Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

LOL!  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Cat, that is BRILLIANT!

Oooh, I know how we'll recognise each other now: I'll be crawling with sloths and you wear that! We'll stand out a mile!

I didn't realise your puppets were so big... and they're really good too! I love the jelly fish cake on your blog, but I don't think I could bear to eat it: It's too pretty!

:crackup:

I want a jellyfish costume now...

Is it one of the pop-up foldy beasts? That's the kind I'm looking at too: I have no storage space for anything too big!

That would indeed be the Grantham Journal, and Gerald Wright is the photographer: my mum works there as the Health and Safety Officer   How do you know of the Journal?

EDIT: I apologise for all the reminising further down the page: what a shocker! We are both still very much interested in your light tent opinions!

Good morning everyone!

As you have all been inundated with photo's of my sloth recently, I won't be posting any examples here, but I'm looking for help with light tentas and photo equipment.  The gentleman who took the posh shiny photo's of Sloth did so without a tent, but as his camera is about four foot long it's so posh, and as there are lots of white walls in the Journal, I think we can accept that I might need a photo tent to replicate this :P

What I wanted to ask about is the lighting for these tents.  Can I just use everyday lights, or do I need shiny (and expensive) photographers lights? Some of the ebay sets come with lights, but these ones do not fold down as small as the other tents. (ie. this one:  http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Light-Tent-40cm-P … dZViewItem it's only 40cm too... too small perhaps?) I've looked at the past topics in the library and there's a lot saying how brilliant photo tents are and I'd like to try them, it's just the lightinf for them I'm confused about!

So, ignoring all that waffle, my main question is: can I light a light tent cheaply?

Thanks!

I'm a big fan of 'B never too busy to be beautiful's fragrances... google them XD i use 'Love' in the winter: it smells like baked apples, and 100 Kisses Deep in the summer: that one's like lemon.  I also like Nina Ricci's 'Nina': another apple based one!

Thanks Lisa :)

I'll e-mail the organiser on Monday, so fingers crossed it'll be ok!  If not I'll be looking out for other competitions to enter... maybe a photo based one would be better for my first time..

I have an e-mailed copy that Sue very kindly sent to me, so it's ok, panic over!

I'm a little confused about the catagories now though... the beginners contest is marked as: "Category nine -    Artist who been making bears for eighteen months or under, any size of bears or group of bears, dressed or undressed"

... so, does that mean there has to be more than one critter? And (more importantly) does it have to be a bear?

I think I'll e-mail her, just in case Unless anyone here can help?

thanks, guys!  The hanging shot is also featured in my topic about the BBAA, but he's much improved in that one as the local papers photographer took it for me... he even when home to get branches!  I guess the point of my version is to say 'Slothlets! You can hang them anywhere!'  :crackup:

A friend of the family, Susan, came round for a chat a few nights ago to tell us she's bought herself a Harley Davidson XD and whilst she was at my house she met Sloth and christened the creation 'Lugly' (lovely and ugly), so that's what I'm going to call them!

She also decided she wanted a biker sloth making, with a helmet and a neck tie, but that's beside the point... unless anyone knows where I can get those from?  As this lady also cuts my hair we cannot anger her!

I spent my 18th birthday in Disneyland Paris, so I can only imagine what this trip would have been like! Did they have any of the human characters, or just the 'suited and booted' guys?

Wow... so tempted by something like that... I can't wait to see your photos!

If I wasn't designing bears, I would...

Be studying for my degree 24/7? Be really bored? Be sat in front of the TV?

Hnmmm... all those for the benefit of having a 'normal' life and hobby... don't think I'll be quitting anytime soon

Tanks Bobbie: I'm just worried about the strictness of seam judging and felting firmness and things like that: I'm a little unsure about some of his seams being so obvious, and as I haven't yet been able to compare to other peoples artist bears in person, I'm never sure what's good enough... bring on Hugglets!

