SInce, in prior posts, I have tackled EMBROIDERED STIPPLING and EMBROIDERED PAINTING this time I decided I would try a combination of those two posts; EMBROIDERED POINTILLISM! In this post I will use all french knots to create a “painted” embroidery.
I started with a small painting of a rose that I made from our Thanksgiving bouquet.
I scanned the painting into my computer then printed it on Stitch and Washaway paper.
This paper is fantastic to trace or print embroidery designs from your home printer. It has a paper backing that you tear away when you are done tracing or printing. You are left with a sticky backing that you can apply to your background fabric. Once the design has been affixed to the fabric, stitch the design. When you are done just rinse in warm water to dissolve the stabilizer.
I used a white cotton fabric to apply the stabilizer to. First I prepared the fabric by adding light interfacing to the back of the fabric. Just iron the textured side of the interfacing to the “wrong” side of the fabric. This step is totally optional but I like the stability it gives the fabric. It also makes the fabric less transparent so you can’t see the stitching in the back from the front. Once I have prepared the fabric, I place it in a hoop then affix my design in the center. Now the fun part, start stitching! This ‘painting’ was made using all french knots to represent pointillism. (Pointillism is a painting technique of using small dots of different colors to form an image.) If you want to see some examples of paintings using this technique, look up the works of George Seurat. When you view the painting up close it just looks like a bunch of random colored dots but when you view it from further away, the dots form a pattern and/or image.
In watercolor technique, I start with the very lightest light color then build up layers of color on top of that. In this experiment I added both the lightest lights and darkest darks to give me context and just because they were the easiest to spot first. The subtler colors were going to require a little more thought.
To represent the “dots” I am using the FRENCH knot. It is the only stitch I use for this painting. To learn the FRENCH KNOT click HERE. There is even a free printable that you can print out on the stick and washaway to practice on!
It is a good idea to use your original painting or image as a color reference since you can see that the printed version is more dull.
Just keep referencing your original image and continue to fill in the colors that you see. If you look closely you can see that a lot of the colors are close but not exact but it still gets the idea across.
Observed up close you just see a random group of knots all smooshed together.
Zoom back out and you start to see the image of the rose forming.
I like looking at the ball of colors that I used for the palette. I think this is so interesting in any medium and one of the reasons I love art. If you observe anything closely enough you will find an amazing rainbow of colors that turns any ordinary object into something extraordinary and beautiful! I would never have looked at that ball of colors and thought “Definitely, a rose”.
Well I hope you have enjoyed this post and you will give it a try! If you are feeling a little cautious start with a really small design. If you want to brush up on your french knots, click HERE for my full tutorial and FREE PRINTABLE to practice on!
Hope you are able to sneak some “you” time in over the holidays to relax and stitch!
Thanks for stopping by!
Warmly,
Pam