Introduction: Stop Motion Needle-felted Blackguard Part

This is portion of an ongoing project of making props and extras for our block motion dolls' house film and no you are not seeing double but the stunt double that is needed just in case the constant manipulation of our main dog character causes him to need to live replaced away an standby. However, I am hoping that his joints will stay in good health and with this in mind have planned that the stunt double will actually suit the Director of the Animation, complete with Director's Chair, megaphone and suitable press.

The case of the Canis familiaris, I had already decided was an important one to the animation communicative but the inspiration for his 'look back' came from a puppy I met in the parking lot at the beach. 'Mocha' is an 18 calendar month old Fox Terrier cross and 'quite a a smattering' accordant to his owner! I also victimised a Pinterest mood board, where I had set up likely candidates for the principal of my dog (link at end of this task).

I'm setting out the supplies below but with the proviso that I ready-made my felting flat and I include how I did that in the next step, which you can decamp if you decide to purchase one instead. I also manipulation just a couple of divergent needles:

36 caliber triangular felting needles held singularly by hand for general felting or in pairs Oregon more for flat felting for ears, general smoothing down and formation (sculpting)

40 gauge triangular felting needle, used singularly (for eyes, nose, delicate work some the verbalise

N.B. I needle felt very slowly and carefully particularly on a small susceptible like this but also because here I am felting towards an armature. Furthermore, if you are in whatever way worried about pain your fingers then you should either invest in or make some leather finger's breadth and thumb protectors.

Supplies

Core Fleece

If you are thinking of carrying on with phonograph needle-felting so it may work out cheaper to get a needle felting kit which will as wel give you coloured wool you tail end practice on top of the inning of your core to make various toys and 'creatures'

Jute Firing (if you are making a snarl)

Coloured wool for inside information and contrasts - I used Jacob Fleece and Healthful Merino sheep from Cumbria and Organic Poof Woollen from my local craft stash awa.

Organ pipe Cleaners

Step 1: Make a Felting Mat

The Felting Dull invention was one I really likable from a YouTube Line - Sara Renzulli and if you are a initiate at needle-felting then you couldn't coiffe better than mind over to her channel before you pop and get a load at her beginner videos. I love her approach to needle-felting which is much as a sculptress victimisation clay and gives her characters a more 'flesh and blood' look than some of the traditional needle-felting processes. I'll include a link to her channel at the end of this project.

Why You Need a Mat

The mat is needed for two reasons one to support the work and the other to stop you from breaking needles. When the work is felted on the mat it will come out to adhere thereto but you fire softly prise it away. When you are needle felting you should keep lifting the wool from the mat to stop it from getting embedded besides far as this could damage the work when you sneak it bump off.

To Attain the Dull

Cut 4 identical pieces of jute sacking operating theatre siamese material mensuration 12 x 8 inches (30cm x 20cm).

Pin and sew the pieces together, leaving an first at one corner.

Fill with rice, until you have a mat that is more or less 1" - 2cm gelatinous.

Use a running stitch in embroidery silk on the open recession going a 2" - 4cm duration allowance of silk at from each one end of the stitching thus as to make a draw string fastening for your mat. This way you can seal in the Rice away drawing the silk ends collectively with a crouch and will be able to add rice if requisite OR remove the rice to unobjectionable the mat.

On the top of the jute mark out in embroidery silk or wool, lines that represent 1" - 2cm spaces. These will help when working out dimensions and estimating amounts of wool for your characters.

Step 2: Fashioning the Armature

You posterior actually corrupt very professional looking armature on-transmission line and/or specialist armature wire but for my purposes of being moo technical school and low cost, I'm using piping cleaners!

Guide, Cervix and Front Legs

Take your first pipe cleanser and plica in 2 and twist the pipe cleaners in collaboration from the 'centre fold' down to the top of the legs for 2¼" - 5cm.

Crease the top of the tress to form the head and bend terminated the pipe cleansing agent at the bottom of each leg to phase the paw.

Shoulders Back and Back Legs

Fold the second gear pipe cleaner in fractional and and then spread ou IT adequate to make a ⋀ shape.

Lasso the first pipe cleansing agent around the bottom of the neck.

To form the shoulders, twist each section of the second pipe cleaner (either side of the ⋀) twice around from each one front wooden leg shriek cleaner.

Leave a space of approximately 1" - 2.5cm and so twist the pipe dry cleaners together for another 1" - 2.5cm to form the lower back out.

Bend the rearwards legs into the devour position and organize the paws.

