Tim Burton's Cheshire -Felted

My mom went to the NY dolpha this year, and since the party was Alice in Wonderland themed, she asked me to make her a Cheshire Cat to sit with the dolls (there's a couple of shots here from the party). I loved Tim Burton's version of the Cheshire so I jumped at the chance to try and make it. The nose and mouth are apoxie sculpt, embedded directly into the wool...I think this is a technique I definately need to explore more. It was fun making that stylized grin! I'm also used to long sinewy shapes, so making a chubby cat was out of my comfort zone. His tail and arms are posable but the rest of him is solid. The eyes are blank-backed novelty glass cat eyes from Van Dykes Taxidermy, which I painted in acrylics.

Needle felting, to summarize briefly, is a technique used to create what are essentially 'wool sculptures'. There's no sewing involved; instead, by punching the raw wool thousands of times with special barbed needles, you transform it into felt, and can control the shape of the felt.

Materials: Colored wools, glass eyes, wire, apoxie sculpt, krazy glue, acrylic paint, clear sealant.

The character design for this version of the Cheshire Cat belongs to Tim Burton & the concept artist (who happens to be on deviantart--right here! [link] ); I just like making things out of wool.

EDIT: Oh My God. I can't believe this got a Daily Deviation! Thank you all SO, so much. I am so happy that you have enjoyed my artwork. I just wanted to say, back when my little green dragon got a Daily Deviation, I was, at the time, a socially anxious mess (think: Fluttershy), so much so that even though I read and treasured every comment, I was too neurotic to be able to compose any kind of response. Those days are over, but I always regretted not thanking everyone properly at the time...so, truly, thank you. It means a lot to me.