I have some other shots with just the one branch... do you think those would be ok?  Not so much a prop, just a 'display' XD

Aww, thanks Lisa... i do love him, but I'm still not convinced that he's technically good enough, in terms of design and seams and everything.... ah well! Hopefully being a beginner will allow for a few mistakes

Thanks Maria, is that ok?  I don't mind paypaling you the postage ... or is this a pdf. and e-mail form... I'll send both

Hello all! I am considering entering a sloth into the British Bear Artist Awards in the beginners section, and I wondered if anyone could forward an entry form to me?  I don't know if the forms are person-specific or anything, so I thought I'd ask here: I've e-mailed the lady who gives them out and asked a question which she answered, but there was no entry form attached! I don't want to be pushy and e-mail her again so I thought I'd check with you guys first

HSo, I though it would be nice if everyone had a chance to post their entries for this competition in one place   I'm entered into the beginners category, and here is my entry, Marmite.  He's a realistic bear with a needle felted open mouth and paw pads, and FIMO teeth, claws and nose I've just added in the bee for fun  Anyone feel like sharing?

Oooh, you've worked with sloths?  What do you do?? Working with the weird and wonderful is something I'd like t end up doing myself, so I've got loads of questions for you if it's your career!  Thank you for the compliments!

Thanks Karen, that means a lot to me! He was actually easier to design that I thought, even though he involved a lot of firsts and redesigning and adapting... I tihnk I'd like to have the neck seams a little less obvious, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with him :)

I'm working on shrinking down the pattern just a little bit right now, until my first Sloth is finally complete, and i think I might adapt this one for the Clown Challenge Should be strange!

Thanks again!

Thank you everyone! I have to say I took him to my mum's work yesterday and handed him over to their top photographer, who immediately went home to get some branches to pose him on, and his shots are AMAZING!  I will add them here later on, as I'd like some input on wether or not he'd be good enough to enter into the beginners section of a competition or not...

I think if I do end up at Hugglets I'll be bringing him, slung around my neck like a small hairy child, so you can all meet him in person and see if he's as good in real life!  Plus that way you'll know it's me...

Ta!

Chloe (Eee XD)

Thanks Cat! I have to see what my friend is doing on that day as she is thinking of joining us in Fluff World She is called Catherine too, so it might get a bit confusing XD Having a contact would be good though  I'll let you know!

Wow, these puppets are BRILLIANT Cat, I think you may have found a new calling!

I may be going to Hugglets now I won't be able to get there until 10.50 though, which is rubbish, and then i have to cross London too!

Well, I know that the lady who makes eastbenchbears (how awful! i know her trade name but not her real name! I think it's... Amelia?) sells on Etsy for good artist bear prices, and sells quite frequently... look her up!

EDIT: Looked her up, it's Anita, so I was close!

Wow, thank you everyone... I'm so happy!  I think I'll try a smaller model next... I don't know that anyone would buy one though they're not really something people collect!

I have an etsy page, but I've only ever listed one bear on it I know oher people do pretty well on there though...

I was actually considering working on an orangutan, but i don't know how I'd work out anatomy: they're so hairy!

Maybe a golden lion tamarin would be nice to do? I like gibbons myself... always open to flat-faced suggestions!

Mwahha! The plan is coming together! *rubs hands gleefully*

I need to find more relatively flat-faced animals Any suggestions?

His claws were made from FIMO, and then I poked a hole into their base.  Cook 'em and then force them onto a copper wire: then bend and secure that as armature. No glue: the claws are held in place because the holes I left in the arms for them to poke through are quite small

Thank you Ali, I'm glad you weren't annoyed by the sheer amount of posts that actually led up to one being completed! There must be about three other sloth topics... XD Ah well, i got there in the end :)

See this is the plan: I'm no good at bears, and everyone on here is very good, so mine will never be as good... so pick something noone else does!  MWAHA I think it is safe to say my sloth is one of the better sloths ever made on TT.... see how that works?

I win!

Thank you everyone He keeps beckoning to me, I think I'll be keeping him until I can at least prove to myself that I am capable of making another one, and then and only then he may go on sale I don't want  to lose him if he's the only one that will ever be successful! XD

The only problem with him, I think, is tat his fur is relatively sparse so you can see his seams, and I have the worse ladder stitch known to humanity! I was thinking of entering him into a beginners competition, but I don't know if he's good enough...

... I'm still quite glad he didn't come alive in he night and claw me XD