u/Select_Broccoli1365

Work in progress — where thread becomes texture, and every bead carries a fragment of the face.

This piece is constructed using iridescent abalone shell shards, metallic seed beads, rhinestones, and multi-toned glass tiles.

Built bead by bead, the face emerges through layers of texture, light, shadow, and color. I’m not trying to create something simply beautiful or decorative—I want the figure to feel present, almost as if it exists beyond the surface.

For me, the goal is to make embroidery feel less like a surface and more like a living presence.

Rather than relying on a rigid grid, the layout flows organically around the eye—using natural contours, shifts between cold and warm tones.

This hand-embroidered beadwork is created on a foundation of white non-woven felt using a traditional needle embroidery technique.

Experimenting with new materials—TOHO beads, labradorite, pearls and mother of pearl—to create a portrait inspired by the textures of a geode. Still a long way to go, but I'm loving the journey. 💎

Work in progress... ✨ Every texture is carefully chosen to mimic the beauty of natural minerals.

I wanted the piece to feel melancholic, luxurious, and slightly unsettling at the same time.

What this piece communicates most strongly to me is the feeling of a mythic inner figure — something between strength, fragility, and transformation. It doesn’t feel like a conventional portrait; it feels more like a being constructed from memory, emotion, and symbolism

Slowly becoming something stranger than I planned.

I’m letting her evolve naturally… maybe that’s where the magic comes from.

Work in progress—open to thoughts, especially on the face and flow.