Needle Felted Paintings

Pink flowers, wool, demo project, 6" x 6"

Blog 31

What is a needle felted painting? Needle felted paintings are two-dimensional artworks created by needle felting, even though you don’t use any brush or paint to create them.


If you are new to needle felting, I want to give you a short overview of my process to create a simple needle felted painting. I am sure there are different ways, and I always encourage students to learn from various instructors to learn different techniques.


Here are my steps to create a needle felted painting:


1) Look for a reference photo or create a design from imagination 

For this project, I created a flower from my imagination.

2) Collect all the materials you need:

• wool rovings and battings or vegan-friendly fibres (I will examine some in the upcoming weeks.) in the colours of your project

• felting needles (I usually use one medium and one fine one

• an old cushion or foam pad thick enough so that the needle cannot poke through

• felt fabric in the size of your intended artwork

3) Draw the image onto your felt: I usually don’t draw the image on my felt fabric, especially if the artwork will be about the size of my reference photo. However, for larger pieces, I suggest drawing the composition. You can use a pencil, marker or marking pencil for fabric to draw the basic shapes without too much detail (see No. 4). Make sure to pick a light colour when your image has mainly light colours. You want to avoid that the marks are showing through your finished painting.

4) Blocking in of colours: I start with blocking in my colours – like in a regular painting. The purpose of the blocking in of colours is to cover the background by adding colour to the different spaces of the design. At this point, I don’t worry about values but mark the specific shapes with an approximate colour of that shape. For example, in this demo piece, I used one pink hue for all the pedals and one green one for the leaves without looking at any differences in value. I will add details in the next layer.

In the case of my flower, I create five loosely shaped petals that have about the same size. Then, I stab the wool with my felting needle through the felt backing. When you stab the needle through the roving or batting, the barbs catch on the fibre scales. This process pushes them together so that the fibres cling together. Make sure to hold the needle in the direction you are stabbing to prevent breakage of the needle. For big pieces, you can also use a needle holder that can hold several needles at a time. Pay close attention to what you are doing because the needles are very sharp, and you can easily stab yourself. You can buy finger guards or put bandages on in advance if you are worried. 

 

three felted petals, right a similar flower

adding leaves

 

fully blocked in artwork

 

5) Once I have covered my background, I start building up layers of fibres to add more details by studying the petals and leaves to see the darker and lighter areas. You want to add the illusion of space with darks and lights. However, needle felting offers you the opportunity to add material to create a three-dimensional shape. I sometimes use this technique for some areas in the foreground, but I keep most sections two-dimensional (see picture at the top).

6) Finishing the Artwork

Because I only create pieces displayed in a frame, I only have them mounted on a mat and put in a frame. If you decide to hang your painting without glass protection, you can carefully clean it with compressed air or a damp cloth. There is a risk that some dyes might start bleeding, so use cold water to avoid ruining your artwork.


If you want to shrink the needle holes and help interlock the fibres further, you can also use a steam iron on the back of your image. Avoid moving the iron back and forth on your fabric, but preferably press it down and lift. You could also do it from the front by putting a cotton tea towel between the artwork and the iron. Using the iron will flatten your artwork. I have never ironed my felted pieces because I prefer slight differences in texture and height in my paintings.


If you want to read about the health benefits of needle felting, check out the following blog https://kerstinpeterspaintingblog.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-positive-effects-of-needle-felting. 

You can also experience these benefits by joining during my November workshop. For more information and to register to https://www.kerstinpeters.ca/product/felting-experience/.

In two weeks, I will talk more about the differences in fibres that you can use for needle felting.