Padmore

Wow - it's been over a week since I posted anything.  What can I say?  I think I've done more days than usual at the Art & Craft Centre recently, and my sister has been here - so lots of shopping and very little work.  And, of course, I have been working on the first of the big bears.  Padmore is about 23 inches from head to toe.

He is rather a strange looking thing!  He has a needle-felted face.  Again, I had the problem of not being able to match the colour of the wool roving to the mohair.  So, I started by just giving him eyelids - but it looked like a pair of little white goggles, so I decided to do the whole muzzle.  Then I decided that while I was at it, I might as well have a go at making jowls...  Now the entire thing looks like a rather spooky, Phantom-of-the-Opera-style mask.  But he is interesting - I'll give him that!

Orville

I cannot believe it's been a week since I posted the pictures of Max!  I'm meant to be being super-productive - what is going on!?

I think it might just be that I've been doing a lot of days on the desk at the Art & Craft Centre - I've had two full weekends and Wednesdays as well.  I swear I have only spent three of the seven days working on Orville - this bear...

Orville is my third attempt at needle-felting - what do you think?  I wasn't keen at first: he has a very bald face.  I was trying to get the eyelids right, and as far as I can tell, you can't have needle-felting and mohair fluff at the same time - the former flattens down the latter.  So once I'd finished the eyelids - which took a long, long time - I suddenly realised that there was no fur left on his face, which came as quite a shock.

But I have warmed to him - I do think he looks quite realistic.  Possible next time I would place the eyes in a bit (and down a bit), so the bald bit is smaller.  And perhaps I would trim the actual fur, so there's more of a subtle graduation between the face and the head.  It would also be interesting to have a go at forehead wrinkles - or a frown!

But I like Orville's shaggy brown fur and jug ears.  I like his paw pads too.  They became a casualty of the dark photos, but trust me - they're terrific!

Max

This is Max - whose face is my second [official] attempt at needle-felting!

I had trouble with this one because - being a beginner - I have only a limited range of colours of felting wool.  I had brown and white, and bright, luminous orange, but nothing in a similar shade to this blonde mohair.  So the results were never going to be subtle, and he does look a little like he's sporting two black eyes.  I have tried to stylise it a little - the 'eye patches' are deliberately uneven because symmetry would look unrealistic.  Ditto with the white patch.

I do think he is sweet (albeit slightly chinless), but I'm not sure this way of needle-felting works as a way of creating realistic looking faces.  The difference in texture between the felted wool and the cotton backing of the mohair is far too marked.  I think, possibly, the whole muzzle needs to be felted.

I'm also finding the process of felting around the eyes quite difficult.  Actually building up the layers around the glass eye is simple enough to do - but then bringing the felted wool over the surface of the glass, is more difficult.  I think I need to go at this in a different way.

I do like the fact that you can felt over the top of the mohair - that works really well.

I think I've been making too many serious-looking creatures recently.  Max in particular, looks rather pursed-lipped.  Whatever happens, the next bear must have a big smile!

Morrison

I'd be interested to know what anybody thinks of Morrison.  He is an experiment.  Recently, I was sent some needle-felting wools.  I did have a go at making something before Morrison - although it was only partially successful.  Morrison's face - his entire muzzle, eyelids, and nose - have been needle-felted.

I like him.  He's not a pretty bear - I'll give you that - but I do think there are elements of him which look more realistic than usual.  The colour gradations on his muzzle for example, and the bit around the eyes.

I am slightly worried, as I always am, about durability.  I spent a great deal of time jabbing the poor bear with a felting needle, and it does feel very firm.  I can't get over the idea though that, given a pin or a pointy pair of scissors, you would be able to loosen the fibres, and even remove bits.  I suppose a test is what is needed.  Not on Morrison - he's suffered enough!  Perhaps I'll just try felting a shape of some kind, then trying to pick it apart.

Other than that concern, I thoroughly recommend felting though - it seems wonderfully versatile.