Honeymoon Portrait Framed 1 October 2015

[AlwaysGoofy]

Your framer did a lovely job. I'm not sure who chose the mat colors and frame, but they beautifully complement this masterpiece. Thank you for sharing your updates. This has been fun to watch from beginning to end.

[richardandtracy]

I chose both the frame & matts. I wanted a ragged/marbled type look with dark grey on black, but it would have had to be especially printed, so I just went for plain black instead. The matt does look darker in reality, but I do think it has come out well.

Regards,

Richard.

[Sarah Gixxer]

The frame is perfect, what a wonderful finish

[Imme]

Congrats on the finish. It looks great!

[tiffstitch]

Great framing for a fantastic finish and subject. I hope you can find the right place to hang it.

[richardandtracy]

'This hanging in the living room now...

Regards

Richard

[karen4bells]

'This hanging in the living room now...

Regards

Richard

[Kibakyu]

Wow it didn't take you long to finish this amazement! It looked wonderful and got framed perfectly too by the looks of it! Very well done!

[mysterystitcher]

Awesome! I mean the picture.
I am glad you found a good place for it. I am sure your family will keep it as an heirloom. And whatever you will stitch next, I am sure you will tame that one too.

[Lulu22]

How wonderful your wife is very lucky indeed, she looks fabulous framed

[richardandtracy]

Thanks.
We've had it up in the living room most of the year and I still love seeing it.

However, I take it to craft fairs to try to persuade people to either chart their own picture or take advantage of my charting services. In that respect it has been a complete, total and abject failure. I think this is for a number of reasons:-

1. I have had people argue strongly that it's impossible to make a stitched picture so realistic and I'm pedalling hokum/snake oil, and that the picture is actually printed. Even when they look at it in detail they refuse to believe the evidence of their own eyes.
2. The stitches are impossibly small & they couldn't do that (even though I point out they can have the hole count they want up to 6 count).
3. There are too many colours, how would they cope?
4. The picture is too big, how could they cope?
5. The detail seems to scare them off.

It is quite dispiriting actually, how little imagination people have sometimes. I just want to let them soar with the eagles, while they can't conceive of doing more than flitting round groundhogs. People just can't quite believe that the stitches on a 4 colour key ring tag are made in the same way as on a 100 colour portrait and the stitches are all put in one at a time, whatever the project size. They can't imagine that software that can convert an image into 300 colours can also convert it to 10. Also, people seem to have got so used to being passive consumers, choosing between items that are offered that they have got out of the habit of thinking about what they really want to do as opposed to choosing the least bad from the objects they are offered. On one or two occasions I have seen the light dawn in peoples eyes that they can really have exactly what they want, but the feeling was so new for them they needed to go away & think about it - but if the idea took root, I've yet to see the fruits.

There have been one or two amusing incidents at craft fairs with this portrait acting as a catalyst. At one fair the lady in the stall next to mine was selling her art club's pictures, and was so overwhelmed by the portrait that she spent 90% of her customer face time talking about the 'stitched picture' on my stall and only 10% talking about anything on her stall.
At another fair a stall holder from the other side of the room came over to ask me who the photographer was, as she'd like a portrait taken of her daughter. She was speechless when she found it wasn't a photographic print... I also had to admit that, while I was the photographer, it is the only half decent photo I have taken in my life and my chance of doing the same again was just about zero.

Regards,

Richard

[mysterystitcher]

I must admit...I think I'd need something from 1 - 10 count, if I even tried something like that. And I dare to confess I've used to stitch with single colors. I wish I could tell you more about that, but maybe I leave it to other thread.
Your portrait is amazing! I do not wonder the reactions are like that. You can stitch! Those, who have seen me stitching have said they can see I have made a stitch or two before. I admit I have, but I am just a miserable beginner, if I compare my modest skills to yours. And you dare to stitch on black!
OK, I've stitched on black too, I admit it. But sometimes it is necessary. And I think there will be a lot of black in my future. I mean a lot of black yarn stitched on black canvas. And then some dark purple stitching. But that's another story for another thread.

[Weedaisy]

I never thought that one could create decent charts from photos and it makes me want to have charts made for a couple of my family photos. How would one go about doing that?

[richardandtracy]

See PM

Regards,

Richard

[Mabel Figworthy]

Don't be dispirited Richard - you have created a work of beauty, skill and love, and in the process inspired many here on the Forum, and I have no doubt some of the other people who saw the work as well, even if it wasn't instantaneous. I think that was probably because they were so stunned by what they were seeing that they needed time to "give it a place" in their ideas of what stitching is!

Over time I've learnt that some people are simply not ambitious, and that's fine. Actually, often it can be that people are simply ambitious in different ways from us. In many ways, I'm not ambitious myself - I don't want a high-flying successful job, I have no desire to climb Mount Everest or anything even a tenth the size, I have no bucket list - and I firmly believe that if you're not built that way, then that's just the way it is. But when I learnt to build websites, I found the WYSIWYG programs so messy and frustrating that I learnt to code, and to code well and cleanly; and when I got into stitching, well...

When I then tried to teach other people coding/stitching, some were interested in learning the details or trying new things, but others simply wanted to know as much as they needed for the project they were working on, and leave it at that.

One day you will bump into the person who sees the Honeymoon Portrait and goes "I want to do something like that!" - and you'll be able to help them realise that dream. The other people who admire the portrait but don't want to do something like it, well, perhaps they just have different dreams . Just please don't let it discourage you from creating your beautifully detailed works!

[jagord]

That is absolutely gorgeous! Wonderful job!

[Serinde]

Richard, I can only echo Mabel here. What you have accomplished -- both the portrait and the software -- is astonishing. Other people don't see what you do and they are obviously prepared to not believe their eyes. Try not to be discouraged, because your real audience is out there, and you'll find each other.

[richardandtracy]

Mabel & Serinde, it is possible your predictions are correct.

I went to a craft fair last weekend, and instead took the smaller & less frightening eyes ('I'm Watching You'). There was a stall holder there who does all sorts of intricate stitched articles (one of the simplest being a double scissor scabbard - no idea how she can do it), has done a lot of cross stitch over the years but has always wanted to stitch up some photos but never had a way of making good quality charts. Having seen my wife's portrait, she now apparently wants me to chart six of her photos. When I asked how many colours, she said 'As many as possible'! That was really nice to hear. She prefers 22ct Aida, 1 over 1 full cross (so no blending) and has a full set of DMC & Anchor.
Given the number of images she wanted converted, I suggested that it would be more cost effective if she did the conversions herself. But if she wished, I could teach her how to use my software while doing the first one. There was a slight wobble at the thought of buying software (she doesn't have to), but now she's coming round sometime next week, armed with her laptop and dozens of photos...

Edited to add a link to my next project:
http://www.crossstitchforum.com/viewtop ... =6&t=27900

Regards,

Richard.

[kandifloss]

Stunning portrait. Glad you have someone with the same dreams as yourself, portraits with many colours as possible. Good you are willing to teach her & you should be able to share ideas. Can imagine how dis-spirited you were at the shows but if you wait long enough things you wish for often come true.

Kandi