Dear Friends
I am so glad to announce the 'Featured Artist 'of this week Rikke for FeltedByRikke. Rikke is a teacher and also makes hand felted toys & dolls. She has a lovely shop on etsy.
Hope you all will enjoy reading this interview with the super talented Rikke :)
Featured Shop - FeltedByRikke
1. Tell us something about yourself.
I was born in 1970 in a small town in the south of Denmark. 22 years ago I moved to Copenhagen, which is the capital of Denmark and am still living there. I´m a single mom of 4 children aged from 10-15 years. I work part time as a teacher in science, history, art, cooking and geography. I do my creations from home - my couch actually, I like sitting there with the TV on and my wool and needles around me. I don´t have the space for a studio, but I don´t think I would make one if I had, I like listening to music on TV while I´m working and talking to the children.
2. Where did you learn your skills ?
Actually nowhere - 3 years ago I saw a needle felting kit in a local supermarket. I didn´t even know that needle felting existed. I bought it and made the 2 small dolls that were in it - and I have been needle felting since :-) Now I design my own items. I´m in contact with a lot of other needle felters all over the world and we share ideas and techniques but apart from that I´m selftaught.
3.What motivates you to create ?
Well I don´t think I cannot create :-) - It comes very natural to me - I have been creative since I was about 6 years old, knitting, painting, sewing and now needle felting. I have asked myself if I maybe a day will find another kind of craft but honestly I don´t think so, I love needle felting so much, so I will proberly do it until I´m 95 years old
4. Apart from creating things, what do you do?
Well actually nothing else;-) - my work as a teacher, the children and the needle felting take up all my time. I do enjoy Scandinavian and English crime series on TV, but I must admit that I´m needle felting while I watch them - or should I say listen to them, because it can hurt a lot if you don´t pay attention to your barbed needle;-)
5. How would you describe your creative process?
It depends on what I´m creating. When I needle felt my dolls I pretty much let them be who they want to be - they seem to have a life on their own;-). When I needle felt animals I have to concentrate a lot on getting proportions right in another way than when I´m creating a doll who is "allowed" to be more personalized.
6. Your advice / suggestion to the new sellers ?
Be active!!!!!! You need to join teams, make treasure lists etc Its not enough to make a treasurelist a week. You have to remember that there are more than 900.000 shops on Etsy so you really have to work on getting yourself "known". I don´t count the hours I spend on Etsy, but I know it´s more than 5 hours in workdays and maybe 8 Saturday and Sunday.
7.Where can we see more of your work ? Share your Links
Here are my links if you would like to connect!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FeltedByRikke?ref=ss_profile
http://www.facebook.com/pages/FeltedByRikke/153610001377208
www.feltedbyrikke.com (please use another browser than Explorer, that there are some technical problems)
http://twitter.com/#!/FeltedByRikke
I am so glad to announce the 'Featured Artist 'of this week Rikke for FeltedByRikke. Rikke is a teacher and also makes hand felted toys & dolls. She has a lovely shop on etsy. Hope you all will enjoy reading this interview with the super talented Rikke :)
Featured Shop - FeltedByRikke
I was born in 1970 in a small town in the south of Denmark. 22 years ago I moved to Copenhagen, which is the capital of Denmark and am still living there. I´m a single mom of 4 children aged from 10-15 years. I work part time as a teacher in science, history, art, cooking and geography. I do my creations from home - my couch actually, I like sitting there with the TV on and my wool and needles around me. I don´t have the space for a studio, but I don´t think I would make one if I had, I like listening to music on TV while I´m working and talking to the children.
2. Where did you learn your skills ?
Actually nowhere - 3 years ago I saw a needle felting kit in a local supermarket. I didn´t even know that needle felting existed. I bought it and made the 2 small dolls that were in it - and I have been needle felting since :-) Now I design my own items. I´m in contact with a lot of other needle felters all over the world and we share ideas and techniques but apart from that I´m selftaught.3.What motivates you to create ?
Well I don´t think I cannot create :-) - It comes very natural to me - I have been creative since I was about 6 years old, knitting, painting, sewing and now needle felting. I have asked myself if I maybe a day will find another kind of craft but honestly I don´t think so, I love needle felting so much, so I will proberly do it until I´m 95 years old
4. Apart from creating things, what do you do?
Well actually nothing else;-) - my work as a teacher, the children and the needle felting take up all my time. I do enjoy Scandinavian and English crime series on TV, but I must admit that I´m needle felting while I watch them - or should I say listen to them, because it can hurt a lot if you don´t pay attention to your barbed needle;-)5. How would you describe your creative process?
It depends on what I´m creating. When I needle felt my dolls I pretty much let them be who they want to be - they seem to have a life on their own;-). When I needle felt animals I have to concentrate a lot on getting proportions right in another way than when I´m creating a doll who is "allowed" to be more personalized.
6. Your advice / suggestion to the new sellers ?
Be active!!!!!! You need to join teams, make treasure lists etc Its not enough to make a treasurelist a week. You have to remember that there are more than 900.000 shops on Etsy so you really have to work on getting yourself "known". I don´t count the hours I spend on Etsy, but I know it´s more than 5 hours in workdays and maybe 8 Saturday and Sunday.7.Where can we see more of your work ? Share your Links
Here are my links if you would like to connect!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FeltedByRikke?ref=ss_profile
http://www.facebook.com/pages/FeltedByRikke/153610001377208
www.feltedbyrikke.com (please use another browser than Explorer, that there are some technical problems)
http://twitter.com/#!/FeltedByRikke
