Felting II: 2D (flat) and 3D (sculptural) Needle Felting
Instructor: Kara Perpelitz
Wednesdays 6:30-9:30pm
10 weeks: September 24 to November 26
Location: In-person, Williams Building room 357
$387.50 + $50 materials kit (required)
Prerequisite: Felting I (or equivalent experience)
Building on the foundations that were cultivated in Felting 1, Felting 2 expands both wet and needle felting skills. Students will create sculptural pieces with needle felting techniques, starting with "blobimals" (Vaguely animal-like creatures), then create posable characters by incorporating wire armatures. Students will also create 3D forms by using resists, shibori felting techniques, and expand on the use of the concept of differential shrinkage to create texture and dimension.
Syllabus
Students will:- Review basic needle felting techniques
- Explore how various fibers interact with one another
- Learn 2D relief techniques
- Learn 3D sculptural techniques
- Experiment with wrapping or coiling techniques
- Use one or more of the previous sample techniques, create a 3-D sculptural piece
- Use a felt modality to try and replicate the textures found in nature (ex: tree bark, moss, rocky surface, etc.)
Note: participants will also be encouraged to include other textile techniques such as embroidery, beading, and sewing into their work.
- Landscape creation
- Dreamscape creation
- Animal portraits
- Masks
- "Blob-imals"
- Addition of poseable limbs
- Reductive sculpting
- Additive sculpting
- Addition of texture
Supplies
Please bring any and all of the following that you may have on hand:
- Sewing scissors
- Snips
- Sewing thread
- Sewing needles
- Pins
- Measuring tape
- Sewing notions (buttons, zippers, ribbons etc)
- Notebook and pen and/or sketch book and pencil
- 20 feet of 18 gauge armature wire (non tarnishing)
- 2 pairs of needle nose pliers, 1 wire cutter
- 1 package of cotton sheet batting (found at Fabricland)
- small bag of elastics
- 1 - 12'' re-inflatable ball (like the kind you find in the Walmart toy aisle)
- 1 empty sour cream container (or similar)
Note: your materials kit (includes felting needles, wool and other fibres, soap, felting foam blocks) will be provided by the instructor at the first class.
*For a brief list of frequently used suppliers, please see Where can I purchase supplies? on our FAQ page.
