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Animus-Panthera — Barn Owl Plush Tutorial Part 1
Published: 2011-04-10 07:30:36 +0000 UTC; Views: 32778; Favourites: 437; Downloads: 543
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Description
The first part of the tutorial for making a semi-realistic barn owl plush. As I did not make a pattern for the first one , this is based on the second one . There are in fact a few major differences (especially how the wings were done), so if you would like to know how something was done differently the first time around, please feel free to contact me.This tutorial is free to use, provided you follow my rule: please credit me for this, even if you modify it. Other than that, please enjoy!
For more information about using my tutorials and patterns, please see here --> animus-panthera.deviantart.com…
[EDIT: Per lyosha 's suggestion, I've made a little edit to clarify- I had said barn owls have black eyes because some people think their eyes are yellow, like many Strigidae owls, which they are not. However, technically speaking they're a very dark brown. But since you can only tell if you're very close, I had decided to go with straight black instead.]
If someone will teach me how to do it, I will also gladly include the pattern for this in a zip file- otherwise, as soon as I get it all finalized and scanned I will upload it as an image in my gallery so that you can download it. I will make a few more minor changes to the pattern to improve a few things that still bother me, so if yours doesn't turn out exactly like this- that's why! Hopefully it will be even better. ^_^
If I left anything out, something is unclear, if you have any questions, etc., please feel free to comment! I appreciate your feedback.
Part 2- animus-panthera.deviantart.com…
Part 3- animus-panthera.deviantart.com…
Pattern- animus-panthera.deviantart.com…
If you want to make a SNOWY OWL instead of a BARN OWL, here are some tips!
Members of the family Tytonidae (i.e. the barn owls) have those lovely heart shaped faces, since they have two separate facial disks. Members of the family Strigidae, like snowies, don't! So you'll have to modify the face a bit. I suggest making the head a bit shorter and rounder, then cutting two circles (instead of two half-hearts). They'll just go around the eyes, with the beak sticking out from the bottom, rather than the beak being in the middle like on a barn owl. I hope that makes sense! A few other little differences, too- snowy owl tails are rounded, instead of the inverted V shape of the barn owl, and their wings are a bit shorter and more rounded, not quite so pointed. Those things will make it look less like a barn owl and more like a snowy. ^_^
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Comments: 48
I love this so much! I made one, but then I gave it away, so I can't show you. But it's ok! Because I am 2/3rds done with my 2nd one XD. I live in Asia, and it's hard to find felt 
I have questions! 
Thank you for making this!
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Oh! Oh! I actually DO have a suggestion for you! Do you know what button jointing is? If not go and look at this- mimikirchner.com/blog/archives...
Just make the three wing parts and put a joint between each- does that make sense? It ought to make a relatively poseable wing without wiring.
With felt, not so much. Any paint will end up stiff. You could try a different fabric (something like minky, maybe) and a "soft" fabric paint.
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Thank you so much! You have helped me a ton
It's ok, I talked to my mom, and she told me that we have these things called fabric pastels or something like that. They are perfect, and can color felt without making it stiff 
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You're welcome! I can't wait to see the finished product~ Let me know how well it works!
Oh, thanks for the recommendation! I will have to try those sometime.
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Ha ha, thanks! I do, too. ^_^
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you know i am such an owl lover but nobody loved owls in my school, i have already made one owl out of you pattern~~I love your pattern , i am planning to making another fluffy one~~
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That's terrible! Owls are so cool, I love them. ^_^ Do you have any pictures? I would love to see, if you do~
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ok~~i am waiting for the cloth to come... i bought some on internet.
owls are coooool!
high five!!!! we are owllovers~~~~
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I can't wait to see! They are pretty awesome, this is true. *fist bump*
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aw man, i really want to make one of these. xD
it would scare the crap out of my mom.. o u o
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Ha ha, you should do it. ^_^ I'm sure she'd think it was cute (eventually!).
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Oh dang I wish I knew how to add the pattern file so I could tell you... I would love the pattern!!! (it would take a while to be able to eyeball-it lol) but if you do get a chance to add it let me know!! I love this its amazing! I cant wait to try it!! ^_^
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I finally got the pattern for this tutorial up! --> [link]
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YAY thank you thank you thank you... I cant wait to get this one going! You are awesome ^_^
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Aw, thanks! You're awesome, too. Don't forget to send me pics when you're done so I can see!