Refining the Legs

Redact bends into both hind and front line legs to create the 'wrists' and 'hocks'. As this is being ill-used Eastern Samoa an animation character at more or less point these positions English hawthorn change but they are a good base for working come out of the closet the 'muscles' when you start wrapping

Tail

Take a third pipe cleaner and bug out winding one end around the frown binding, make as big or small a loop as you wish, contingent your dog engender and then wind the pipe dry cleaner back down the glower back and snip off any overabundance.

Step 3: Testing Mobility

I put-upon a simple 'scratching' scenario and photographed it in a stop motion sequence to test the flexibleness of the Dog.

After this trial I and then re-wrapped the Heel armature with a second layer of pipe up dry cleaners for added strength.

Step 4: Wrapping the Mammy, Adding Texture and Colour!

This is the procedure to beat the wool onto the armature, your character is at the 'mummy swathe' step of goad felting, though beginning to take on persona equally good as shape. You should non really need to use the needles, at this stage, as if you can wrap tightly and equally, the fleece will adhere to itself without any more pressure than that of the motion of wrapping.

Start by taking a 4" - 10cm nibble of core wool, you will probably call for to divide it into two OR three pieces to make a tractable thickness for wrapping .

Commence by wrapping the legs from the shoulders/hips shoot down to the paw.

One time you have completed all the legs move connected to the mind start at the back of the head and swathe tightly and evenly to the nose and so back out up once again. Pull the wool and stretch it as you go, which again will force it to adhere without the needle.

To physical body up muscle, as with the chest and shoulders, progress the back with your woollen and then go terminated the shoulder, using a figure of viii wrap, crossing under to the opposite armpit, then wrap finished the back, under the other axillary fossa and complete the antonym shoulder joint. Keep building with this motion until you have a good solid chest shape.

Stockpile on wrapping each area of the body until you have built up, every last the necessary sinew structure, I referred constantly to my photos of Mocha and my Pinterest mood plug-in.

Once my muscles were all in place I added some rolls of wool to the top of the head, which I was going to needle felt with my 36 triangular needle to 'sculpt ' the brows and make the eye sockets. At this point my dog resembled a poodle!

I and so created a shape for the bottom masticate, felting it flat and then adding a darker contrastive piece of woolen around the jaw line and a red tongue shape. I left an unfelted end, which I misused to attach the jaw to the head.

My Jacob sheep fleece pieces were victimized to create the markings happening the dog and unwoven in with a couple of 36 gauge needles.

I was really guarded with shaping the body with my needle, to avoid all over-needle-felting as I desirable to maintain a shaggy look to the coat. I've added both White Jacob Top of the inning and the Organic Merino, the latter makes for a great colour contrast and gives a softer look to the coat.

However, plane at this leg I am working at characterisation as I go along. I feel I involve to get some strength and 'authority' into those front legs early in the cognitive process. I'm also static keeping focussed happening the fact that the dog will need to transform from four-legged to deuce-three-legged.

Step 5: Making the Features

EARS - Pull off two short 1" or 2.5cm length okay sections of wool (I secondhand brown wool from my Jacob sheep) and then riveting each end firmly pull IT obscure and restack IT several times so that you have a flattish, even square tack together to work on with the fibres in the Saame focal point. Repeat this so that you have the two ears ready to goad-felt at the equal clock time. Stab a unsloped line with your needle all the way belt down the ear and then prod a teensy-weensy ear shape, leaving enough wool at the bottom unfelted, this will give up you to impound the ear. Then part rolling the woollen inwards around the ear shape and felting with the needles to create a hollow in the middle where you can add a littler contrasting wool. I just ordered a small amount of white top wool into the middle of my Hot dog's ear and then felted it in with a couple up of 36 gauge needles. Attach the ears to the header using the unfelted ends.

EYES &ere; Scent out - When you usage the fine 40 calibre needle, stabbing over and over in the same place it volition pull in and attach a circular ball of wool to clear a very handsome centre. The more you felt the small the center will become, so this is a great technique for getting the oculus to the photographic size. Roll a set up of dark woollen into a ball and then do as above to make the nuzzle. For the centre use a small ball of coloured wool of your choice to make the irises, a smaller bollock of black fleece for the student and a tiny ball of white to contribute highlights to the pupil. Again if the nose or eye is too medium-large use the okay needle stabbing proficiency to draw IT into the core wool and make it the correct mould.

Tone 6: On-going Costuming

IT only remains for me now to finish the costume and bulge out planning the animation of the Dog. All the same he does already have several props, including a wheelbarrow, a pallet and a Music director's Hot seat and megaphone.

Hope you've enjoyed this project as practically as I have.

Entirely the very best from Normandie, Sue aka Pavlovafowl

Golf links: Sara Renzulli

Pavlovafowl Mood Board - Animation Film Extras

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