Drew Nelson using Reef PhotoStitch
Unique Embroidery Masterpiece by Drew Nelson using Reef PhotoStitch
Over the years, I’ve often been asked, “How did you do that?”
Today, Wilcom invites me to share my process with you. For those familiar with Reef PhotoStitch, you already know it’s an exceptional tool. While you might know the basics, there are advanced techniques that can be used with Reef PhotoStitch to elevate your designs.
I’m excited to show you how I used Reef PhotoStitch to create this distinctive one-off design. Follow along with me:
A Drew Nelson Creation
showcasing Reef PhotoStitch
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Come along as I replicate this design using Reef PhotoStitch. I start with artwork created by Yvette Marie of DragonMuseArtworks.com
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Color Separation: I begin by separating the image into the CMYK color separations and applied Reef PhotoStitch to each of the 4 colors. However, I added a few additional steps. After bringing in the first color (cyan), I copied both the image and the stitches, then pasted them into a new page before deleting them and moving on to the next color (magenta).
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Repeat for Each Color: I repeated this process for all 4 colors, so each color has its own page with the image. Now, I have 5 pages: one for each color (cyan, magenta, yellow), and two for black. Yes, I copied and pasted one for black.
Then I copied each color onto a new page, so now I have all 4 colors on one page. For this design, I chose a medium grey background to match the twill I selected. Remember, your fabric color will significantly impact the final appearance once it’s sewn out.
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Add More Colors for Depth: Next, I went back to the other black page, inverted the colors to white, then copied and pasted it into the 4-color page. Now, I have 6 pages and moved the white to the beginning of the color sequence. As you can see, this added a lot of depth.
Tip: After following these steps, if you are not satisfied with the results, you can go back to your color pages and resample until you get your desired look. Don’t delete your previous stitches, just hide them so you can compare as you go.
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Organize Color Pages:To make the orange stand out, I moved the yellow to the 2nd position and cyan to the 4th. I also changed the thread colors to get closer to what I wanted. At this stage, it’s already looking good, but not quite what I wanted.
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Edit: I removed unwanted stitches and separated different parts that I wanted to change. The detail was too light in the hair, and I really wanted to show the curls. I went back to my yellow page, inverted the colors, and the results were pretty good. I separated the hair part and pasted it in.
It still was not what I wanted, so I digitized the curls and placed them after the white to soften the image.
Only 5 color changes and 12 trims! While this design is now ideal for production, in this case, it will be a unique art piece!
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Going for Perfection: I returned to the cyan page, resampled and inverted it to get more white in the hair. I separated the hair area, and pasted it in. To get more colors, I went back to my color pages, resampled, inverting all colors and changing the Reef PhotoStitch settings as needed since each color doesn’t require the same settings.
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The Perfect Shade: I used the knife tool to separate and change colors in areas that I wanted until I ended up with 14 colors. I changed the black to Madeira 1617 Slate Purple and the white to 1803 Cream White to help soften the overall design. I moved the colors around in different layers until I got the desired effects in each area. I moved many nodes to refine certain areas.
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Final Adjustments: Once, all the layering was done, I branched some areas to reduce the trims. Not all areas could be branched without significant changes, so I left those alone and accepted a higher trim count. The multiple layers really added a lot of depth and texture.
Resampling, clipping, layering, and moving nodes were very time-consuming. Once satisfied with the design, I suggest always keeping a backup!
Unique Embroidery Masterpiece
From start to finish, this project took nearly 60 hours of trial and error but well worth the effort. The final stitch count is 208,346 and the size is 12 x 6.822 inches.
60
HOURS
208,346
STITCH COUNT
12
INCHES
Drew Nelson's Masterpiece
