This river otter is, I think, the best needle felted animal I've done so far. I really have the technique I use for the hands and fingers down pat and I feel that I did an exceptional job on the face. I've been moving away from Sara Renzulli's technique of building little shapes and layering them onto the form to working more with unformed clumps of fiber and modeling them in place. This technique seems to take longer but I like the results.
With this last comment I must also say that I greatly admire Sara's artistry and also like the range of supplies she offers in her on-line shop, http://www.sarafinafiberart.com. If you're interested in needle felting and haven't visited her site,give yourself a treat and go there! Among so many other things, you'll find many free tutorials on needle felting which is how I got started in this medium.
The one thing I am dissatisfied with about this piece is the color. For a while now I've been frustrated with not being able to find wool with the exact animal colors I'm looking for. I took a plunge and ordered a Baby Brother Drum Carder so that I can mix my own custom colors, and I'll get back to you all on how that works for me.
I always try to find a way to make my animals special with a little unexpected addition of some kind, and in the case of this otter, I gave her an amulet. It's tiny drilled river rocks on a hemp cords. I think it works well, giving her a touch of magic and mysticism.
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