Step by Step 2 Jaguars (installment 2)

This is a continuation of my prior post. To see the pieces earlier, please go to http://magicweaver.blogspot.com/2007/12/step-by-step-2-jaguars-in-needle-felt.html to see the first installment.

I didn't intend to work on this anymore today. If anything I was going to work on the dragon sculpture, but as typically happens to me, I got going and picked these up again. Therefore I apologize for the multiple posts in one day.


Here I am showing the two bodies at different stages. The one on the left has the lemon yellow top coat begun. I will put a second coat that will blend the colors back further, but that will be after I put on the first layer of spots.

Here both bodies have the first yellow coat, and the white on the chest which can be seen from the side.

Here are the bodies at the same stage, just showing the white on the chest from the front. Sorry the picture is a little blurry. The digital camera doesn't alow me to force a focus, and it doesn't seem to know what to focus on as these are so fuzzy with very fine hairs all over the place.

These colors are only lightly tacked down still with a course needle. I will now be putting these aside and creating the limbs and then attaching them. Then I will create the head, and attach it. Then I will put the spots and stripes on and refine the shape with a medium needle. Then a final top coat of yellow blended with brown over everything. Finally with the fine needle I will do the final refining, accentuate the spots bringing the darks to the top, and attach them to their own individual "branches".

I hope you like the progress I have been making. I welcome any comments or questions you may have. Just leave them here or email me.

Step by Step 2 Jaguars in Needle felt Sculpture

My foster son is a student at a school whose mascot is a Jaguar. Our family has had a rough go recently and his teacher and counselor have been wonderfully helpful to him and by extension myself. Therefore as a Christmas gift, I would like to give them something handmade (everything is handmade from us this year) and special. I have chosen to do a needle felted jaguar on a tree limb for each of them.

I thought this was a perfect opportunity to share the process of doing needle felt dolls and sculptures, and so I took some step by step photos to share this at this time. This isn't really a tutorial, as I am not telling you how to use the needles or anything. I am completely self taught so I don't know that I am doing it exactly right anyway, but it works for me. If you would like more detail information, let me know and I will see what I can do.

First I took a clump of 100% Polyester Fiber stuffing (I use Polyfil). One clump for each Jaguar.

Then I gave each piece a hint of the body shape that I wanted. This was really very gestural done with a course needle. No fine details put in, and it isn't very tightly packed, just hinted at so it would hold a shape when it wasn't in my hands.

I continued to shape the bodies, just getting some of the basic angles. Not yet putting in any details or musculature. The bodies are getting a little firmer packing as I go (thus why I didn't get it tightly packed from the beginning).

Now it is time for some color. I laid down a self blended undercoat of lemon yellow, tangerine orange, and natural brown wool roving. I very lightly attached it to the body here, and made sure the wool flowed in the direction of the hair on a live jaguar. I haven't begun any real structural work, and when I do, the punching will help attach the color further into the core. This is just the beginning stages, and there will be a less striated coat on top, and you can even see some of the stuffing through, but this will just add a life too the coat that wouldn't be there if I just did the top layer.

Here you see now the both sides of the two jaguar bodies when the sculpturing has begun. It isn't near finished, as I will continue polishing the bodies as I add the top coat and the details as well as the limbs. The musculature is developing, and you can see how the two jaguars are developing very distinct looks even though I am looking at one photograph to work from. This will change further still.

Looking for Beta Testers

If anyone out there is willing to be a beta tester for my website, I would really appreciate the help, and as a thank you will provide you a $10.00 gift certificate to my gift shop. I need people on all platforms (Mac, PC, Unix, handhelds, etc.) using all types of service providers (PeoplePC, AOL, Verizon, Roadrunner, etc.) using all kinds of browsers (IE, Firefox, Netscape, Safari, etc.) to view my beta run of my website, and let me know issues, strengths, weaknesses, and the details about their system so I can determine how to fix / adapt the site before release. It doesn't matter what you have, the wider the cross section in my survey the better I can provide service to future clients.

Comment here if you are interested in pursuing this possibility with me.

I am so excited about my pending website release... and the announcement that will come with it.