Pixel Art How to make a Cross Stitch Template

You could download the image on the left if you want or use one of your own. This is a snowman I have painted, it is a transoparent gif format, so when you bring into PI, change the date to RGB color first.

First let's set up our Grid under File/ Preferences

Horizontal spacing 3
Vertical spacing 3

Select Pixels

As for color, I prefer to have my grid with a gray color since I could see the grid very well on both light and dark background, the choice is yours of what you do prefer.

Let's check what our grid look like at actual view. We are not going to work at this size view. Select your object. If you have a merge image, you will need to select all under the selection menu.

The shortcut key for the grid is; Shift+Ctrl+R by doing this on your keyboard it will make your grid appear or desapear if shown. I use it a lot and save time.

I usually work at a view of 800%, it could be more or less for you depending of what you are comfortable with.

Now, we are going to apply and effect. Go to effect, choose Creative and then Mosaic Blur, in earlier version it could be some place else, so look for Mosaic Blur.

A new window will open, click on Options..

You will get this window.

First let's put a check mark for Square.

X-axis size: 3

Y-axis size: 3

Click ok.

This is what it look like at actual view.

This is what it look like at a zoom of 800%.

Extra: I'm going to show you how I choose my color palette from it to make my cross sticth pattern.

The view on the left is a part of the scarf at the tummy level.

For me the best way to pick color is to use the Eyedropper. This way I am sure to get the exact Hex color number.

Here I'm making my white pattern, I'm choose one of the lightest green that is the closes to the white color.

Now that I have my color, I choose my paint brush with the pixels art setting, Shape of the brush square, size 1, 0 softedge, 0 transparency, no anti-alising.

Click on mode and paint a square 3x3 pixels. Now, stay in mode and change your color to white and paint from the right bottom corner 1 pixel, go up one pixel and paint move 1 pixel to the left and paint. It should look like the pattern on the left image with running ants around. Click out of mode. Duplicated and move from your pattern so you could see both of them and not touching each other.

Let's change our color again, right click on the color box and choose eyedropper. This time I'm choosing an other light green color for the inner pattern of our square pattern.

Now that we have our new color, I'm using the selection tool, the magic wand one, click on select object, search connect pixels, similar set to 0 and no anti-alising.

Select the inside of your inner pattern, once done click on the fill tool and choose paint bucket and click inside your selection. Great.

Let's choose the eyedropper again. We are going to choose a darker color to match our inner pattern.

Hint: When you pass over the color without clicking on the wiondow screen you could see the new color next to the one you want to match.

This is the color I choose on the left. Click ok.

Then since your inner pattern is still select, and your select on object is still on, go to selection and invert your selection.

Now choose your fill paint bucket and click inside of your selection. Deselect.

You do this for all the little square pattern you need to make your cross stitch. Usually I make 3 pattern for each color. A light, Medium and dark tone. For the white I choose the tone and color to match the surrounding. For the scarf here my three tone for the white has very light green tone. For the white on the snowman, will have very light blue gray tone.

Here is an other way for making your color palette and decide after what color combination you would like to mix and match together.

Choose the selection tool, shape square, click on fix, 3 x 3 pixel.

Now, you will have to be at least on a zoom of 800% to be able to do this comfortably, click on a color square, make sure it fit the square exactly.

Then once select, go to selection and convert to object. I prefer to use the shortcut key, Ctrl+Shift+O, a time saver for me.

Then you need to go under Object and deselect all object, and other shortcut to do this, is you just hit enter. With the pick tool you just move it out of the way. Hit enter to deselect it. Repeat these setp to select all the different colors for the scarf.

Once done, sort them out and put them side by side and select all and paste as a new image. Well it will be a very tiny image, you will have to zoom on it at 800%.

This is a zoom view at 800%.

Now, you need to paint your pattern on each square that you choose to keep. On the example on the left, I have started with the darker color of the white for the scarf. I eyedrop the next color square next to it. Then paint in mode my inner pattern.

I do this for all the square needed.

Here is an example of a part of the scarf I did made to show you what it would look like with the cross sticth square pattern.

You will have to decide that sometime more than 3 color will use the same color cross stitch pattern, not to worry if you make mistake, you could always move your little square and replace them as you need it.

This is what it look like at the actual view.

This is an image that I did convert into a cross stitch template. For this template, the mosaic blur effect was set at 4 instead of 3.

This is my end result with the outline to enhance the design.

This is the cross sticth pattern I have use for above. My grid was set at 4x4 pixels, Since my cross stich pattern here is 4 x 4 pixels.

Hope you did enjoy the tutorial, don't forget to post your result in the Pixels Art Workshop at PhotoImpact International Board. You must be a register member and the good news it is free.

Here is your Award, don't forget to grab it.