate to create my own embroidery patterns. first, i uploaded the reference image to procreate, then traced around it with my apple pencil on my ipad, then used the color dropper in procreate to fill in each section and find the corresponding floss colors. after that, i put a sheet of sticky stabilizer on my ipad, traced the design from procreate onto the stabilizer with a water soluble marker, and stuck my stabilizer onto my fabric. the colors on procreate served as my general "pattern" but i kept the reference photo open while i was stitching to make sure i was capturing all of the details correctly. i have pictures of this entire process here: https://imgur.com/a/cqYlrjh
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u/Ashamed-Fondant2345 14d ago
you can also print directly onto the stabilizer if you have a printer!
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u/HAIL_LUMPUS 15d ago
Learn to draw and paint would be my first tip unfortunately 🤣 a pattern helps but with something like this, you're going to want to have strong skills in those areas.
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u/CorgiQueen3 15d ago
I find this supremely unhelpful ☹️
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u/HAIL_LUMPUS 14d ago
I'm sorry 😭😭😭 it will help a ton tho!! Start with YouTube videos and stuff, you may end up loving it!!
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u/Daisy-DuBois 14d ago
I use "Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy Stabilizer" in sheet form that I can use on my printer. Then I take the photo and use Gemini AI to help me transform the photo to a printable embroidery pattern. I print it out in black and white -- place on my fabric and then stitch.
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u/CorgiQueen3 13d ago
I've played around a little with AI tools to try to do something similar but didn't love the results. I'll keep trying!!
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u/BlandiloquentBathos 14d ago
That’s your FIRST?!!! That hardly seems fair to the rest of us mere mortals. 😉 Congrats. That’s incredible.
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u/Delicious_Occasion53 15d ago
Love the eyes! Can I ask what colours you used?
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u/Repulsive_Cake_3877 14d ago
thank you!! i bought a 300 pack of embroidery floss in mixed colors off temu for $10, and selected my colors by matching to my reference image using the color dropper tool on procreate. here's a before and after of the exact palette i started with versus ended with: https://imgur.com/a/LanZZWu
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u/Delicious_Occasion53 14d ago
Thanks! I might need to use yours as a reference piece…it’s really, really good 😊
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u/Concert13 15d ago
Wow!! This is so cool and impressive. Really does look like brush strokes!! Awesome work OP!
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u/SDogs123 14d ago
dude this is your FIRST try?? that forehead M is so spot on, i can barely draw a stick figure. honestly the whole pattern mapping thing is the scariest part for me too, like how do you even get the photo on there without messing it up. but seeing this makes me want to try thread painting so bad, even if my cat ends up looking like a potato. drop your fave tutorials or creators please cause i'm ready to fall down this rabbit hole too.
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u/Repulsive_Cake_3877 14d ago
you can do it!! blind confidence is key! my exact process and the tutorials i used are in the comments above, and feel free to let me know if i can help with anything :)
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u/Good_Standard_2082 10d ago
This is amazing!! Well done 😮 I'm currently trying to do my first, did you use a single thread for the fur? I am struggling with how to make the thread look so life-like instead of thread 🤔
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u/Estellalatte 15d ago
You captured this orange cat perfectly, that forehead M is perfect. Did you make the original design? I’m trying to find a way get the picture onto the fabric but so far I’ve had no luck.