Overview:
Zephyr was a 1-year and 5-month-old Siamese cat, and the first cat her owner ever had. According to her owner, Zephyr was an energetic and brave cat with a blend of gentleness and an adventurous spirit. Sadly, Zephyr passed away due to illness, and her loss deeply affected her owner’s emotional well-being. To keep Zephyr’s memory alive, the owner reached out to me to create a 3D wool felt replica of her beloved pet as a way to commemorate her.
Features:
Like many Siamese cats, Zephyr had a color-point coat, with her face displaying a gradient transition from brown to black. Capturing this subtle shift in fur color required careful attention to detail. Zephyr’s striking blue eyes were also a distinctive feature, so I custom-made her eyes specifically for this project to ensure the piece truly resembled her. Although many Siamese cats share similar markings, which can make them look alike, this actually presented a greater challenge for me as a wool felt artist. My task was to capture the unique traits that made Zephyr special.
Creation Process:
I began by sketching Zephyr's outline on my iPad and studying numerous videos and photos of her to understand her unique features in detail. I then crafted the base structure of her head using wool felting techniques. I hand-painted her eyes with watercolors for added realism before meticulously working on her fur, focusing on the subtle transitions in color. Finally, the 3D wool felt portrait was framed, packaged, and prepared for delivery.
