Many moons ago I promised a "how-to" blog... I did photograph this finished blue dinosaur in all of his stages so now its time to try to help us make sense of the process...
They do say "those who cannot do teach"...well it seems I can do but Istruggle to teach, so perhaps the reverse is true too. It may be fruitless to explain the work because it is less a "plan" than simply feeling your way through. Each piece is the epitome of creative process beginning sometimes with out so much as an image in my minds eye.
Beyond the picture above, of the finished work, the next,
Picture #1- Is the balls of fluff and the tools of the trade. Pictured here are both raw "black sheep" wool rovings and a carded ball of mixed white and black. Also is pictured a brush "mat" for felting upon, so one doesn't stab themselves! There is on felting needle and two garden variety chopsticks. Knitting needles or smooth bbq skewers would work as well.
Picture #2 - Shows the usefulness of the two chopsticks for twirling a thin sheet of rovings into a cylinder used for arms and legs and giraffe necks and octopus tentacles. You get the picture! Essentially, the beginnings of each sculpture are a variety of applicable shapes. I assemble parts and pieces and keep them aside for "assembly".
There are different grades of needles for deep heavy work as in the forming of the core or base of the sculpture and regular and finer needles for surface and finish work.
Picture # 3 - His body was a sizable gourd. First I made an egg shape and then a cone atop this made with a with a pile of rovings twirled obviously thicker at one end, his legs toes and arms were pairs of evenly sized cylinders. You put the parts together by deep needling through both pieces with a bit of spare fluff in between. Its all sort of gradual. You get a feel for density, a feel for the directionality of the needle that produces the desired effect. I tackle form first and add color on the surface later with a finer finishing needle.
Picture #4 - Parts that needed to be bent like elbows and knees and the right curve of his neck are done so by holding them bent and deep-needling to keep them that way. I have found they relax a bit so I bend them to the extreme and needle them sturdily. Even in his finished state he could be re-needled and his pose could be changed somewhat.
Pictures #5 and #6 - He sort of evolved as I went along,...18 hours in all, with giant yellow toes, one at a time, with claws. His back grew a set of lovely red scales that I made one at a time then poked in individually. To get him to sit flat, I put him on the needling mat and deep-needled downward while he sat flat, leaning the gourd shape back slightly because by then I pictured him reclining on one big hand while waving or resting the other on his knee. After a bit of poking the fibers just molded to the surface of the mat and settled him into sitting position.
I do remember getting him to a point where everything was built but his head and not knowing how to proceed. I just wrapped a blob of wool around his head and began to poke. I think the best way to learn is to put the materials in your hands and go. You really do develop a feel for it and each project teaches me more about the possibilities. Its important work completely, thoroughly needling on all the surfaces, around each angle and limb to leave a lasting even form.
Even as I write I realize all the little nuances that made him are hard to describe and so fine, (..like his nostrils and his smile...the ridge of his nose...) that they'd be hard to demonstrate. But the finished fella makes me smile, and as always, so satisfying that I just want to do more!
It surely has been a stretch, busy and sometimes lucrative but most accurately, a long, long stretch! I must apologize and confess my embarrassment at being presumptuous enough to say I would craft a figure a day until I'd encompassed the alphabet and then proceed to fail so miserably.
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Life, as they say, had other plans. I have been in the midst of many things. A lovely trip to North Carolina with most of my precious and wonderful family, a brief getaway to Boscawen Inn in Lunenburg with my spouse, prepping Isaac's hundreds of daylilies and the vegetable garden and navigating the shifting and unpredictable quicksand that is planning long term care for an aging parent.
In and around all of that, the small needle felted critters that I so enjoy creating have been selling rather quickly at the Crafter's Room. The growing number of collectors have commissioned some work as well. What suffered in the process was taking time to write my blog and having the presence of mind to photograph the pieces I did complete. The opportunity is lost as they have gone to new homes through the shop. I did capture this teeny sheep, who now resides with his friends big white sheep, big brown booty sheep and my younger brother and his darling wife of 29 years.
Also, here is a tiny chickadee minus his little dirty birdy feet, (..they're coming just as soon as i find a suitable gauge of wire to fashion appropriate tiny ones as the previous felted ones looked way too "Foghorn Leghorn" to be taken seriously.)
The piece for today, this wretchedly foggy May 11th is "M" for Mermaid. I love her. I was asked to create her for one of the lovely folks who buy my pieces. She may have had in mind something larger. This one is, maybe, 10" long if you stretched out her tail. But I won't be upset if I get to keep her!
