Needle Felted Dog Sculptures
I love dogs, always have. When I was a child, we moved to an apartment where I could no longer have a dog. Our Tammy went to live with grandma and I was so sad; I yearned to have a canine companion. As an adult, I've always had dogs, as many as three at a time. I currently have two--Lily, a husky mix, and our puppy Angelina, a border collie/Aussie mix.
When I create needle felted dog portraits I spend a lot, lot of time studying photos of the dog as well as photos of the breed from every angle. I grow to love the dog and feel as if I know him/her.
I always start with the face, being certain the position of the ears, eyes and nose are correct. The eyes take the most time. I create them in layers--iris, pupil, light dot and then line the eyes and poke, poke, poke until it is shaped and sized correctly. The legs require multiple layers. The final layer of the dog is usually soft alpaca wool.
Sometimes, the pet owner sends me fur from the dog and I incorporate that into the sculpture. Most often, I mix in a little of the fur with alpaca. I believe it brings a little of the dog's spirit into the sculpture. When I created a Bouvier des Flandres I was sent a large envelope of the dog's fur and I was surprised just how well it felted; in fact it was nearly indistinguishable from the rose grey alpaca.
Quite often the portraits are of dogs that have gone over the rainbow bridge. It gives me a warm feeling to know the sculpture brings comfort to the dog's companion.
Here is what one customer said about her pet portrait:
OMG.. I can only say CLAUDIA could not have recreated my Precious Calli any better. I opened the box and cried and cried because I felt as if I had my Calli back in my hands and back by my side again! Just a smaller version! ;) AMAZING work!
Hope you enjoy my dogs!
