Realistic Embroidered Portraiture: Tell Stories with Color

Learn how to apply a painterly approach to color and stitching to develop monochromatic portraits with a meaningful message behind them

• Introduction
• Preparation: Knowledge and Materials
• Photo Editing and Portrait Production
• Stitching, Blending, and Refining
• Final project

Through a combination of carefully chosen textures and colors, you can create realistic portraits with textile art. This creative potential is what drew mixed-media artist Nneka Jones to the craft. She is known for her experimental embroidery, which is inspired by her Caribbean heritage and tells important stories of social injustice. Her work has been featured on the cover of TIME magazine and in the Tampa Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

In this course, Nneka teaches you how to apply a painterly approach to color and stitching to develop realistic portraits with meaningful messages behind them. Explore experimental techniques to embroider monochromatic works of art that inspire positive change. Discover a new way to express yourself and craft contemporary portraits with thread.