I begin by pulling the wool apart, and
making the fibers go in all different directions. I always start on one
side of the muzzle under the gusset, and felt a cheek. I hold the wool
in place with my thumb as I shape it with the needle.
I then add wool to the other side, and
make them as even as possible. When adding new wool I tease the ends
out and pull them into areas outside of where I am working to feather
the wool in. This way it leaves a smoother look.
When I am done with cheeks, I begin under
chin. If you are not careful here you will end up with felting into the
neck. Keep looking to be sure you are not moving too far down.
Next I felt top of nose gusset. Holding
with fingers as I shape. Around the outline of the felted area, I tease
the wool out and blend a little bit into the mohair. When I am all done
I shade this wool with paint that matches the fur. This blends the
felting into the wool, so it doesn’t look like there are two balls of
wool stuck on the face. You will see this blending better in a nose
picture.
For eyelids, I begin with about a 2” x ½” piece of wool I have felted. I cut it in half, and felt in the cut ends.
I lay it around the eye, starting and ending at the inside corner.
Aim the needle up and back when felting so
as not to hit the eye and break the needle. Also anchor strip behind
eye, by felting down behind eye into fabric. These eyes are
taxidermists bear eyes. They are flat backed. I have needle-sculpted
sockets, and glued them in. I use the same technique for regular bear
eyes. I also finish the eyelids with clear acrylic sealer, for me it
helps with shading the lid, keeps it very firm.
Nose I am using Corriedale wool. It is finer. I mash up the wool again, and stick a blob onto the end of the nose.
Begin with a teardrop or upside down triangle shape.
Holding it in place again with my thumb. I work with the picture of a bear nose in front of me.
Look at it from the side to make sure you are even with the muzzle. Look at it from the top and bottom, to make sure it is even.
I use embroidery scissors to cut to holes for
nostrils and then open them with the felting needle. You can see in
this picture how the wool is teased out into the fur, to blur the line
of felting.
The last thing I felt after the nose is done is
the mouth. I do not add anymore wool. I take the needle and felt an
indentation for the mouth and then add the darker wool.
Clean up the face by trimming any flyaway wool.
The last picture is of Heber, and his
desert baby jackrabbit friend, Cottonwood. His nose has been waxed, and
his shading is complete.
