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The
traditional method is to draw a design on paper, trace the
outline onto a canvas and stitch it. So let's try it.
 I've taken a small design (a
heart) and traced it onto two different canvases using a
waterproof marking pen. One piece of canvas is 12 count
and the other is 14 count. First I fill in the
heart (in yellow on 12 ct. and in pink on 14 ct.). Then
I stitch the background.
These are the
designs finished as needle holders. Obviously, the higher the
count, the more accurate the design.
 Next let's
try a design with shading. I've drawn the outline of a flower
on paper and again traced it on my canvas. I'm using an
actual photograph here and will be constantly referring to
this photo as I stitch. You'll find this is much easier
than trying to imagine the shading. There
are four activities involved here: choosing a subject, drawing
the design, choosing colours and shading the design.
Obviously,
you'll choose a subject that interests you, but some subjects
are more easily adaptable than others. I wasted several
evenings working on another flower that I just couldn't
manage. This flower was traced and stitched in an
evening.
I've used
only four colours: two yellows and two beiges. First I
stitched the dark and light highlights. Click
to view. Then I filled in the balance of the flower and
placed a couple of long stitches in the centre as stamens.
Here is the Finished Design.
And that's the entire process. Certainly you will get better
with practice, but the key is to try it in the first place.
On the topic
of colour, I have a bad habit of choosing colours that are
similar, as the two yellows are in this design. The
result is that it's difficult to see the difference. Using
very dissimilar colours gives much better results.
For
inspiration, I thought I'd end this section with an example of
what a gifted designer can do. This is a picture
taken by me last year on the Ehrman Tour. Elian Mccready
was working on this design which appears on the cover of a
former Ehrman catalog.
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