Punch Needle Embroidery: From Pictures to Portraits
A course by Sara Luna, Textile Artist
Learn to use yarn to create expressive textile portraits of your favorite person.
Embroidery takes on a whole new meaning with the unique touch that Sara Luna brings to the sewing table. She elegantly combines embroidery portraiture with striking color scales to create depth in her creations, which brings them life.
Learn to create stunning embroidered portraits from pictures that convey warmth and emotion. Discover the endless possibilities when playing with different types of yarn, needle sizes, and color patterns to create beautiful textile pieces.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 16 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin with getting to know Sara. As a textile artist with a background in digital illustration and visual arts, she brings together the best of both worlds in her work. With very diverse influences, she has come to develop a distinct style of her own.
Learn the difference between the various sizes of needles, and how to choose the best yarn to work with. Sara explores different color palettes and plays with cold and warm tones to create a color gradient, which makes the different shades of yarn color compliment each other.
Sara shares her tips for selecting the perfect portrait photo. Using the digital format of your photo, work with an online editor to create a tonal pattern. Then, prepare your frame and map out your pattern on the fabric. Sara also reveals her secrets about how to ensure that the different tones of wool work well together.
Now the fun begins. Learn the different techniques to give your embroidered portrait heart and depth. The key is in the specific directions your needle should follow to achieve the desired effect. Start with the darker tones, where there is more detail, and work your way through to the lighter tones. Finish your portrait by filling in the background. Though it might seem simple, it has its own tricks.
A creation is only as good as its presentation. Discover the best way to frame your embroidery in a round frame. Make it more durable and resistant, and center it properly. Now your embroidered portrait is ready to be hung and light up the room.
- 99% positive reviews (185)
- 4,237 students
- 16 lessons (1h 41m)
- 16 additional resources (2 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a color pattern from a photograph and make an embroidered portrait with a punch needle.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to learn about embroidery color palettes or create embroidered portraits with a punch needle.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of the punch needle technique is required for this course.
For this course, you need a punch needle, 4 shades of wool or thread, a hoop and fabric, a second smaller hoop for framing, parchment paper, permanent markers, access to a printer, and a large stapler.
Reviews
Sara Luna
A course by Sara Luna
Sara Luna is a visual artist and illustrator with a specialization in textile art. She grew up surrounded by weavers and craft makers in her family. Throughout the course of her studies, she began to experiment with a variety of materials, from watercolors to digital tools until she found her niche. When she moved to the US, she rediscovered the punch needle and honed her skill.
Her work has been exhibited in New York City and Salt Lake City, where she currently resides. She’s been featured in Create! Magazine and Carper Contemporary. All of her work can be found on her website.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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What We Will Do in This Course?
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U2
Getting Ready
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Materials
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Choosing the Right Color Palettes
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Photography
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U3
Pattern-making
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The Preparation of the Digital Photo
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Handmade Pattern-making
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U4
Let's Start Punching
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Transferring and Framing
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How to Know in Which Direction to Punch
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Start Punching Your Portrait 1
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Start Punching Your Portrait 2
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Finalize the Face with the Lighter Tones
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The Background
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U5
How to Present Your Piece of Art
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Final Touches
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Sealing the Back, Framing and Recommendations
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FP
Final project
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Punch Needle Embroidery: From Pictures to Portraits
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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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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Connect with a global creative community
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Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and covers the entire process of creating a punch needle portrait, from image selection to final framing, with step-by-step guidance.
You’ll need punch needle tools, yarns of different colors, embroidery fabric, a frame, tracing paper, scissors, a stapler, and access to basic photo editing software like Pixlr.
You’ll learn to select and edit images, create patterns, blend yarns for gradients, apply punch needle techniques, troubleshoot mistakes, and professionally frame your finished textile portrait.
Choose a high-resolution, close-up portrait with clear facial features and detail. The course explains how to evaluate and crop images for optimal results.
No previous experience is necessary. The course starts with basics, making it accessible to absolute beginners.
You’ll create sample hoops to compare yarn tones and temperatures, then blend multiple shades and strands to achieve seamless color gradients as taught in the course.
If a stitch comes out or is loose, simply re-punch the needle in the same spot to secure the yarn. The course provides troubleshooting tips for common punch needle issues.
This course was incredibly helpful. I am currently working on a punch needle portrait for the first time and couldn't figure out why it looked "flat". I came across this course and the tips were incredibly helpful. The stitiching direction tips that I learned made my project look more "3D". What I learned here was information that I was never able to find on my online searches. She's a great teacher as well and easy to understand.
Didática muito boa e dicas práticas. O passo a passo ajuda muito pra que não fiquem dúvidas no processo. Adorei!
J'ai bien apprécié cette formation. Je n'ai malheureusement pas pratiqué beaucoup mais je reviendrai sur les informations disponible dans ce cours. Merci beaucoup pour ce partage de connaissances.
curso ótimo, dedicada excelente da professora, consegui completar meu projeto com êxito por meio das instruções dela. recomendo!
Me encanta este curso de retratos con punch needle, muy bien explicado hasta el más mínimo detalle para tener un resultado final exitoso. Fue un gusto verlo y me animaré a hacer uno con mis agujas y mis telas aunque no son iguales pero muy parecidas. Excelente!