Dandelying: part 1

Spent a lot of time building small dandelions to be planted in a cluster in the grass growing on the cottage roof above the kitchen as well as in spots in the landscape. The results seen here were from my first batch. I was happy with them but not fully. In the next post I plan to show what method gave even better results.

The first batches were made around "seed heads" made from German model railroad grass glued onto wires, then painted with browns and yellows on the tips. Next these were either flocked with hand-cut feather flufff or natural wool roving fibers.

I was most interested in capturing the feeling I get when closely looking at a globe dandelion in nature. The smaller seed head inside what appears to be a clear round bubble covered in fluffy white tufts in perfect symmetry. I know there is no invisible ball around the seed head, but that 's the experience I have when looking at one.

I spent wasted? a lot of time making a hollow ball mold and casting either hot glue or other non-toxic translucent material into into it and carefully joining the two halves to make a ball (seen lower left with paper calyx ready to be flocked). I then placed tiny dots of glue to imitate the tufts and daubed them with chopped fibers. This gave the feeling of dandelions. I was happy with the effect and felt they fit in Halfland. Handmade. Detailed. A sketch of real nature.

After all of that, I thought to myself, you know, how much more difficult could it be to make these dandelions the way nature actually does it? In Dandelying: part 2 you'll be able to see.