Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thank you Sue I don't know if I CAN sell him, he keeps looking at me! I don't know... I'll see if I get any interest in the idea: after all with all the lovely bars around I'm not sure anyone with be after one of my sloths! One the one hand, nice cuddly bear... on the other... pokey clawy sloth XD

I lobe him tho

:D:D Thanks Sue Ann! He's here on my knee now, and I'm all a-judder!  EEEE!!!

(... wow, pretty soon I'll be being called an Ee XD)

I hope you're all in a flattering mood today, because right now I have a cold, and tomorrow I'm back at work, so I need cheering up :D:D:D

I'm sooo happy!  Slothlet is finally complete, all that needs to be done is to work out if he's a boy or girl (boys have a back marking to make it obvious XD) and to take some decent piccys... think I might be stealing one of the local papers cameramen for that job

Slothlet is likely to be a boy called 'Ai', as I read that the locals called them that after their calls He's about.... 10 inches tall sitting, although his position can change that,  and has a double neck joint, (my first ever), needle felted face (second ever) transparent FIMO claws (first ever... these took AGES!) and armature (first EVER! Wow poseability 0_0 )

EEEE!!!!!!

I just want to say thanks to everyone here at TT.... I know that's quite wide, but really, the majority of the information I used to make him came from the extensive library here, and the posts I've already made about these guys... thank you!  I'm not sure what to do next with them, maybe they need a little more work... I don't know if he's good enough for the general public yet!  But he's good enough for m, an that's all I car about right now.... plus all your opinions too!   :hug: Once I decide if I'm selling or making more, and once I have good piccys I'll add him to the second gallery.

Thanks guys!   :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Thanks guys! Yeah they are multiplying... not sure how, as they are too dissimilar to be reproducing asexually XD Sloth looks kind and benevolent and nice, where as Slothlet seems to be thinknig (in his polyester mind) "Lets go crazy, BROADWAY STYLE!!!!!"

XD

Faux throw sent me MASSIVE swatches, and they have a sale at the moment, so it's all gravy I'm using golden chinchilla for him at the moment, but I might switch to a different kind in the future to avoid the stripe issue... the wolf is lovely though Cat!

Good news! As you can read on the first post, Sloths fur IS Tissavel, and I can get another metre of it for £25 He will go ahead!

Don't worry, oh wage-earning bear makers, myself and the other hobbiests will fall before you chanting 'We are not worthy', and kiss the teeny girlish feet of sucess in what it blatantly an incredibly difficult field to master XD

Nowadays when people ask me, I tell them quite honestly, and my last reaction was 'Oooookay... what ever floats your boat' with a rolled eye  This from a girl who was studying Music at my university: how hypocritical!  She of all people should have some artistic understanding!

Now I just link it to the Zoology degree I'm studying for Like 'oooh, it helps me understand the animals better', or 'it fuels my research' or some other rubbish   When really it's like 'EEE!!! CUDDLY THINGS!!!'

I like the freedom to be different in our culture, but sadly it usually is interpreted at 'I am so different I look EXACTLY THE SAME as all the other different people'  bless them.  I hear the Japanese culture is a lot like the Dutch one... don't worry! rebellion starts somewhere!

GRRR now I'm all riled up... watch out normal office job! Here I come!! XD

Awwww, lookit his heart shaped bum!

On the back That's why you do the front, lightest layers first

Thinking about it, a gold or silver leaf job like that would be really nice.... hmmmm...

If you want to go for the realistic style, you can put on your 'iris' colour in the inner circle, and then when it's dry scratch lines radiating out from the centre. Then put a dark coat on top, et voila! Instant eye!

I use that trick when I'm Photoshopping

Either I think paint would be easier to control, but you could use a little circle of white felt and then tint the edges, or fold them inwards as lids to disguise them.

I love that bear! Just a cresent moon of goldish paint (or try gold leaf, it's great!) on the bottom of each eye, let it dry, and then a layer of darker paint over the top. If you want a set sparkle scratch or leave a hole at the top (same place on each eye) and fill that with white. Make your final coat of paint white if the colour is transparent I use this site for my sloth's eyes:

http://www.glasseyes.com/cgi-bin/produc … code=125OE

love them!

Hope my waffling is of some assistance XD

I would use a brown or a blue myself If your eyes are transparent, maybe you could try layering some white over the back of the eye to provide a more opaque colour too? Or try eyelids to outline the eyes

Thanks Donna!

