Needlefelt Monthly

~Needlefelt news on the last Sunday of every month~
~_{(so needlefelters don't have to explain what they're doing anymore)}~
~Edition 2~June 26, 2011~

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Table of Contents

The Basics
What is needlefelting?
What isn't needlefelting?
About Needlefelt Monthly
How can I find needlefelts on dA?

Features
Artist of the Month
Group Features
Artist Features
Needlefelt Commissioners List

Extra
Editorial: Compilations vs. Single Shots
Issue Updates
How You Can Help

The Wrap-up

The Basics

What is needlefelting?

Basically, needlefelting is taking loose wool and stabbing it with a specialized barbed needle repeatedly.  Eventually, the wool bonds to itself, making it able to have defined form. Which can be just about anything, depending on the artist. Just keep on going, you'll see what I mean.

What isn't needlefelting?

Anything made without using a needlefelting needle. Craft felt and wet felting are very simila to needlefelting, and can be used in combination with needlefelting, but are different processes. Needlefelt Monthly won't be featuring anything without at least some needlefelting involved.  

About Needlefelt Monthly

Needlefelt Monthly was created when I decided there simply wasn't enough exposure for all of the amazing needlefelters out there, because needlefelting is such an unknown art form. It strives to provide a good monthly catalog of needlefelt happenings.

How can I find needlefelts on dA?

Since there isn't any category for needlefelts, it can be hard to find or categorize needlefelt creations. Some artists put their needlefelts in Artisan Crafts > Needlework > Miscellaneous, others use Artisan Crafts > Textiles > Fiber Art, and even others use Artisan Crafts > Dolls, Plushies, & Custom Toys. Depending on the type of needlefelt art I do, I usually switch between all three. Which, no doubt, is confusing. deviantART needs a needlefelt category to cut down on the confusion. When I'm looking for needlefelt, though, I search the terms "needlefelt", "needle felt", "needlefelted", "needle felted", "felted"-- because needlefelting is a new craft, not everyone calls it by the same name!

Or you could just look at the features below.

Features

Artist of the Month

~GlassCamel

Besides being an awesomely amazing needlefelter with many great fan art pieces, ~GlassCamel was nice enough to upload a tutorial this month! Go check it out!

Group Features

The groups who are active and who are at least somewhat active in needlefelting. If you're looking for needlefelts, these are a good place to start.

Artist Features

~LSstudio

~azu-55

~insanelymute

~TheHarley

~aicerkul

~Lobster-Ball

~Lumichi

~imag1naryfr1ends

~Spyrre

~creturfetur

~feltingirl

~Umbrati

~sammasaur

~REMylius

~Elmira-san

~cricket00fur

~TheRoguez

~Jade-Rat

~galipso271

~Nature-Field

~FamiliarOddlings

~Sapsin-Capcaicin

~LittleTinyPiranha

~JELL-0

~BethPower

~Pawkeye

~Screamer21

~michelleness

~MandyBejeweled

~KookaburraKreations

~amber-rose-creations

*Han-Wik

!ninibestiole

:thumb211372245:

~Lunekat

~Biplizard

~Elfs-Toyshop

~Jadest

*CVDart1990

~BoraHD

~m3ow

*PervHiruko

~Woolyfeltcreations

*mintymarietan

~shelaughedlast

~tollykit

~ZanderAnvist

~shadechristiwolven

~pahein

Needlefelt Commissioners List

~pahein
~Lobster-Ball ( [link] )
~creturfetur ( [link] )

Want to be added to the list? Note ~pahein--i.e., me-- and you'll be put in next month's issue!

Extra

Editorial: Compilations vs. Single Shots

Since needlefelts are, by their very nature, a textured and three-dimensional medium, it's important to know how to showcase needlefelts properly on the internet through pictures. Some deviants choose to upload compilations-- a lot of pictures arranged into a single file-- while other deviants go for that classic single shot. Personally, I switch back and forth. Deciding when to use a compilation can be difficult for me, though.

If I am thinking of using a single picture, one of the most important things I ask myself is if I can take a great picture of my object. Will the picture be clear? Will it show off everything I want people to see and know about my needlefelt? Does a particular picture look awesome? Do I want to upload detail pictures? Generally, if I do upload more than one deviation, I make sure the second deviation is a compilation. I don't want to flood my watchers with individual detail pictures, and I don't want to make it hard to find that one detail on that one part of my piece.

I use compilations when I feel I can't show off my work properly from one side. Does it have asymmetrical patterns? Does it have awesome detail work I want to show off?  It is hard to see, should I upload different views to see it clearly better? Am I selling it, or uploading reference for a commissioner or reference? Is it posable? Do I want to show its posability off?

Overall, I avoid posting more than two deviations for a single piece. If, for some reason, I do need more reference of a creature on dA, I'll upload it to my scraps-- I always dislike dA's warning that you're leaving the site, but I want that on to avoid bugs and account-stealers, and although I always go through to look at art, it does bug me sometimes when there are four other pages for a single view each.

Sometimes, a full-on compilation isn't what you want, but neither is a single shot. When that happens, I focus on one picture, and use detail shots on the side or at the bottom.

Issue updates

Added What isn't needlefelting?, About Needlefelt Monthly, Artist of the Month, Group Features, Needlefelt Commissioners List, Extra, Editorial, Issue Updates, and How You Can Help.
Edited How can I find needlefelts on dA? and Artist Features.
Removed individual artist descriptions.

How You Can Help

Did you see a needlefelter who posted this month omitted? Know a commissioner that's not on the list? Want to nominate someone for Artist of the Month? Have any suggestions? Want to help out? Willing to be interviewed about your needlefelting? Note ~pahein with any concerns, questions, comments, or ideas. Or any combination of those.

The Wrap-Up

This past month, I've learned a lot about needlefelting. Mainly that the community of needlefelters isn't well organized in any way whatsoever, but also that there are even more way to tag needlefelts than I'd previously thought. The longer I stay on dA, the more I'm amazed by the creativity and ingenuity exhibited within art, and needlefelting's no exception. Every time I check dA, there's something new and amazing to look at, even in the small world of needlefelting.


Until next time,
Adopt524