So where do the ideas come from for making felt "Creektures?" Good question and not sure I know the answer!!! I usually have at least one or two new ideas lurking in my imagination.Despite thinking that I have just about covered the gamut of subjects, I am often asked for things that I haven't thought of. Last year it was giraffes, hippopotamuses (hippopotami?), and bats no less. I haven't tried a bat yet but it is just a matter of time and finding the right wool.
Once I have an animal in mind, I'll usually check out books or the internet for photos. Field guides are a great source, but one of my favourites is a couple of very old sets of encyclopedia from my childhood that my Mom insisted on me taking for my kids. They are great sources of simple coloured illustrations. I just use these as guidelines and usually take a lot of artistic license. I often shut them once the basic idea is in my head and refer back occasionally for details (e.g. which way their legs bend). I have been doodling and cartooning since I was a kid so who knows where the goofy faces and body shapes come from. It is pretty hard to plan and control a specific face. I usually have an idea of the general shape and then start bunching and manipulating the wool and looking to see what is emerging. Then it is a matter of helping it along and refining it. I am always mindful of body symmetry (checking to make sure that the basic bone structure is symmetrical) but avoid posing them symmetrically - tilted heads and twisted bodies help to give them personality and life.
I have a number of wool "dealers" that feed my wool habit. They are passionate about their fibres and an incredible source of information and ideas. They always seem to have new and beautiful fibres and I inevitably come away with something unexpected and inspirational. The bison fella was inspired by some untreated fibres that still have their "fresh-off the sheep" characteristics of curly locks. I have also used them to make a Sasquatch.
On a recent trip to the Custom Woolen Mill I came away with a beautiful bat of vibrant blue wool that I originally intended for doing landscapes. However, it turns out that it is the perfect texture for needle felting (nice and spongy with not too many wispy fibres or guard hairs). Given that you don't see too much vibrant blue wildlife, it stretched my imagination to make a few dinosaur "bluepers" (fella on the left). Catherine at Red Neck Goat Ranch dyes her own wool and always has interesting blended colours - her vibrant greens got me started on making lizards, dinosaurs and dragons. Legacy studio has an amazing array of colours and interesting fibre ideas.All of this keeps me full of new ideas, at least so far.
