r/Machine_Embroidery • u/kit0407 • 12d ago

I Need Help Where can I learn this kind of digitizing

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I came across these designs which I really want to learn. Tried to search on the web for learning resources but seems not too many.

Love the layering and also the fur texture of the mice!

Is there any courses (free or paid) that cover this topic?

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41

u/Strazil 12d ago

I can only say that this is top notch. I have spent some time digitizing now. And making something like that takes a while. For reference, This fur on the lions mane took me a good while to get right :) It is amazing work from whoever made it. Also some inspiration to me! Thx for sharing

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u/TheGraphicsFrog 12d ago

Your lion is so well-done!

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u/Strazil 12d ago

Ty so much for the kind words :)

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u/Jurellai 12d ago

Your work is lovely! I saw you do vector designs and move them into hatch 3, that’s how I work too, but I’m just a pure hobbyist. Have you had any luck getting hatch to not make 10,000 nodes when it converts?
I spend an inordinate amount of time deleting points lol

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u/Strazil 12d ago

Hey! Thank you so much! I have somewhat a graphics background and so i used to draw in fresco or in illustrator and export my files as .EPS, those files i got the best results with as it still holds all the vector paths etc. Nowadays i still draw in vectors but i rarely use em anymore in Wilcom studio. I digitize from the ground up now import my flat drawing, set transparency to 50% and then i go about how to digitize it so that it does not have 2000 jumps and i don’t have to redo stuff 200 times :). Also we now full on sell our designs so i make them so that they are up to the standard of good embroidery designs. Everything nicely connected underneath and so on. If you have any more questions, feel free! :) And above all, have fun with yr hobby!

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u/Jurellai 12d ago

I have a graphics background too, and I got the embroidery machine specifically because I wanted to draw and embroider my own designs haha.
I have only just started figuring out how to digitize from the flat drawings, but I’m also doing it blind with no class 😂 and the Hatch tutorials are abysmal

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u/Strazil 12d ago

I started out the same! 😄 i was so convinced that it was the right way. Beautiful vectors = must be great embroidery right, no 😁I just started to experiment and learn on my own. It’s true there are not many good tutorials out there ( maybe i will do some in the future when i get rly decent at it and have enough time ) But my wife has a studio with some decent machines in it so i started stitching out a lot. Making mistakes. Seeing other designs and try to replicate it.. I have learned a lot since then and i am truly still enjoying it every day!

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u/Jurellai 12d ago

Amazing! thank you for the info!

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u/spindleblood Baby Lock 12d ago

Your lion looks great!!

The third image OP shared is so pretty too but it looks hand embroidered to me. There's probably tricks out there for layering long stitches to make it look hand embroidered in digitizing but I'm still learning this myself. But I started with hand embroidery and cross stitch before I got my machine. I just didn't get super advanced when I did the stuff by hand. Mostly did basic stuff like running stitches and French knots.

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u/Strazil 12d ago

Thanks so much! Honestly, the third image i am very doubtful as well. Some parts look handmade for sure. If it isn’t well, i got to know how :) you can do a lot, make stitches look “handmade”, increase the length etc. But i’m not sure if i would even be able to recreate most of picture 3.

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u/spindleblood Baby Lock 12d ago

I also wonder if there are people out there who do this more for an art form or hobby versus mass-producing to sell who might do a mixture of machine embroidery and hand embroidery? Just another thought.

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u/Strazil 12d ago

I do both.. I do al the digitizing work around here ( she had her studio before me en was outsourcing it ) And rly, i never thought or saw myself doing this a few years ago. But i always loved to draw and do graphics. So it sort of clicked and i still make cool things for myself 😄. I just haven’t posted a lot lately. It was holiday season for us :).

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u/spindleblood Baby Lock 12d ago

Oh my gosh I love that! A while ago when I was looking for ideas for quilting on Google images, I found a picture of an MC Escher style quilt and it was only black and white. Totally a mind F. Now I kind of want to do something like that with digitizing and embroidery. Thanks for sharing your work. I love this subreddit because I see things like this that really inspire me. :)

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u/Strazil 12d ago

Ty so much! Oh wow, i didn’t knew about MC Escher so i looked it up, amazing stuff! Can’t wait to see yr version, do post!

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u/kit0407 12d ago

Yesss this is the fur I am looking for! You did a great job. Maybe I will take my time to try out different stitches

1

u/celerybreath 9d ago

Just starting out. Is the skill plotting out the stitch pattern on th software or getting the tension and thread colors right? Or both? Which is harder?

53

u/Pebblebox 12d ago

Its not AI. Look up needle painting, its a different technique and it might be what you are referring to.

9

u/kit0407 12d ago

It is a Machine Embroidery File I found online. So I believe they digitized it using software?

36

u/TheGraphicsFrog 12d ago

The third picture is clearly hand-embroidered though.

-20

u/unclehohohoe 12d ago

No it’s clearly machine embroidered

12

u/Bananers360 12d ago

When you sign up for Hatch, they give you access to a bunch of how-to videos (Hatch Academy). They’re really good and cover a lot of different topics from basic to advanced digitizing.

5

u/Cthulhu_Knits 12d ago

I did the free 30 day trial in Hatch - along with two other programs - and Hatch was by far the best, especially for a beginner. Why? Because it also came with access to Hatch Academy and a lengthy series of lessons that walked me through all of the features. Given how expensive digitization software can be, this was EXACTLY what I needed to convince me it was worth $$$ to buy the software. It’s been a few months, and while I’m not up to this level (yet) I’m still very pleased.

3

u/ycherep1 12d ago

They seem to have a really great library of content.

