Textile artist and educator Yamanono attaches, shapes, blends, trims, and brushes Merino wool fibers into place. As the layers take form, shiny eyes, a nose, a mouth, and paw details are sculpted with resin, clay, and paint.
A happy face slowly comes together. By the end of the video, a realistic, felted miniature of a Chocolate Merle border collie stands at attention.
Turn up the sound to hear soft rhythmic crunching as barbs on the needles pierce and catch chunks of fibers.
Needle felting, a textile art technique, tangles and compacts wool fibers to bind them together. Artists sculpt intricate shapes and details by repeatedly poking the wool with a barbed felting needle, which catches and meshes individual strands. Longer pieces of wool are attached by only poking at one end.
Yamanono begins with a wire armature that provides structure for layers of muscle-mimicking wool fibers. Different lengths of fur are attached in a mix of white and browns. The border collie’s eyes are embedded within patches of fluff.
On its feet, toes, and snout, the strands are tightly woven into shape, then disturbed to emulate short fur. Triangular ears and a long tail are formed separately, then attached.
Find more from Yamanono on YouTube, Instagram, and at yamanono.net.
Then enjoy these hand-picked selections on TKSST:
• Making hyperrealistic cat portraits with wool felt
• Thread painting a European Robin, a hand embroidery demonstration
• Cooking with Wool: Bagel Breakfast by Andrea Love
• Needle felting a stop-motion puppet bullfrog
• How do you shear a huge Valais Blacknose ram?
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