In light of my struggles with size and proportion when felting animals I decided to design my armature with the help of a photograph.
Fun fact: The Pronghorns official name (Genus) is Antilocapridae (Antilo = antelope; capro = male goat) But Pronghorns are not actually antelopes. They are believed to be more closely related to the giraffe and okapi. They are the only living species of its family and are native to North America. True antelopes live in Africa and Eurasia and are in the Genus Bovidae, closely related to bison, cattle and buffalo.
I wrapped the legs with brown floral tape to give the wool something to cling too. The legs are going to be super skinny so I didn’t want the chenille stems to extend down there. I’m forming the body with my usual core wool.
Fun Fact: Prior to the 1800’s, the Pronghorn were almost as numerous as the Bison in North America. That soon changed when land was converted to crops and ranches and we began hunting them for meat. Their numbers have gradually come back since then and they can be seen in several central and western US states.
Putting some color on him.
Adding more color. Still a lot more needling to do to finesse the form and get the shape right.
Fun Fact: Actual Pronghorn males are about 3 1/2 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh around 130lbs. True antelopes are larger and heavier.
Before I created the head I needed some “horns”. The horns are very distinctive looking with tips curling toward the rump and a “prong” facing forward. That prong gives the animal their name.
I thought about using the chenille stems and wool for the horns like I did with the reindeer, but thought they would be too large. I had several attempts at making the horns with air dry clay. Above are some of the ugly rejects, but I did end up with a couple of horns that were better shaped and usable. I painted them black and glued them on to the head. I worked the rest of the head/ears on around them.
Fun Fact: What is the difference between horns and antlers? Antlers are an extension of the animal’s skull. They are made of bone and usually only the males have them (Reindeer are an exception to that rule.) Horns on the other hand (or head!) are made of two parts — a bony core, surrounded by a tough keratinous covering, like your nails, grown from modified hair follicles.
Antlers are shed yearly, but horns usually are not. Pronghorn males are the exception here and shed their horn covers every year. Pronghorn female also have horns but they are smaller and not shed. Another difference between the Pronghorn and true antelopes is that the latter have curved single pointed horns which grow continuously and are not shed. This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about bony protuberances!
Here is the finished animal. It’s 6” long and 6 1/2” tall to tips of the horns.
I’m going to stick with my venture into American animals and would like to do better with “horns” so maybe I’ll make a Bighorn sheep next — that would be a fun challenge. Watch this space!