ImagesMagUK_December_2021

www.images-magazine.com 66 images DECEMBER 2021 TIPS & TECHNIQUES Selecting the right colours to bring a pet alive in thread can be tricky. Dominic Bunce of digitiser David Sharp shares his insider info on how to be the best in show A ssigning colours can be a task when it comes to embroidery – a nice Pantone reference isn’t always available. Working with animals in particular can be a little daunting, especially as you will most likely be matching colours to a photo provided by your client and not the actual animal in the flesh. This labrador is a beauty, and belongs to Karen at The Champion Corporate Clothing Co, and we were only too happy to digitise her beloved lab and assist in the colour. Everyone has their own unique way of assigning colours, and here is our take on it. Firstly, we digitise in Wilcom, which gives an advantage due to the use of the colour wheel tool. This allows you to select your colours based on the original artwork – simply use the colour wheel to select the appropriate shades and then adjust the brightness along the bottom in order to achieve the most accurate colour. As you work through the design, matching up the colours that suit the original image, it helps with the assigning of the thread references. Once you are happy with your colour selection, you can use the ‘Match All’ feature within Wilcom to automatically assign the thread brands of your preference. We use Madeira Classic 40 Rayon for our colours, but it will work with any selected colour palette. Something to consider is that on-screen thread representations can often vary slightly from the stitched-out version. This is due to on screen tolerances, but the colours will also alter slightly depending on the base colour of the garment or the material on to which you are stitching. Picking colours that are too similar will not work well – a good contrast is key. The finished embroidery of Karen’s labrador comprised 17,269 stitches and measured 90mm by 80mm. There were five colours and 28 trims, and it took around 24 minutes to stitch using 75/11 needles on canvas. www.davidsharp.co.uk Animal magic This is the same design as bottom left with no alterations apart from a change in the thread colours to get the most realistic finish The Wilcom colour wheel tool allows you to select the right shade (as shown by the red arrow) and level of brightness The wrong colours can make or break a design, as you can see here