New approach to Top Ten Lists
I have been slacking on writing up new Top 10 lists and so I have decided that I am going to start posting the Top 10 lists in pictures only, no comments from me about what I like about each one. I am simply going to let the pictures speak for themselves….which if they truly are the Top 10 then they WILL speak for themselves. I think this will help me be able to post more Top 10 lists on a more constant basis.
Top 10 Flat (Needle) Feltings on Etsy September 2, 2008
As promised, today I will discuss more needle felt works. These being flat felted tapestry/wall hangings that have been done in either the dry or wet fashion.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11581753I love the color combination, the contrast between the reds and greens excite the eye as does the swooping movements of the sky and grass. I also like the simplicity the shapes of the tree.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12377873
Here again the reds and greens create contrast. The fairytale theme that it has is a very popular one in needlefelt crafts and other crafts it seems.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14343490I like the idea of breaking an image into parts. Each piece can stand alone in its own right or come together as one amazing piece of art. I love the colors in this piece. The color combination is very striking. I am a fan of bold colors in combination with black.
Another example of good contrast. The white lilies against the black background really makes the flowers seem to pop off the page. She did a great job making the flowers look realistic. It makes me just want to reach out and try to grab a flower right out of the picture!
Here again the black helps to bring contrast to the picture. Doesn’t this look like a photograph? Its amazing! Simple, yet amazing.
Here is another landscape flat felt picture but done in a very different manner. This work doesn’t have the photograph quality like the one above but it does have quite a good resemblane to an actual landscape. I like the use of lights and darks for highlights and shadows. And I love how the artist decided to break away from the typical square or rectangular work area.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13440268
Gorgeous! This piece was done by needle felt and wet felt techniques. The color combination that is found in peacocks is my favorite color combination and the bright blue of the peacock is my absolute favorite color! I love the artist’s use of highlights and shadows. All of the different patterns create interest for the eyes as well.
This landscape flat felt picture is done by I think one of the best needlefelt artist’s on Etsy. Each of her works have a photograph quality to them. She uses a wide range of colors in each piece, sometimes the color choices seems suprising but the end result always looks realistic and picture perfect! She also embellishes on top of the needle felt by using different art yarns, creating interesting textures.
Wow! Besides the fact that VanGogh’s Starry Night is my absolute favorite painting, I love this needlefelt piece for other reasons as well. Starting with the amount of detail and resemblance to the real Starry Night painting. The movement created in VanGogh’s painting is just perfect for a needlefelt piece. Art yarns were also used in the piece to create nice flowing lines and texture.
Wow again! This piece is done by, I think, another one of the best needelfelters on Etsy. I fell in love with this piece (as well as some of her other pieces) right from the start. The colors are striking and the design is very ambitious. I can’t imagine even attempting to do something so detailed with wool. This piece is done by using both dry and wet felt techniques. The picture I have included does NOT do it justice.
Top 10 Needle Felted Soft Sculptures on Etsy
I have decided that for the next few weeks I am going to feature a different form of art/crafts each day or so and post a sort of Etsy Top 10 list for each of the different types. Each of the 10 featured items will be made by 10 different artists/craftsmen. I will provide a link to each artisans/craftsman’s shop and a brief word about what I love about each item I have selected to be in the Top 10. This week’s Top 10 List includes Needle Felted Items, specifically Needle Felt SCULPTURES. I think tomorrow I will continue on with the Needle Felt topic and focus on Flat Feltings.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6003246
I fell in love with this piece mainly because it resembles the kind of needle felt dolls that I have been making lately. Very simple form, with a full skirt going to her feet
(a perfect solution to someone who doesn’t like or can’t very well make needle felted legs and feet…like myself. This strategy also provides standing stability of the doll compared to the instability that lightweight wobbly legs would provide. Now lets talk about the gorgeous colors and patterns on her dress! I love the idea of creating a pattern on a needle felted doll’s dress or other clothing. It allows each character to really become an individual piece, even if the main structure of all the dolls is the same.
This is another example of the simple form doll that I fell in love with. Again skirt down to her feet, eliminating the need to create legs or feet. This artist puts her dolls on a sturdy base although I doubt it really needs it in order to stand with enough stability. I guess it all depends on how lightweight the doll is. I have found that if you use a core wool inside or a coarser wool throughout, say corriedale instead of a softer merino, then the structure seems to have a little more weight to it. Also notice how this doll has facial features while the doll above has none. I generally prefer dolls with facial features, however notice how the featureless face helps bring attention to the colors and details in the dress, whereas the other doll’s dress is plain and simple therefore drawing your eye towards the face.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6006911
I love her elongated limbs and facel. They help give the doll its unique character. I like the use of accessories such as the dragonfly, and the beadwork on the clothes. I also love the color combination. And at almost 20 inches tall…WOW!
I love all the accessories that come along with this bear. Many needlefelted bears out there right now are JUST the bear, a simple little bear. But this bear is holding a cake, wearing a party hat, wearing clothing, and sitting on a felted base! Not to mention the added details such as beads and embrodiery. Not only do the cake and party hat shout “festive” but the color combination does as well. The colors reallly help to make it a fun piece.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5342744
This may just be my favorite needle felted item on Etsy right now, even though it is quite a simple piece. Its colors are fun as are its added accessories. It has the same “festive” qualities as the bear above. I love the idea of using wire in some way in needlefelted items. I have a feeling wire will eventually work its way into my needle felt creations! I love how she takes the qualities of a real animal and turns it into a simplestic cartoonish version of the real version. The way she divides up the colors on the different parts of the bird and the stripes on the accessories allow her to create several different birds of this type and have them all come out looking very unique in character.
Okay so I have to say what drew me to this particular item was that I love frogs! And with the mixture of colors for its “skin”, it gives off a very artsy feel. And I of course love art! So I love this piece! Its definitely different than the other common needlefelted frogs I have seen out there. Again though, I love frogs so there is probably not a needlefelted frog out there that I would not like!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5468176
Such creativity! I absolutely LOVE the stone tummy patch idea! I had been trying to come up with a creative tummy patch for my bears and I came upon this bear. I thought it was absolute genius!…and really wish I had thought of the idea first HAHA.
Wow! Very nicely “sculpted” and detailed. It really resembles a real violin! It is also creative in that you hardly ever see a needlefelted representation of an inanimate object, mainly you see representations of animals or people.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5577800
Wow. Just WOW!
