This dragon was a 3 nght project and still needs a bit of detailing and tightening on the appendages . I plan on adding some claws to the hands and feet with some white glass beads.I used the BFL from TLC and like the way the green and red blended but found the BFL more challenging then the merino when it comes to getting the detail I want . I think the longer fibers of BFL actually make it more difficult to work with even if it does felt firmer faster but it does give a hairier look for furry animals but dragons are generally not furry .
The hands should be smaller when I finish tightening the fingers a bit . One new experiment was using glass eyes . I didn't have ay eyes with the reptile pupil so I used the decorative glass you can find at any craft store or Target and used a permanent marker to add a pupil to the back and then glued it in place with 6ooo glue . Once in place, I secured it further by adding a felted on lower and upper lid . I think it turned out better then I expected and the eyes are vibrant blue when the sun hits them . This would also work well as a decorative element on felted bags, ect . (If you click on the picture you can see the results a bit clearer .)
Wings are always a challenge for me . I considered using copper wire to reinforce some leather wings but decided to stick with all wool and used a very firm piece of wet felting that I first needle felted down to the spine with some body colored roving and then felted the arms directly to the wing . Guess it looks more like a cape then actually wings but I don't mind the more abstracted look because I wasn't really concerned with making a dragon that looked "real" , just one that I thought looked interesting .
A few more animals....pup and large "rodent" .
Happy felting !
Oh my, these are amazing. Love seeing your fantasy creatures and reading the stories of how you make them. Hugs, Jane
ReplyDeleteI love the wings too!! I makes me kinda think of a story about him... It's like he's a kinda runt-of-a-dragon & he tried to make the wings so that he could fly. Maybe he doesn't quite get the physics of it, but he tried really hard. They don't quite work right, but are awesome anyways.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I like about your pieces, they have so much personality that you want to make up narratives for them!!!
Thanks Jane and Crissy : )
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should write my promo stuff Crissy . I really suck at that stuff...one of the many reasons I hate listing on Etsy .
Inspirational as ever ! Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteTry blending some merino in with BFL, or some silk fibres.; it works for me
xx
He looks fabulous - and I think you made a good choice on the wings, especially given your goal of making your critters sturdy.
ReplyDeleteReally fun to have a little window into your creative process. You are amazing!