the-pattern-gremlin

[the-pattern-gremlin]

Blog Status

hi, I made this blog back in 2020 while on a pattern making binge, but never got around to finishing it. As such, it's a bit of a mess, and lots of things are outdated. I may or may not update it in the future, but for now, tread with caution.

[the-pattern-gremlin]

Hey Anon! Since @asmeesh so kindly gave permission for this, I went ahead and did a quick pattern for their Jolteon pixel art for you~

PDF pattern w/ color | PDF pattern w/o color

But I also wanted to take the opportunity to explain how I did it, in case anyone else would like to try their hand at the other two patterns, or even making their own pattern from scratch!

Please remember to only make patterns for art where the artist has given permission!

Details on how to make patterns (and notes about this pattern) can be found below the cut :]

So the first hurdle most people have is how to get started on a pattern. I know a few folks who use normal art programs for this, but I'm personally a fan of StitchFiddle, a site specifically for creating color block patterns for crafts like cross-stitch, perler, and diamond art.

Here is a link to my stitch fiddle for this pattern - you can view it without an account, or create an account to make your own edits to it! Accounts are free, with some extra features behind a cheap premium option. (They don't auto-renew you btw, so you can just pay for a month here and there when you're actually using it - they're great, I love them)

The next hurdle is actually translating the pixel art onto the pattern. While there are some automated options for this, you're generally not going to get good results without doing this part by hand. Pixel art doesn't always translate 1-to-1 with cross-stitch patterns, especially when the art wasn't created with cross-stitch in mind. That can be because of pixel size inconsistencies, jpeg or other compression artifacts, or because the auto-color-picking did a terrible job.

Remember, digital art can have thousands and thousands of different color shades, but cross-stitch is limited to the thread colors you can find. With the most common brand in my area (DMC), there's only 500 or so options, and that means sometimes you have to make changes to the original design to make it work.

Luckily, StitchFiddle does have some tools to help you with this! You can search colors by brand code, name, and by RGB or hex codes - so all you need to do is use an eyedropper in your favorite art program to grab the color from the original, search StitchFiddle for that color, and just pick the one that fits best.

And that's it! Now just find yourself a good setup where you can work on the pattern while referencing the original and start counting pixels the same way you'll be counting stitches :]

Quick final notes:

yes, the pattern doesn't have the same vibrancy as the original - see issues with DMC colors above (lemon really is the brightest yellow they have 😔). You can try your hand with some of their neon options if you want to get a little crazy lol

no, I didn't add the sparkles at the top from the original art - there's a lot of ways you could choose to add them so I opted to leave it open to the individual crafter

remember that the color on your screen may not match your thread exactly - best to reference the thread in person or online whenever possible

StitchFiddle is not the only option out there! Plenty of other apps do similar things - feel free to experiment and let me know how you like the competitors.

if you'd prefer to do the pattern with a normal art program or excel, there are still tools to help you pick colors - check out this one for DMC colors.

I revived a dead blog to make this post, so don't mind the mess :']

Hii!

I hope you are doing well : )

Have you ever thought about making a cross-stitch pattern out of your evee pixel art? I absolutely adore them and would love to cross-stitch them someday.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this (and respond if you end up doing so)

Hello! I have, but I don't know a darn thing about cross-stitch. I wish I did! That would be fun.

If anyone wants to give that a go, feel free!

[the-pattern-gremlin]

Frequently Asked Questions

Why? Because I’ve been making patterns for myself for a while, and it seems a waste that I’m the only one that can use them.

Do I need to credit you? Nope! These patterns are completely free to use, however you want. Feel free to tag me if you use them though, I’d love to see your work!

How often do you make patterns? Honestly? Whenever I have the time and urge to. I do try to have a pattern up every day, but that’s usually by queueing a collection I burned through in an afternoon. I may or may not have big gaps between uploads depending on my availability and interest, but I’ll generally try to get to requests on priority.

Do you take requests? I do! Make sure my header says requests are open, and you’re asking for something I’ll be able to find good references for. Keep in mind, I’m not an artist, so I can only really work with existing designs, like game sprites. Maybe with time I’ll get better at sprite work and I’ll be able to make a larger variety :P You can make requests in my ask box or DMs.

NOTE: I do not take large (250x250+) designs as requests. You can commission me if you really want it. DM me to work out prices.

