Norwegian Forest Cat best friend

Today I’m working on the face painting of the Norwegian Forest Cat best friend of the little girl with a coiled braid coiffure, featured in my last post.  This is the first of many layers I will build up to create the personality and expressions for this cat-faced-doll.  This layer wasn’t completely dry and I wasn’t 100% certain when I snapped my photo that i won’t make a few changes to it.  For that reason it hasn’t been sprayed with a sealing coat of Testor’s dullcote.  I like to seal after any layer I am completely happy with before adding more color, brush strokes or details.  This way if I dislike any future work, I can easily remove that work and revert to the last time I thought the work was going in the right direction.  This layered approach allows me freedom in my expression because no errors become irrevocable.  You’re getting a peek at the very first face-up.  It should be interesting to see how she turns out...

The media used for this work (after 4 gold tinted coats of my special flexible ‘gesso’) has included three products from FaberCastell: polychromos hard pastel sticks, watercolor pencils, and Gelatos, and Grumbacher soft pastels.  I only use water media in developing the layers of color and detail so it remains easily reversible. 

Another important step in the creation of these animals is the creation of their furry parts.  You can see the flaps of what may become ear furnishings (that bit of charming fluff in the opening of the Forest cat’s ear.) I may keep it, though it will definitely be trimmed and fringed or it may be completely removed and a different fiber used to create the furnishings.  I’ll make that decision when I add the wool felt for the ear, back and neck fur. All those details unfold as the work progress. I’ve already dyed a boiled and felted length of wool in shaded grays, browns and blacks to be stitched and shaped into fur.  it’s all so much fun!

I’ve used the term ‘daemon’ to describe the animal part of my Topsy Turvy best friend.  This is in the spirit of the Ancient Greek use of the word describing it as a companion and guiding spirit. I’ve found my life enriched by my animal companions and often have felt they had a wisdom about my life of which I was, as yet, unaware. Probably my imagination at work, but none the less comforting to me.

I wonder if any of you have an animal With which you have a spiritual connection?