It was fun to tackle this one as I haven't dealt with flowing hair yet,..or surfaces an thin as her tail. Since they all come out of my funny little brain instead of a pattern book each one is a new "first". Right now , I've just come in from the garden,...as grubby and salty and haggard as you might assume, but at the end of the day this parting silhouette of the tiny sculpture makes me eager to sit and do the next piece...
Stay with me, I will post again as soon as I can!
Starving sheep..The twiggy of sheep...In effort to replace the fella that I created then promptly sold last week, I did make a new sheep today.
When I polled the ranks here, all of my handsome gentlemen said she was too skinny. Well the commentary was more like: "She has some big ass sheep booty." Camera angle notwithstanding, I had to agree. Again, shades of Will Smith or the donkey from " Shrek". ( I like her round thing in my face...well maybe that's overstating it a bit.)
Poor sheep, they said her head and shoulders looked like they melted back into her butt. Maybe I'll poke another handful of fluff on her fore deck and see if the hecklers can be appeased.
They also thought she looked like my old sheep went for a diet and a dye job. For now I'll let you be the judge. So long til next time!
One more little beastie. One more attempt that was like wrestling a triceratops! (Ooooh. good idea for the beastie for the letter "T".) One more I didn't finish in only one day. But here is a good start. I think I'm getting punchy....Its been a wearisome week and poor this poor incomplete froggy needs tweaking but I'm trying for a post a day to keep my gears turning.....
I have taken a few moments to peruse some how to sites. In many cases, needle felters employ the use of some form of armature. So I need to do some "research". I think I would benefit from a workshop from an experienced artisan. It's all well and good to "wing" it. I could say the discovery and the "feel" of a new art form is creative process. In more honest lingo I'd have to confess that I blunder through an exhaustive dance that is merely trial and error.
Looks like it may be 26 pieces in 50 days. The upside is that I will learn so much. The encouragement from the exuberant reactions of everyone who sees the little beasties doesn't hurt either. I am also attracted to the whimsy in each piece too. I am inclined to think I will lean toward caricature rather than realism. Planning the pieces out with a sketch would be helpful too. (The drawing exercise would feel almost as good as the felting.) Sure gives a body lots to look forward to doesn't it?
There he is, what fun learning how to wrestle these little things out of the raw wool. Just think of what might be possible when I've been at it for MORE than three months!!! I will likely tweak him a little, as I would like to develop a greater facility for adding tiny details. In total he is only about 5' long fro the tip of his nose to the end of his heel. I really like him.
When I get my dander up I'd like to see him with eyes, whiskers, a nose and those poofy little cheeks cats have. A more familiar developed hand will make little miracles in time. I can't wait to perfect this awesome sculptural technique.
I really would love to see someone out there get involved in my creative process and help me give them names. I do want to thank the most enthusiastic participant with a choice of one of the bunch when I finish creating from A to Z. So far, tho many have viewed, nobody has mustered up the gumption to send me a comment and christen a critter...
But I have Infinite patience...and I'm having fun while I wait...
I am so struggling with this endeavor. It was another day with the mama. Afterwards, with only three hours before sleep overtook me meant that yesterday's challenge item was only half there. Yesterday's will be today's and to be realistic, though the ideal was one piece a day, it may be wiser to know there will be exceptions. Forgive me, keep watching. I will reach my goals and have so much fun showing you the results!
I will post this fella,..finished, TONIGHT. He is tiny, so far maybe 3" tall at his kitty type hip...we'll see how much he grows as I finish him.
So today's contribution was a sheep...easy because I was at the Crafter's room today and had the busiest day ever. I put a dent in Mr Dragon/Dino today
and photographed him and Owl and She Sheep against a white background. I'm trying to shoot them in uniform lighting and a plain back drop for future use in a book for Sadie,..my sweeeeetest granddaughter.
Upon returning home, I proceeded to download my pictures and I have Mr. Dragon/Dino and Owl but lo and behold, no sheep. There were three black pictures but no sheep. Either the gremlins are at work or technologically I'm a wiener and a spaz.
The worst and also the best of it is She Sheep sold to one of a group of ladies, who in their exuberance purchased six of my items. Great sales day but I will have to begin anew to replace her in the list.
It was a little brown one, kind of like this one I made in January for my Dad's birthday. I think it was my seventh sheep, but eight will be in order. Wish me a little focus, It seems to be that I'm being tested,..but I'll keep poking away,.(..pun intended. )
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