Dragon
I don't think I ended up posting this.
I decided to felt a dragon for misswinterhill's birthday and as a get well soon present.
I didn't have enough wool at the time so I was playing around with polyfil. The structure of the dragon is made with polyfill with merino then felted on top. I'm not sure I'd bother again. It was a bit difficult to attach the wool. I was hoping to be able to dye or paint the polyfill but tests prove that it wouldn't work.
I didn't really have any references for this and it all sort of came together quickly. I wasn't even planing a dragon that looked like this.
I really like the basic shape. I have to work on being able to felt things like the toes though. It's really difficult to get it to felt without coming out the other side and making a mess. They ended up being a lot thicker than I had planned as I just couldn't get them to work otherwise.
Still this was my first major structural work and I'm happy with it. Before this I'd only made teeny creatures.
I wanted sort of natural rock/fire colours so that's why I went with what I did. I'd like to do another one with more solid colours too. It takes a very long time though. I'd put some up for sale but I think the price needed to cover the weeks of work would make them really difficult to sell.
Maybe if I get better at this I could do them quicker. We'll see.
My photos of this are pretty shit I'm afraid. I had a lot going on with the bears and critters for the QLD Flood auction so I didn't get around to take the pics until just before we posted the dragon. I took these in the boot of my car and the light is awful. The colour is hard to photograph anyway but I'll have to get some better ones next time I visit misswinterhill.
Excuse the dodgy depth of field
From above
The front
It's other side
But yes. Very happy with the shape. I think I've definitely found my sculpture medium. I love clay but I didn't do so well at it. This I have managed well from the beginning. As soon as I found out about it I had this real urge to just get my hands on the wool and play. I do enjoy it. My neck complains a bit but then it does when I sleep or sit or drive etc too so I'll ignore it.
I also stab my fingers almost as much as the sculpture and it fucking hurts but I can live with it. I just have to be careful not to bleed on white wool.
I have two other major felting projects going. I hope to get them done before it's ridiculously late. One of them I actually wish I had one of those tools where you can use multiple needles at once. I don't need them for the sculptural stuff but this is a rather large flat piece with one main colour. It's going to take me forever.
Also, I love, love, love my icon from
moonvoice. Her art is so amazing. This one is a Stumpy. A bob tailed blue tongue skink. We have Eastern Blue Tongues but these guys are related. They are more squat and have very thick, armored scales. Their tail is the same shape as their head to confuse prey. The vary in colour from sandy like the one in the pic to black. Gorgeous little sleepy lizards. I've always loved them. A few people in the Newcastle reptile group had them. We see many of them on the road into Bathurst (we also see Bearded Dragons, many turtles and the other day a big arsed Goanna). When we can we stop and move them off the road. They don't seem to be as vulnerable to ticks as the Easterns.
But yes, love!!
I decided to felt a dragon for misswinterhill's birthday and as a get well soon present.
I didn't have enough wool at the time so I was playing around with polyfil. The structure of the dragon is made with polyfill with merino then felted on top. I'm not sure I'd bother again. It was a bit difficult to attach the wool. I was hoping to be able to dye or paint the polyfill but tests prove that it wouldn't work.
I didn't really have any references for this and it all sort of came together quickly. I wasn't even planing a dragon that looked like this.
I really like the basic shape. I have to work on being able to felt things like the toes though. It's really difficult to get it to felt without coming out the other side and making a mess. They ended up being a lot thicker than I had planned as I just couldn't get them to work otherwise.
Still this was my first major structural work and I'm happy with it. Before this I'd only made teeny creatures.
I wanted sort of natural rock/fire colours so that's why I went with what I did. I'd like to do another one with more solid colours too. It takes a very long time though. I'd put some up for sale but I think the price needed to cover the weeks of work would make them really difficult to sell.
Maybe if I get better at this I could do them quicker. We'll see.
My photos of this are pretty shit I'm afraid. I had a lot going on with the bears and critters for the QLD Flood auction so I didn't get around to take the pics until just before we posted the dragon. I took these in the boot of my car and the light is awful. The colour is hard to photograph anyway but I'll have to get some better ones next time I visit misswinterhill.
Excuse the dodgy depth of field
From above
The front
It's other side
But yes. Very happy with the shape. I think I've definitely found my sculpture medium. I love clay but I didn't do so well at it. This I have managed well from the beginning. As soon as I found out about it I had this real urge to just get my hands on the wool and play. I do enjoy it. My neck complains a bit but then it does when I sleep or sit or drive etc too so I'll ignore it.
I also stab my fingers almost as much as the sculpture and it fucking hurts but I can live with it. I just have to be careful not to bleed on white wool.
I have two other major felting projects going. I hope to get them done before it's ridiculously late. One of them I actually wish I had one of those tools where you can use multiple needles at once. I don't need them for the sculptural stuff but this is a rather large flat piece with one main colour. It's going to take me forever.
Also, I love, love, love my icon from
moonvoice. Her art is so amazing. This one is a Stumpy. A bob tailed blue tongue skink. We have Eastern Blue Tongues but these guys are related. They are more squat and have very thick, armored scales. Their tail is the same shape as their head to confuse prey. The vary in colour from sandy like the one in the pic to black. Gorgeous little sleepy lizards. I've always loved them. A few people in the Newcastle reptile group had them. We see many of them on the road into Bathurst (we also see Bearded Dragons, many turtles and the other day a big arsed Goanna). When we can we stop and move them off the road. They don't seem to be as vulnerable to ticks as the Easterns.
But yes, love!!