Inside: 27 face embroidery ideas of different kinds of faces… and there are a lot.
There are several genres of art and style that may have led you to this post.
Hundreds of different kinds of faces appear when you search for “face embroidery,” from video game characters to animals to cool minimalist artworks. Whichever category you fit in, you came to the right place. We’re going to cover it all today, so buckle up and find the face you’re looking for!
It’s more than likely you’re here for a piece of abstract art that includes a face. If you were searching for a specific character you likely would have included that in your search, but we’ll cover it all anyway. Whoever’s face you’re embroidering today is going to be a good one.
Artwork of any style and medium that depicts faces is so striking– and no two pieces are the same.
Character and animal faces are adorable too to add to fun little denim jackets or pillows to go in a game room.
Best Stitches To Use
When working on a new form of imagery, not only do you have to figure out all the new kinds of details and techniques that it entails to portray the right image. But you do also have to learn the technical techniques to make the picture the best that it can be.
One of these technical questions you should ask is which stitch will give you the best outcome.
The right stitch makes the world of a difference, and even if you use what everyone else tells you that you should use, it may not give you YOUR favorite outcome. As an artist and as a crafter, it’s all about using your own expertise to decide what you prefer.
So I will relay different stitches to use that I prefer or that others have voiced their preference of, but as you begin to practice face embroidery, decide for yourself what your favorite style is! What gives you the best aesthetic to your embroidery? What makes your art come to life? Give it all a try until you find out what makes art that you’re excited to show off.
The top two recommended stitches for embroidering faces are satin stitch and split stitch. These both give very different looks for facial features and textures, but both are perfect to use to embroider a face.
Again, try both of these or try something different to decide what your favorite way to make face artwork is.
A Few Tips Getting Started
New techniques shouldn’t be overwhelming. Conquer a few beginner’s tips to get started and go from there. It can only go up and practice makes perfect.
When starting something new, don’t overcomplicate it.
People that are super well-versed in embroidering faces say that the best thing you can do when starting to embroider faces is to simplify it. If it’s a detailed face, don’t try to tackle all of the details. Simply bring down the complexity of the details and start there. When you’re finished, it may not look like the character you set out to create, but it will be good practice narrowing down and perfecting the features you do leave in.
Then after you’ve had a bit of practice, start adding in some of the finer details to your next projects that include faces.
Check out the details on a piece that you really admire. If you have a friend who is a novice at embroidery, including faces, maybe see if you can borrow one of their pieces and really look at the details of how they created the image.
- How did she outline the mouth?
- What direction is the stitching in?
- How did she fill in the colors on the eyes to create that dimensional look?
Observing from other’s successes helps you to see how you should craft your own. It’s all about learning and growing in your art and your craft. Get to studying, learning, and practicing.
Different Styles Of Face Embroidery
There are three main styles of embroidered faces, and you’re likely familiar with all of them one way or another.
Simple – Think minimalist line work.
Cartoonish – Your favorite cartoon characters! Lack of detail but made to be like a full face.
Realistic – All the details included, humanizing the image a little more than a usual cartoon face.
These are all artistic styles you will likely use for different occasions and to bring different projects to life. There might be some that even include combinations of these styles like a cartoon-like outline shape. Never put creativity in a box!
Let’s get into some examples and patterns of each style.
Game And Movie Characters
These might be some of the most common. People love to depict their favorite characters into art. It’s been a tradition forever! More currently known as fanart, usually in the fanfiction sector, there is plenty of artwork like drawings, graphics, and embroidery that depicts characters in a fanart fashion.
Here are some of these characters in embroidered form.
1. Nemo
2. The Grinch
3. Dale
4. Luigi
5. Harry Potter Trio
6. BB-8
Abstract Art
The simple lines and abstract face art has been all the rage the last couple years, it’s everywhere! I’ve seen fabric printed with little abstract faces on it, wire earrings made with the one line work, the list goes on of the way that people are using these face designs.
Hop on board with some of these simple face embroidery ideas!
7. Colors And Shapes
8. Realism Through Colors
9. Funk And Outlines
10. Geometric
11. Outline
12. Lavender
Detailed Art
Detailed art with embroidery is a tough trick to learn.
Embroidery can feel easy in a way when you feel like you’re just following patterns all the time. However, it’s a pretty detailed process and you only learn how to work the details as you go!
13. Incredible Detail
14. Baby Face
15. True Art
16. Minimalist Details
17. Facial Portrait
18. Line Work
19. Natural Beauty
Different Face Embroidery Patterns
Here are some examples of some of the more miscellaneous and combined versions of these different styles of face embroidery.
They may not all fit into one category, and that’s what makes them all pretty cool.
20. Mixed Textures
21. Line Work
22. Detailed Colors
23. Frida Portrait
24. Chunky Glasses Details
25. Hidden Face
26. Audrey Hepburn
27. Best Friends
Art that depicts a human face is always a difficult skill to master. It’s all of the nuanced details that we don’t realistically pick up on the way that we want to that makes a human’s face recognizable by their friends. It’s a different story altogether when the details go away and you don’t know why you don’t recognize the artwork of your friend.
Learning to read the lines of a face takes time and practice and you will conquer it. It may be a difficult feat, but I know you can do it! You just have to study faces like the great artists have. Leonardo da Vinci was known more for his study sketches than his actual artwork. It takes skill and development and lots of hours of study.
Some more cool embroidery artwork can be found with these Japanese embroidery ideas that I think you’ll love.
I’m Victoria Hudgins and I believe in learning embroidery to express all the fun and joy that is within you. With the right instruction you can be sure your next threaded project is one you’ll love to keep or gift.