It was a foggy night on the docks. I could hear the distant bell of a fishing boat steering into the harbor. But then, another bell chimed nearby — the message alert on my phone! It was James Anderson, creator of Ellie on Planet X, asking if I could needle felt the main character from his book, MacFluff Goes to Sea. A foghorn sounded ominously as I typed my answer. Of course I would. You don’t say no to a pup as cute as MacFluff.
Here’s the turn around that Jim drew up for the MacFluff feltie.
Initially, I planned to felt a squinting eye under MacFluff’s patch as a little surprise, but wasn’t sure if Jim had that design element planned. He wasn’t sure what would work best, but when his wife suggested the classic cartoon “X” we all knew that was the perfect solution.
Jim was such a pro to work with and the process went so smoothly and effortlessly that, with the little extra time and wool I had on hand, I quickly felted up MacFluff’s duck friend, Gordon. Since it was going to be a surprise (and I didn’t have a model sheet to work from) he might not be exactly to scale, but it gave MacFluff a traveling companion for his trip to Jim’s mailbox.
This is the third or fourth original character I’ve felted for a cartoonist and they’re always fun. Jim was a pleasure to work with and I had a great time sculpting his character. Please check out Jim’s site ellieonplanetx.com and his Instagram and Twitter account @ellieonplanetx. You’ll find lots of fantastic art and a few photos of his sweet dogs! And if you’re interested in reading his book about MacFluff, you can find it here on Amazon.
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