ImagesMagUK_April_2021

www.images-magazine.com 72 images APRIL 2021 TIPS & TECHNIQUES Want to achieve picture perfection? Dominic Bunce of embroidery digitiser David Sharp explains how to transform photos into realistic- looking embroidery T urning a photo into an embroidery takes skill and patience, with colour choice being of utmost importance – get it wrong, and it can affect the whole look, but get it right and you will produce an exceptional piece of work. Using a mixture of stitch techniques, you can add realistic definition to a design. With this piece, a memorial cushion that we digitised for our customer Logo Prints, we used the freehand tool in Wilcom’s e4.5 software to produce the detailing on the shirt– creating the chequered pattern – along with a mixture of light satin stitches, single run stitches and also some light density tatami fills to create the required definition. By using defined splits on the fills, it is possible to add life-like ripples on things like the T-shirt while keeping the stitch count low. The introduction of a satin on the collar of the T-shirt, along with different direction tatami fills, helps add definition, rather than a flat fill. The use of freehand lines and light tatamis on the hairline and beard further add to the detailing. As the design was going onto a stable canvas fabric, we were able to maintain Creating embroideries from photos is a niche market, attracting premium prices Wilcom’s freehand tool was used to create the shirt’s chequered pattern Using defined splits on the fills creates life-like ripples on the T-shirt Freehand lines and light tatamis were used to recreate an authentic hairline Getting real machine efficiency with minimum underlay settings where possible, and keep densities and stitch lengths low on fills to ensure the design was not too dense on layers. While large designs such as this are often heavy on the stitch count (this one was 30,622, and measured 120mm x 120mm), the end result is a unique piece that will be treasured for years to come by the recipients. Remember, these techniques can be used for animals as well as people. It’s a niche market producing one-off, premium products such as this, and as a result this type of work commands a high price. www.davidsharp.co.uk