Digitizing Faces VIII Embroidery Project

Human hair is generally complex and busy, so it becomes a section that requires a lot of attention to detail. At first glance, it might seem that hair must be created using hundreds of individual run stitches, but this is not the case. In Figure 7, you can see that the hair is a series of fill stitches. Each filled area has a different stitch angle in order to set it apart visually from the adjacent areas. In addition, the edges of the fill patterns overlap one another, therefore providing texture and a three-dimensional look. The bangs appear to be run stitches, but are simply “jagged” extensions of fill patterns. You will also notice that some of the fill stitches in the top layers have a lower density that those below, with the end result being a more lifelike textured appearance.

Faces are a challenge and there are many ways to digitize each and every one. Size, detail and concept all play a part. The final design must look like the original artwork, yet it must be understood that it doesn’t have to mirror it exactly. There are many cases where the final stitches are more of an interpretation than a recreation of the original image. But that is the subjective nature of digitizing.