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That's okay. I'm thinking I'll just upload a deviation that is a .jpeg scan and make it downloadable... We'll see, we'll see. I'll try and remember to let you know whenever I get it up!
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Wonderful!! I cant wait ^_^ keep up the amazing work!
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Great, thank you! If you do, I'd love to see what you make. ^_^
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I work with a barn owl, and I am aware. However, you can really only tell if you're really close to their face or if the sun is hitting their eyes precisely the right way- from any reasonable distance (by which I mean more than about 6-7 inches), their eyes appear black. (And trust me, you don't really want to be that close to a barn owl's face.) But thanks. I mostly say this because a lot of people saw the Guardians movie and now think barn owls have yellow eyes, like many strigidae owls do.
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So be it! I also work with raptors, including barn owls (and have had my face in many places around birds it probably shouldn't have been), so I was surprised to see the black eye thing stated so boldly from someone who works with them and could see up close that it isn't true. I've never seen anyone mis-coloring a barn owl's eyes beyond artistic licence for personal characters, so it seemed odd. I appreciate the explanation.
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I decided to change it! Because you're right, and it's definitely better this way. ^_^ Thanks!
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Oh, our barn owl is an imprint, so he's extra fun! He likes faces. And hair. And gloves. Occasionally shoes. And it's mating season right now, oh boy. (Because nothing quite says good afternoon like an owl to the face.)
I haven't so much seen it in drawings as people saying things about barn owl's eyes, and it's like, "um, no." It's also hard to find doll eyes and buttons with that coloration, so it's easiest to just use black ones.
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Fair enough! We have two imprint barns and one crazy old parent-reared. Luckily, our imprints are both females and neither of them solicit... quite... the same way males do. X)
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Yeah... Well, I do love Widget- annoying as he can be this time of year, he's just got such personality and he's always tons of fun. What are the birds you work with like?
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I'm the Raptor Centre Lead for an 38-bird educational centre at a Conservation Area in Ontario, so we have the whole gammut of birds-- imprints, wild injured adults, captive bred, 15 species. My current baby girl is a human-habituated 2-year old bald eagle who is a massive handful, but I love her. I'm also training a short-eared owl who is a sweety. Everyone's broody and hormonal right now, but 'tis the season.
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I'm a member of Washington State University's Raptor Club, one of the few very active members. We currently have 16 birds, with 12 different species. Of those, most are injured, with only one imprint and one captive bred.
Ha ha, I know how that goes! It's most obvious with our barn owl and our gyr/prairie falcon hybrid (who would very much like you to know that you are absolutely not to steal his scrape nest), but the others feel it sometimes, too- a couple of years ago, one of the red-tailed hawks laid an egg!
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Sounds cool! I started at the University of Guelph's Wild Bird Clinic education team with the raptors there (my first boy was a turkey vulture named Socrates), before I got hired on at a nearby Raptor Centre and now manage it. Lovin' the birds!
One of our female eastern screeches just laid her third egg this afternoon, augh.
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Definitely! I just love the Raptor Club, and I've started volunteering in the exotics ward as well. Not 100% sure what I want to do with my life, but wherever life may take me I hope I'll still get to work with animals and educate the public. You're really lucky to have such a wonderful job- my dad always says if you get a job you like, you'll never work a day in your life.
Ha ha! What do you do with the eggs? We still have Brenda's egg from that one time, in a little box for safekeeping to use for education. We really only have a few that get very excited this time of year, but it's mostly the boys.
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We blow them out and use them for displays or education-- the red-tail is keeping hers until I'm sure she won't double clutch.
I definitely agree with your dad. I never feel reluctant to go to 'work'! Although I do more administrative work than I did before I got the Lead position, I also still spend a lot of time with the birds, training and teaching (and less time scraping poop, not that I mind). We just shot a story on the young bald, although she hated the journalist. X)
I hope you enjoy the exotics ward-- I've spent a bunch of time in ours, and it's really great (if the people are also great). All the best on your future education and career path!
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I have not had the chance to get them all up yet- it's the last few weeks of the semester at my university, so I'm very busy! But I will have them up as soon as possible.
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I finally got the pattern for this tutorial up! --> [link]
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Oh I've a question! what number of wire we must use? I mean urr.... size XDDDD
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I used 16 gauge aluminum.
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it's only forever, not long at aaaaaaallllllll
this is adorable.i may have to make one and name it jareth... or soren.
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