Felting Sculptures

So, you are thinking about trying to sculpt something out of fiber-where to begin?

First, decide upon the shape you want to create and whether or not you will need an armature. An armature is a wire ‘skeleton’ in the center of your sculpture. If you are working small enough, you will likely not require an armature. But, if you want to have an articulated sculpture, one which can be repositioned, you likely need an armature.

Next, if you are using an armature, you should start with chenille stems, or pipe cleaners. Because of the fiber twisted into the wire, these work very well for a simple armature as they grab the additional wool you add to create your creature.

If you think of your sculpture as a body, whether you’re creating a tree or a horse or a spider, then if your armature is the ‘skeleton’, then the next fibers you add are what I like to call the musculature or underbody. Use non dyed wool to build up the shape of the body and save the dyed fibers for the ‘skin’ or the outside layer of your sculpture. As undyed fibers can be found very inexpensively, and with sculptures you can use a lesser quality of wool, these are the best to use to build up the body of your piece. When you begin to add the ‘skin’ or outer layer, the very small amounts of dyed fibers you need makes it more economical to create a sculpture.

Here are some pictures to show you the steps (though I don’t have the wire armature pic):

Keep watching the website for online classes opening soon sign up here to never miss an update! Simple Sculptures will be one of the offerings where I’ll go over creating with and without an armature!