Felting With Phoenix - Part 3

Hey everyone! Part 3 of the felting series is finally here, this time with a little bit of color flare. For my latest blog, I've created a small fluffy rabbit. The book, Little Felted Animals, displays them in boxes, but I prefer them on their own and as such only created the animal itself. Three examples of the rabbits are shown, displaying their customizability by stating, "you can change their look by slightly altering the color combinations" (Nishida and Tomoko, 24). Using the techniques I learned from their book, I created one of the "Three Kinds of Rabbit(s)"

A basic circle used as the base for the rabbit's head,
featured next to my main 3-needled felting pen

To start, I made the head's base, a circle. I used a 3-needle pen as it was quick, non-detailed work that is easier when multiple needles can be used at once rather than just one. Next, I created the body as a simple cylindrical figure. Following the steps, I tilted the head upwards and attached it to the body (Nishida and Tomoko, 75). Now that I could see the basic form of the pieces coming together, I could start adding some details. I used the implanting technique to add plush wool cheeks, giving the rabbit a more friendly look. After the shape was in place, I added the ears by following Nishida and Tomoko's instruction to "fold edges of ears in at the base and attach (them) to head" (Nishida and Tomoko, 75). Finally, I made a small sphere and attached it to create the tail

The book's examples of the rabbits in the felted box

The rabbit's final shape, without the face details

Now that my rabbit was fully made, some personal-preference design issues were at hand. Due to my decision to create the animal without a box as depicted, I had already added details that weren't necessarily included in the intended design, while still using techniques the book showed me.  After that, I decided to go more out of the box. I left the rabbit limbless to give it a simplistic look, and continued the trend with a simple pink nose instead of the cross-over design in the book and finished it off with small plastic eyes.

To the left is the front and back view of the finished product. Overall, I think it turned out well even though it's not exactly as the book pictured.

What do you guys think? Should I stick to the book next time or make my own invention? Which color choice would you have chosen: White, brown, gray, or something else entirely? I'm excited to hear from you!

Citation: Nishida, Kyoko, and Tomoko Kodera. Adorable Felted Animals: 30 Easy & Incredibly Lifelike Needle Felted Pals. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2015. Print.