Inspiration?

**MTRuth** · 06-08-2007, 03:25 PM

Hi Deborah,

I was wondering where you get your inspiration for your figures? Do you do any sketching or planning before making them or are they just born? Any thoughts on your inspirational process would be great.

Thanks!

**Deborah C. Pope** · 06-08-2007, 07:30 PM

Hi Ruth,

Thanks for the great question!

Many of my figures present themselves in my dreams and meditations. They walk right into my mind. Often they are merely an idea that needs working out.....

There is very little planning done and no sketching or drawing. I usually have some idea of what size I want to make a piece and begin to create it.

I am a process oriented Artist, meaning I allow the process (act of doing) to control the figure and what it wants to be. I love traditional (wet process) feltmaking because it tends to have a mind of it's own, which is an ideal medium for me. I never know exactly what my figures will look like until they are done. It is a very freeing process with surprising results.

Do any of you have similar feelings about feltmaking? :?:

**patdixie** · 06-10-2007, 06:30 PM

I was working on a piece of needle felting this afternoon and I was tying to do northern lights but I just could not get them to work so I decided to put a moon in the picture and then I was going to have a wolf howling at it. My wolf looked like a dog so now I have a dog sitting by a campfire and I am trying to get my "person" looking correct. That may turn into something else as well.

You really do just have to go with what the picture is telling you to do!

Pat
from Northern Canada

**MTRuth** · 06-11-2007, 09:48 AM

Thanks Deborah! With my figures, I also kind of let the piece take me where it wants to go. I have a general idea of what I'm going to make and go forward from there. They seem to take a life of their own. I tend to do the body first and the face last. Otherwise, I might just end up with a lot of faces.

I am doing some flat wall pieces now and I was thinking that sketching out a plan might be helpful although I don't feel very competent in that area. I was just wondering if anyone does much planning before their piece is made.

**Deborah C. Pope** · 06-11-2007, 07:32 PM

Greetings Everyone,

Today a good friend and I got together for a creative day. We had a wonderful time working on our respective projects. I usually go solo for my studio work time but this was fun and inspirational.

Presently I am working on a commision piece and several new figures for the upcoming NIADA conference.

Just wondering what felting projects folks are working on..............
:)

**MTRuth** · 06-12-2007, 09:50 AM

That sounds like fun - it always helps those creative juices flowing to get input from another creative person.

I am currently working on a large wall piece. I wet felted the background landscape and have needle felted a silhouetted face of Crazy Horse to go in the foreground. I am also going to needle felt a horse and a hawk to go on the piece. I will be posting the face of Crazy Horse in the June challenge section soon. The entire piece won't be done for a while yet though.

I also just got a Janome needle felting machine for my birthday so I'm playing with that and doing some smaller pieces. I'll start working on a set of "forest floor" pieces with that soon.

**Nean** · 06-12-2007, 05:46 PM

Oh, sounds so cool!

I am playing with 'wet felted vessel over a balloon'. Using different wools and combinations from my stash, and different size balloons. Now I need to find a really BIG balloon for a big wessel

With my needle felting machine I made a wall hanging - Una's idea of weaving pencil roving only very loosely and left the ends free to dangle and move. It's up in the hallway at work right now.

**Deborah C. Pope** · 06-13-2007, 08:22 PM

Greetings,

Love to hear what everyone is up to.......These new needle felting machines are terrific! I test drove a Bernina sewing machine with the felting needle attachment. What fun!!!!
Perhaps some day I will have the opportunity to spend more creative time on one. The possibilities are endless, however I prefer to work dimentionally soooooo what could we build? Any ideas?

**Nean** · 06-14-2007, 07:53 PM

Okay, I've graduate to a 16" kids ball - now I need to find XXXL pantihose. Trust me, we are gonna have fun bouncing a felt and pantihose covered ball during the hotter days of summer - what a picture - we should do a video. My SO laughs when I get the wool out for this. Before the netting goes on, looks like I'm making a wig for Cousin It.

How about - An igloo? gigantic felted ropes?

**nanapop10** · 06-16-2007, 01:56 PM

Hi, I'm registered for a course in felt vessels next month at the Midwest Felting Symposium held in Madison, WI. I have done figures, human, animal and ?. I've not taken any formal classes on felting just what info I've gleaned from books and online so I am really looking forward to learning new techniques and meeting other felters. Anybody else going to the Symposium?