Rock Wall Picture Part 2
I had a whole day of no work and no grandchildren last week so I got my picture done. Although this is a good thing, I discovered all those little people’s interruptions are actually good. I rather overdid it with the needling and have aggravated my tendonitis again. I need a better needling pad. the one I have is quite dense. It’s good for travelling as it’s light and it does last well but it is too dense to be poking into all day. I know not to poke way into the foam but when you’re doing a picture you always seem to go into it a little. I got several suggestions for alternatives. Jan had a nicer kneeling pad that I will look for not so dense but still lightweight. upholstery foam is popular and a new one to me was rice in a cloth bag. I may try this for home. I think it would be heavy to carry around. What do you use?
On to the picture.
When I put the rock shapes in I wasn’t very happy that the stuck up a lot from the wall so I wet felted it again. It looked much better, more subtle.
Next for the wall was some moss and some shadows
Next was some shadow to the bottom of the rocks and to the gate.
I added some sheep, I know you are all so surprised. I added the trees to the place markers and some vegetation to the foreground.
That looks ok but it is kind of bare on the top left and the vegetation is a little boring so I added some more trees, another sheep( you can’t have enough sheep) and some french knots for flowers on the vegetation.
I hope to get a better picture of the finished piece. The camera really doesn’t like the fuzzy white. the piece is 7 inches by 9 inches. It should have been 8 x 10 but when I refelted it I shrank more. it hadn’t originally been very felted because it’s a picture and didn’t need to be. Oh well, I will get a frame and Jan will help me cut a mat to the right size.
14 thoughts on “Rock Wall Picture Part 2”
Great picture and interesting to see how your composition developed over time.
I’ve tried a few different mats and strongly recommend a dense foam mat (not sponge) that’s specifically sold for needle felting. It’s light, the needle penetrates easily and it doesn’t break up. I got mine from Heidifeathers in the UK. Don’t know about suppliers in other countries.
Thanks, Lindsay. I will have a look at the mat. Is it the grey stuff like they pack electronics in?
It’s not as hard as that. I know I said it isn’t a sponge but it’s a little bit sponge-y! I’ve used more spongy sponges which broke up very quickly and deposited bits of debris in my felt. I can’t really describe it better as it’s not exactly like anything else.
Lovely to see your progress photos – the extra trees and sheep on the left really balance the picture well. The wall looks great after re-felting and mossing and the shading on the gate and post is very good.
Love the colours – it’s a happy piece indeed and we’d like to see the whole thing.
Yup. Heidifeathers mat is good.
Thanks, Lyn and Annie. There was too much of a blank, the extras really helped it a lot. I will take a picture of it when it’s framed.
I use this for needle felting. It is lightweight and does no break in to pieces like upholstery foam eventually does. comes in a couple of sizes. https://woolery.com/artfelt-tack-board-24-x-36.html
Interesting . How thick is it? it is different the the needlfelting foam they sell.
I love the outcome and the sheep always make me happy. The rock wall definitely looks better after the extra wet felting. I don’t have any suggestions for a felting foam as I always flare up my shoulder issues when needle felting no matter what I use.
Thanks, Ruth. They make me happy too. The wall was a chore but I am happy with how it looks now. I think I did it backwards. I have to do some searching on how others do their walls. Maybe doing a little tacking down with a needle before the wet felting would work. My problem is I am always impatient. I should have known better than to needle felt all day. My neck and shoulders were none too happy with me either.
It’s really and I mean really lovely.
Thank you, so glad you like it.
Nice composition! The addition of the upper left trees tied things together well. And, of course, the added sheep! Hard to stop creating when you’re in your happy place. I can relate!
Thank you Tesivaara, It hard to stop when you are enjoying yourself.
I think the painting came out well. The thing about nature is that although you can have a stunning scene, the colors are not so exciting, so we can spice things up a bit when we paint. As for felting mats, I have a gray one that is not so great but better since I put a piece of linen on it that I got from the charity shop. You can also put a piece of felt on top of the mat. I have a very small rice bag I made that is good for fiddly areas, but if you stab too much in the same place, you will get a hole. I have also used a piece of Celotex insulation that we had left over and that is great for paintings. It is really lightweight and you can cut it to any size. It will deteriorate over time, but nothing lasts forever. People make their own felt and put it on a sponge, so that could work too and you don’t need to worry about the color.