One In Hand

Production on "Frankie" the girl Bird in Hat, is underway (top photos). She has her undercoat of down feathers and long wing and tail feathers added. I got wild and cut the nap off of a fancy faux fur scrap I had, using it in the same fashion as I had the more powder-like Fun Flock fibers. I thought the scale of the fur looked more feathery than feathers could.

Then while doctoring up the ruff around the boy Bird's collar, I went berserk and added snips of real wool roving on top of his darker faux fur neck/breast piece (bottom photos). I LOVE the way it looks like feathers in Halfland with it's much more authentic texture and matte appearance. Now when he turns his little head side to side the chest feathers move with the gesture as if they were layers of feathers. I can chalk the contours of his body to add even more detail.

I'm thrilled with the method/technique of bird making now and I'm so happy to have worked all this out before making the larger, main character puppet for Tarn the Crow woman. It's a combination of real feathers covered with trimmed faux fur, topped with finely chopped up wool, sifted onto the surface through a tea strainer (lower left).

And since I'm a fiber nut with every color of wool roving already on hand, I can make Birds in Hats in any shade I'd like. The boy will be in powder blues with green accents, Frankie in warm burgundy and rusts, close to their initial sketch.

Comments

  1. Anonymous11:52 AM

    They both look fabulous! You really have a lovely style Shelley-everything looks lovingly hand-crafted, but has an elegant professional style too. Super!

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  2. Thank is so kind of you to say, Nofby! Thank you!

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  3. yeah the flocking really worked nicely.it looks real.tweet tweet!

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  4. That's flocking incredible!!! You are so flocking good!!!

    Heck, I was happy with the original birds, which looked far more stylized, but now they look so real they seem like they're about to take of in a flurry of little wings!!

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  5. Thanks, Rich!

    Thanks, Mike!

    I really like the matte feathery feel these will have. I'm thinking ahead to dye some dark roving in black for the Tarn bird half.

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  6. Vaoowww.. Frankie is looking great Shelley. I cant to see how you make Tarn. It will be a very interesting puppet.

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  7. Thanks, Yaz! Oh oh oh, boy, I can't wait to make Tarn too! The puppet making lust is nearly unbearable. I'd like to swear right now.

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  8. Oh these are so sweet!
    You are the queen of details!
    Ulla

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  9. Thank you so much, Ullabenulla! xox

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  10. These are so adorable, you could sell them on Etsy.

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  11. Thank you, Thessaly Rose! Very kind of you, glad I'm only making two of these though! Time consuming, I'm still layering on wool!

    A Big Welcome to Halfland!

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  12. I'm not new, I just haven't posted in a long time. I've been too embarrassed, since I think I owe you a puppet. :)

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  13. Oh my gosh! Hi! I remember you! I'm so glad you commented! And please never feel weird about the fish, that's what you mean, right, a fish puppet?

    They are supposed to be only FUN! That's the firm rule, ONLY FOR FUN!! Simple, easy, light-weight so it doesn't cost much to mail to me, and a pleasure to play with/make for you! Promise?

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