Often when we are designing embroidery we forget that it is not possible in embroidery to faithfuly render an image diectly into embroidery. The main reason for this is that embroidery thread has a specific width and that width is the thinnest line you can make. If you place too much detail in your design the details tend to blend into each other and you not only loose definition but you will also cause thread breaks. When I am planning out a design I try to use a medium with the same width as the thread that I will be embroidering with, this allows me to figure out what degree of detail I can add or must simplify and elliminate. In the example above (the unicorn from my "Flash and Fantasy" collection) you can see how I used running stitches to define the major details of the design and then used large simplified fill areas to create volume and three dimensinality. This technique also gives you more flexibility when you want to re-size your design either larger or smaller. Remember, when you start your designs, to think about them in the final size of the embroidery and make sure the degree of complexity of the design is not going to compromise the end result. To see the entire collection go to my website www.kenparsonsdesigns.com