Simon Belmont needlepoint

For my second needlepoint I decided to try a series I don’t see that often in the fiber arts: Castlevania. Though a beloved series, there aren’t too many crafters taking inspiration from it (though I have seen a few Symphony of the Night stitchings). I found out why in the creation of this piece: Konami sprites tend to be a little dull when not in motion.

Contrasted with, say, a Mega Man or a Mario most of the popular Konami game sprites tend to be more realistically proportioned and less whimsical. They lack the big expressionistic faces of their more cartoony brethren. This is not to say it’s bad, mind you. Just a little more abstract. As an example, someone asked me if I were making a hockey player upon seeing it.

I wanted to do something special with the background. The cross motif came to mind as fitting for the subject. Simon has been known to throw them like boomerangs. I sketched up a few ideas on scratch paper and realized there was no easy way to make a series of interlocking crosses, but it would work just fine with a spacer. I did them in alternating diagonal stitches to add subtle contrast. Viewed from different angles they look almost like two separate colors.