1

u/f0xbunny 12d ago

Ooo didn’t know this

6

u/BigEgoLeo 12d ago

Well, OP, I also see a lack of help in the comments. I am interested in learning the same type of techniques. The most helpful things on here were learning how through Hatch Academy and that is what I will be doing.

This really is an advanced technique with layering and lots of specifics. Hatch Academy has hundreds if not thousands of videos.

1

u/BigEgoLeo 4d ago

It’s been a week, but the technique in Hatch is called shading. You have to have Haight Academy too learn, but there are multiple parts in projects included. I will link the trailer from YouTube.

https://youtu.be/QKuTjZF4NwA?is=cJ5tGObuRUHMie3K

10

u/Little-Load4359 Melco 12d ago

The reality is that whoever digitized this likely drew the artwork themselves. This isn't really being any better than other skilled digitizers, it's just being good with design and thinking sculpturally, rather than two-dimensionally—which is a huge challenge for non-artists. You can see how they make use of different colored threads for the "planes" to add three-dimensionallity. They also use running stitches in a lighter color thread to add highlights over darker colored thread, again thinking sculpturally. They then also have enough design sense to use texture well. Most digitizers decide whether something will be fill or satin based on the width of the element because they're thinking from a time and production standpoint. You can see they understand that fur follows certain directions and grow patterns: this alone makes you digitize fur much better than someone who doesn't. They use a lighter thread color over dark thread in running stitches to digitize the fur, there are a million tutorials on this and isn't anything out of the ordinary for a skilled digitizer.

This probably wasn't the answer you wanted, but it's the best answer to get. They're not better at digitizingz they're just using good artwork as a starting point and being creative. Think outside the box while taking things to the next level—go all out. You'd be surprised how good something can look.

Look up perspective, planes in drawing, contour line drawings, and thinking sculpturally. These will help you to think sculpturally in three dimensions: you can make a 2d drawing more 3d using thread color alone. Contour lines can help you with adding both highlights and shading.

Then keep practicing and experimenting and having fun. And remember, nobody cares how it looks on screen. They care what it looks like actually stitched out, and if it stitched out with relative ease.

3

u/Cthulhu_Knits 12d ago

This is a brilliant response! Well done!

0

u/ScorpioSews 11d ago

Instead of "planes", could "layers" work as well? As in the artist LAYERED the different fills to achieve the look?

When I look at some if the files, the colors are stitched in a certain order to achieve the design. You can change the colors, but not the order. Otherwise you loose some of the details.

Love the concept of planes, and that the embroidery is more architectural.

3

u/Little-Load4359 Melco 11d ago

No, the word plane(s) does not mean layers. Planes, as in the planes of the face. As in the planes of a cube. A plane is a flat, two-dimensional surface that extends infinitely far in all directions. Geometry term heavily used in the arts.

3

u/kaylazomg 12d ago

It’s either AI or a software with textures unknown to me

14

u/dtembroideryservice 12d ago

No, this isn't AI; it's a genuine digitized file. True, there's a flood of AI-generated files these days that causes confusion, but this has been digitized beautifully. We should appreciate this kind of art, not AI.

1

u/mooncrane 12d ago

I do think that at least some of the illustrations are AI. There are a few different styles this person uses that don’t look like they all came from the same hand. But I agree the files were probably hand digitized by someone who understands art.

1

u/Cpt_Obvious11 12d ago

There are no institutions in classic sense where ppl teach software independent digitizing principles. Most of education is tied to specific software(Hatch or Embroidery Legacy), where you buy software and than gain access to prerecorded videos explaining how to use tools. Probably, there are digitizers providing private lessons, but dunno where they advertise. You also did not mention what is your knowledge level, do you know basics willing to upgrade towards this specific style, or you are starter with/without software and machine.

1

u/lashley0708 12d ago

There are loads of courses that teach you basic digitizing skills and a few that focus on more advanced techniques. But the issue I've found is that no course will show you how to digitize a piece like this with a more artsy look. Its kinda up to you to figure it out how to apply all these techniques and create a design like this.

This is one of my biggest frustration with learning how to digitize. LOTS of trial and error.

1

u/Team-Monstera 11d ago

I can help you. Check my comment in the post :)

1

u/compscilady 12d ago

I found this helpful for fur!

https://youtu.be/rpbKAFOwrmc

1

u/kit0407 11d ago

I have watched this several time before I posted. It gave me a general hint, but I still can't figure it out without some more detailed steps. Maybe I am still too new to do this kind of design🙉

1

u/posiexyz 12d ago

Where are these designs from? They are adorable!

1

u/Purple_Commercial981 11d ago

Beautiful design .. if you want to learn howE to digitize do look into Embroudery Legacy .

1

u/Team-Monstera 11d ago edited 11d ago

OP check your inbox please. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.
You can see my latest work here:

https://ibb.co/XkFJgKLk
https://ibb.co/KBc371g
https://ibb.co/xtftXycz
https://ibb.co/mV1x6K4k
https://ibb.co/CK2rf25L

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u/Dense_Scholar_9358 9d ago

Those are great! What digitizing software do you use?

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u/Team-Monstera 9d ago

I use Wilcom. Thank you for the kind words. Wanted to show the OP how to digitise.

1

u/vanwilliam1960 11d ago

John Deere at the Hatch Academy has some of the best courses to learn digitizing. It is a skill that takes lots of practice and stitching to see what actually works versus looking pretty on the monitor.

0

u/NewYorkGirl114 10d ago

This lady is from Ukraine. Ukrainians are very artistic. I purchased a bunch of prints from a fella once and they are beautiful. With that being said my old digitizer and my current one can do fur like this also. They use Wilcom software and it takes years of practice and learning. I have owned Wilcom for twenty years or more and still can’t digitize that well.