Anatomical Embroideries Offer a Dazzling Look at the Human Body Beneath the Skin

Anatomical Embroidery by Amber Griffiths

A needle and thread do well depicting the anatomy of the human body. After all, one type of medical procedure literally involves stitching the body back together. Artist Amber Griffiths, aka Ambroidering, crafts portraits that reveal what’s beneath the skin, and she uses these embroidery tools to convey muscle groups, nerves, and more. Often, she’ll incorporate beading in the piece, whether that’s in recreating strands of golden hair or blue veins. The results are a dazzling way to explore our biology and pay homage to our amazing bodies.

Griffiths began this series as a way to subvert the traditional Valentine’s Day imagery. “Initially,” she tells My Modern Met, “it all started because I was doing embroidery and I wanted to stitch a Valentine’s piece. I’m not really someone who’s into all the typical lovey-dovey Valentine's style, so I stitched an anatomical heart instead! And I found it a lot more fun and interesting than all the flowers I’d been working on previously, so I carried on with anatomy and haven’t really stopped since.”

Since starting to stitch the series in 2021, Griffiths has continued to grow her anatomy-inspired artwork. She depicts the body in various ways, whether that’s through stitching our insides or using assemblage to create steampunk versions of the human figure. Griffiths has even turned her drawings into enamel pins.

Visit the artist’s Etsy to buy her original pieces and shop her accessories.

Artist Amber Griffiths, aka Ambroidering, crafts portraits that reveal what’s beneath the skin.

Anatomical Embroidery by Amber Griffiths

Anatomical Embroidery by Amber Griffiths

She embroiders the inner workings of the human body using thread and beading.

Anatomical Embroidery by Amber Griffiths

Medical-Inspired Embroidery

Griffiths began this series as a way to subvert the traditional Valentine’s Day imagery.

Medical-Inspired Embroidery

“Initially,” she tells My Modern Met, “it all started because I was doing embroidery and I wanted to stitch a Valentine’s piece.”

Medical-Inspired Embroidery

“I’m not really someone who’s into all the typical lovey-dovey Valentine's style, so I stitched an anatomical heart instead!”

Medical-Inspired Embroidery

Anatomical Embroidery by Amber Griffiths

Medical-Inspired Embroidery

Anatomical Embroidery by Amber Griffiths

Anatomical Embroidery by Amber Griffiths

Watch Griffiths work in the videos below:

 

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A post shared by Amber Griffiths (@ambroidering)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Amber Griffiths (@ambroidering)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Amber Griffiths (@ambroidering)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Amber Griffiths (@ambroidering)

Ambroidering: Etsy | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Amber Griffiths.

Related Articles:

Embroidery Excavations Celebrate the Fun of Dinosaur Fossil Discoveries

Embroidery Artist Immortalizes Ultrasound Photos by Perfectly Recreating Them With Thread

Realistic Textile Sculptures of Hearts Are Dedicated To Forgotten Women

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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