Creation of Embroidered Portraits
A course by BugambiloVisual Artist
A course by Bugambilo, Visual Artist
Learn to illustrate portraits by combining embroidery techniques
Whenever diverse artistic disciplines come together, beauty and innovation abound. Artist Sol Kesseler, also known as Bugambilo, takes her illustrations to another level by capturing them on canvas with a needle and thread, creating and embroidering truly expressive and unique pieces.
In this online course, join her as she guides you through her creative process to create an image with thread, combining traditional techniques and a contemporary embroidery style.
What will you learn in this online course?
21 lessons & 28 downloads
What are we going to do?
1 minute, 53 seconds
Let's assemble the seamstress
7 minutes, 24 seconds
What do we talk about when we say portrait?
11 minutes, 8 seconds
Let's look for the reference
13 minutes, 2 seconds
Let's choose the palette
10 minutes, 18 seconds
Light matters, we make up with grays
10 minutes, 30 seconds
What's included in this course?
Bugambilo starts by explaining a little about herself and how a coincidence led her to start embroidering. She shares her influences and some resources that may inspire you in your creation process.
Get to grips with the materials required and equip your sewing box with everything you need. Then, choose a portrait photograph to embroider. Come up with some words to describe your project and try to convey them within the project itself.
Sol creates an embroidered color wheel with primary and secondary colors, explaining the advantages of having one made of thread, but you can use whatever version you have at hand.
She then teaches you to draw your design and create a guide to embroider from. Now it’s time to transfer the image to fabric, all while creating a feeling of volume and texture with the lines you draw. Next, learn how to create linear embroidery stitches and back stitches to start working on the portrait.
Start by embroidering the eyes, the focus of the image. Continue with the nose and mouth, learning to differentiate lines that build volume or delimit shapes. Then, embroider the hair by keeping your hand relaxed to achieve a looser stitch.
Discover the importance of being familiar with the fabric weave to get the most out of it. Bugambilo also explains how to combine the lacing and darning techniques to add to what you already know and create the character's clothing with patchwork appliqués.
To finish, you will embroider the background pattern of the image and learn some tips to add the final touches to your creation.
What is this course's project?
Make an embroidered portrait using the photograph of your choice. Craft a portrait drawn with a needle and thread.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Craft enthusiasts and anyone who wants to learn to draw with embroidery by working with a combination of traditional and contemporary techniques to create a unique portrait.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience in embroidery or drawing is needed. Bugambilo shows you a step-by-step approach to creating an expressive portrait.
As for materials, you'll need a photograph, fabric, some thread (e.g. Mouliné and Perlé sewing thread), scissors, an embroidery hoop, carbon paper, pencil, and paper.
Reviews
- 3 months ago
Adorei o curso! Recomendo.
- 3 months ago
Estou fazendo o curso, estou amando cada detalhe, eu recomendo, em breve deixarei meu trabalho.
- 4 months ago
Excelente curso!!! Me encanto!!! Ya estoy pensando en el proximo de bordado
- 4 months ago
I was looking for that special technique that make portraits look alive without the heavily threaded faces, and I have finally found it. Realistic portrait embroidery. I never knew embroidered portraits could have looked so natural and real. I love the way this tutor uses different weights of thread for realistic definitions. I really learned a lot and is enjoying this course, it has opened up my senses to a new and useful form of creating portraits.
- 5 months ago
Very artistic approach to embroidery. I loved how this course opened up the way I viewed embroidery.
She currently has her own studio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she embroiders her illustrations and teaches others to discover their passion for thread.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What are we going to do?
- U2
Embroider as drawing
- Let's assemble the seamstress
- What do we talk about when we say portrait?
- Let's look for the reference
- U3
Let's think about colors
- Let's choose the palette
- Light matters, we make up with grays
- U4
The line guides us
- Sketch and tracing
- Transfer to the web
- To embroider line I
- To embroider line II
- The look I
- The look II
- Nose and mouth
- Hair I
- Hair II
- U5
The structures: weft and warp
- Dressing the character
- Background I
- Background II
- Closing and conclusions
- FP
Final project
- Creation of embroidered portraits
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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FAQs
Embroidered portraiture is an art form that blends textile embroidery with the depiction of faces. This course covers everything from selecting materials to crafting detailed, expressive, and realistic portraits on fabric, incorporating drawing, color, and composition techniques.
No prior embroidery experience is required, but basic sewing or drawing skills are recommended. This is an intermediate-level course offering step-by-step guidance and resources for those looking to deepen their skills in textile portraiture.
To get started, you'll need fabric, embroidery threads, specialized needles, an embroidery hoop, scissors, an HB pencil, carbon paper, and a reference photo. Having scissors sharpeners and an organized sewing kit is also recommended to streamline your work.
You’ll learn how to analyze photo references, transfer drawings to fabric, choose color palettes, create simplified sketches, build volume, apply stitch and applique techniques, and finish embroidered portraits with realism and artistic expression.
The course teaches image transfer methods like tracing with carbon paper and sketch simplification. You’ll master precise techniques to maintain proportions and make the embroidery process easier.
Techniques such as shading stitches, satin stitch, and layering threads in varying tones are used to create volume, gradients, and realistic textures for embroidered hair, beards, and eyebrows.
The course guides you through using the color wheel, tonal keys, and harmony principles to select color palettes that create expressive, cohesive combinations matching your reference photo.