Embroidery Stitched Atop Carefree Watercolor Washes is Portraiture Reimagined

Artist Taisiya Kovali fus­es paint­ing with an embroi­dery tech­nique known as thread paint­ing to craft exquis­ite por­trai­ture. Start­ing with a detailed pen draw­ing and flu­id wash­es of vibrant col­or, she then stitch­es atop the paint­ing. The thread offers a way to refine her sub­ject mat­ter while giv­ing it depth and form; the stitch­es are point­ed in dif­fer­ent direc­tions to round out the face and show the unpre­dictabil­i­ty of hair.  Beneath it all, the wash stays vis­i­ble and offers a sat­is­fy­ing foil to the pre­cise lines of thread.

From the looks of her Insta­gram, it seems that Taisiya has only recent­ly start­ed this body of work. I’m look­ing for­ward to see­ing more—including the fin­ished ver­sions of the pieces she has already started.