Can I request a pattern for something I designed? Absolutely! If you can give me a reference, I can usually work something out. You can also DM me if you’d prefer to learn to make the pattern yourself.

How do you decide what patterns you’re going to make? I’ll usually be working on some kind of project set, like a pokemon generation, or all the major sprites from a particular game. You can find my current project in my header, but I’m usually happy to pause for some requests.

How do you make your patterns? Sprite references, GIMP for organizing and itemizing, CS Pattern’s image picker for grabbing good DMC and Perler color matches, and StitchFiddle for actually putting the pattern together - all free resources!

You used the same Perler color twice in this pattern? Yep! There are significantly less Perler colors than DMC - somewhere around 90 base colors compared to DMC’s almost 500 - so I often need to tweak a sprite design to accomodate the lower pool of colors Perler offers.

What size diamond art base should I order? The diamond sizes are usually around 1/10th of an inch, so a 40x40 pattern would need about 4x4in (~10x10cm).

What size Perler peg board do I need? Perler, Hama, and Nabbi medium/regular beads are roughly 0.5cm, so a 40x40 pattern would need about 20x20cm (~8x8in)

What size cross stitch canvas do I need? Unfortunately, this one really depends on the fabric and the stitch size you’re working with, and again, I’m not well versed in this hobby. If anyone has a good frame of reference for a beginner, please let me know.

I don’t have those colors and I can’t/won’t buy them. What do I do? You can tweak the designs to work with the colors you do have! Check out CS Pattern’s image picker to check out other similar colors, or just get experimental. Tweaking and reworking designs to work with what you have can be its own adventure.

Can I make a suggestion for an improvement? Please, god, yes. If there’s something I could be doing better, let me know!

I’ve got other questions. Feel free to send me an ask or a DM! 

[the-pattern-gremlin]

Got questions?

A quick review of the common questions for newbies.

What’s cross stitch?

You’ve probably seen it before - it’s a simple thread embroidery technique that can be used for everything from basic designs to masterworks. It’s a great hobby, but one I personally don’t have as much experience with. Instead, I’ll point you towards this guide that I think does a great job of breaking it down.

What’s diamond art?

(Couldn’t find any royalty free picture for this one, so you get my crappy picture instead)

This one you may not have seen before. Similar to Perler beads, diamond art is using tiny plastic gems (or “diamonds”) on pieces of adhesive paper to create artwork. You can order pre-printed adhesive patterns, or order blank canvases to create your own. I’m personally a fan of Paint With Diamonds to order supplies from, but you can get kits from a variety of stores across the web. PWD also has some great resources for learning.

What’s Perler?

Perler is a brand of ironing beads that can be used to create plastic art by applying a pattern onto a peg board and then ironing the piece to melt the beads together. Perler is the most common brand in the Americas, but other brands exist, including Hama and Nabbi, though my patterns only provide Perler color equivalents. Check out this great Beginner’s Guide to Perler if you’re just starting.

How do I use these patterns?

Basically, the patterns just give you a clear map to follow for recreating the pixel art. There will always be a colored and uncolored version, for whichever is easier for you to follow, as well as a legend listing the exact colors to use. You can use them as reference, or print them out to work directly over.

How do I match colors?

I’ve provided two values for every color required for the piece: a DMC value and a Perler color. I also include references of what the finished product will roughly look like with the DMC and Perler color equivalents.

DMC is a popular embroidery floss brand whose color codes have come to be used by a variety of resources. You can find thread by DMC codes in most craft stores and online, and most diamond art also uses DMC codes to identify their diamond colors. Eg, 666 is a “christmas red” for both DMC floss and PWD diamonds.

The Perler color is straightforward - that’ll be the color listed on the beads you need. If you bought a bulk mixed pack, they generally have a list of the colors included, though it might take a bit of work to figure out what colors are which.

What if I don’t have all the colors?

If your local stores don’t have all the colors you need, you can usually purchase them online, BUT that’s not always necessary. The colors listed are my interpretations of the best choices for similar colors, but you don’t have to stick with them. You can use this tool to find other colors close to the needed color to see if you can find something close that you might have on hand. Or, hey, get experimental! You may find a combination that looks better to you.

Got more questions?

Check out my FAQ for more common questions.