Helen M. Stevens is a world-class British embroider who does spectacular natural scenes. She posted a tip for stitching creatures with spots on her Facebook page. For those without a FB account, I'll quote Helen as she talks about the spotted butterfly example she posted-- "If you work the spots and other markings FIRST, and then flood the rest of the radial stitching in around them, you will achieve a smooth, even texture for the wing - not unlike the effect on the creature itself. Working the spots on top of the base colour will create an uneven, unconvincing texture...." Helen calls this the Dalmation Dog technique. By radial stitching she means satin stitch laid carefully but not necessarily covering the background fabric completely.
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