Journal · 2011-03-26
New Li’l Willie Nelson Doll – Needle Felted in Wool
Li’l Willie Nelson
c. 2011
I’m happy to introduce my needle felted li’l Willie Nelson Doll. I made him on a custom order for a HUGE Willie Nelson fan.
He is about 12″ tall and stands on his own. He is solid felted wool (no armature) and he flexes and bends nearly like he’s alive.
Little Li’l Willie was one of my early caricature dolls c. 2009.
Big Li’l Willie is my first attempt to create another version of a subject.
They are two years apart.
The two felted fellas were happy to meet each other.
It’s fun to see how my style of doll making and caricature art is changing. It seems that big heads and big feet are my new thing. My goal with most of my dolls is that they stand on their own. Without a wire armature, a felted wool doll can be a little floppy, especially with oversized heads. So big feet it is!
Crafting the feet of my characters can easily take just as much time as sculpting the face.
It takes so much needle poking to make the ankles strong and the feet with a good, solid sole. Not to mention that designing and sculpting the needle felted footwear is an art in itself!
The first thing I do when I finish a doll is take it outside and snap some photos. I can always spot the things that I call flaws easier in photos than with my eye. I suppose the camera just gives me a third eye. Once I took a look at these photos I could tell his braids were WAY too thick and long.
I was able to easily thin out his braids and make them right when I got back to my studio. It often feels like a mini hair studio when I style the hair of my dolls.
I made him with Merino X wool batting that we dye here in my studio. His scarves are made from sheets of Merino prefelt. And for his hair, I used alpaca roving
If truth be told, the REAL reason I love needle felting isn’t so much the process, which I adore, but I really love taking pictures of them. I keep most of my work which makes this kind of scene possible. It is hard for me to say goodbye to the rare dolls who were never going to stay. I know my new Willie Nelson doll is going to be treasured in his new home and may even meet the real Willie some day.