Needle Felting: Three Techniques for Sculpting Tinned Fish

Risa Iwasaki Culbertson is a San Francisco-based multimedia artist with a particular passion for fiber art. Needle felting is the language she uses to tell her stories. She uses barbed needles to condense and sculpt wool fibers into fuzzy, three-dimensional objects. Her art is big, bold, colorful, silly, whimsical, and unforgettable. In this class, she shows you how to needle felt jumbo-sized tinned fish. Begin by building a cardboard foundation using Risa’s template, then learn three needle felting techniques: wool on wool, wool on fabric, and felting onto a form. You’ll sculpt a three-dimensional piece while also “painting” with wool to create shading and depth. Needle felting allows for so much freedom of design and expression, and you’ll have all the skills you need to tell your own stories in felt.