Journal · 2009-02-18
Needle Felted Stop Motion Animation
Li’l Conan’s Alaskan Ice Fishing Adventures
“Hey, Aunt Kay, can you make a polar bear for your Conan doll?” I never know what my nephews are scheming but it’s always fun.
The idea they had in mind was that li’l Conan was going out for a little Alaskan ice-fishing adventure. He had no idea of the danger lurking beneath the ice. Upon pulling a woolly fish out of the ice hole, a polar bear surfaces and the adventure begins. They tangle with one another until after dark. Conan is surprisingly tough and agile and gains the bear’s respect. They ride off together in the dark. Bfffs. Best felted friends forever.
So, I needle felted a polar bear for li’l Conan O’Brien. The bear was surprisingly easy to make.
I started with a wire armature and just wrapped some hairy white roving around and around the wire to get the basic shape. A little needle felting to sculpt the surface down and get the face shaped and the bear was ready to meet li’l Conan on a frozen Alaskan Lake.
My nephews, Nick and Ben, are both creative and funny and they had an idea that required the use of my dolls. I was completely in love with their idea because I love seeing my creations come to life! I also love seeing the young adults in my life interested in needle felting and the possibilities of it. They are always suggesting dolls for me to make, including li’l Conan. (thanks, Nick!) And they are both talented needle felters as well! Nick felted the fish in the video 😉
Needle felted stop motion animation is really cool because of the lifelike qualities of the wool. Not to mention how very tough needle felted wool is. No polar bears or li’l Conans were injured during the filming of this animated videos.
These crazy kids (my nephews and the dolls) spent days laying on their bellies on the ice while setting up the scenes and taking thousands of photos.
And a huge thank you to my nephews – true pioneers of needle felted stop motion animation!