I'm going to joint him and I think I might make FIMO hooves for him: thanks for the turning tips!  I've used wire in his neck for poseability, and it seems to be going ok

Oooh Paula and Ellen, I have NOTHING but the utmost respect for people like you two, who actually MAKE MONEY from your bear making.  To someone like me that continues to be astounding, and you're right: the average Jo has no appreciation for how difficult it is.

I especially get funny looks as I am relatively young, still studying and not making a profit: people seem to believe that only older people should be doing this kind of thing! Sewing carries a stigma, just like knitting... now if anyone asks me about why I have materials delivered, or why I sew I have to tell them it's for fun as well... no one really gets it At Uni it's like telling people I'm a vegetarian: I might as well say "LOOK, I HAVE NO HEAD BUT I STILL HAVE EYYEEEEEESSSSS!!!!"  :crackup:

The money thing gets people too, like i have shown friends the creations of people on here and they don't understand the money thing... I have difficulty NOT understanding it now!

Ellen, you are extremely intelligent, your grasp of languages alone should tell these IDIOTS that! I am always amazed when I go abroad at how accomodating people are when it comes to language, whilst I stumble along butchering the local tongue... I think I can just about order a Hot Chocolate in Dutch but that's it!

Oooh, rant-worthy  :crackup: Good topic Paula!  Us Non-money makers hate it too!

EDIT:: And let me add, you are NOT useless! (woah, look at my abuse of capitals in this post!)  You are general Hug Distributors When I made my first bear, Tedward, for my mum, people kept laughing at how excited i was to be starting him, taking the mick and so on... then they got to hold him, and I'm happy to say that changed a lot of their minds!

I beleive we need a new job description, you know, like Dustbin Men are now 'General Domestic Hygeine Facilitators' or something... if you can't beat them, join them!

Oooh, jane, I an SO tempted by your generous offer! I don't konw that I can make it though... I bet they'll get snapped up quickly in any case!

Oooh, Marion... the complete set? Wow...

What would be amazing is if we could find a finer, less expensive to run airbrush that works with COPICs... that would be great! i am also considering the class, but if I can find a cheaper alternative to airbrushing I would like to try that too I do use oils already, but I don't think you could coat a whole creature in them!

Are there any dyes that you can selectively paint on, and then wash off so that they stay in their set patterns, do you think?

Oh my gosh, soooo cute! These will definately be gracing the window of my new student share house at Hallowe'en

You're so generous, giving out your patterns  :clap: Thank you!

I'm glad you like it, Sophie: I thought everyone knew Bear Basics! They got me into this whole thing!  Do you know Christie Bears too?  Tell them I sent you!

Hey Natty, i don't think we've spoken

Bear Basics here in the UK sells Schulte Mohair, and I think a couple of these are pretty close to what you want:

http://shop.bearbasics.co.uk/products/s … dsToShow=8

Maybe you could order the same fabric a little closer to home? Bear basics do ship internationally though  

For synthetics, Tissavel do a Brown Bear fabric... they are the kings of synthetics however so it can be expensive; well worth it though!  You could try buying a tissavel coat cheap on Ebay and using that too...

Hope that's of some assistance!

ooh, nich shot of the Tamarin! London Zoo really seems to have cleaned up its act!

Wow, it really looks like London Zoo's cleaning up it's act! All the animals looked really miserable last time I was there, and then we went to berlin Zoo and the contrast in their demeanors was amazing... only problem Berlin had was with one of their Polars: she was pacing obsessively poor thing I wouldn't be surprised if she was the new little one's mum: she really wasn't happy!

I love primates too Jane I want to work with them when I grow up XD After my degree... fingers crossed

Wow Jane, he's lovely! I really love orang-utans (appart from the embarassing fact that I thought they were pronounced 'Orange-ut-on' until i was 11, and no one bothered to correct me  :redface: ) In face i was thinking of having a go at a male after finishing my Sloth: yours is lovely! I really like his hands, they're so lifelike.

Good luck!

Congrats Paula, good luck!  It's no shock to me he was nominated, look how cuddly he is!  I'll pick up my copy when it's out (I think it's Thurday?)... can't wait to see your competition too!

They do, don't they? The tubing costs £18 though... so expensive! I might sell on the system and buy another airbrushing set, but ideally I'd like a set that works with COPICs, or one by which the paints are dead easy to use, and really cheap too... I bet that will be easy to find!  :crackup:

I don't know, I like my oil paints well enough at the moment The COPIC's are just a little experiment of mine...

Oooh, show my your giraffe, Donna! I'd love to see them! Were yours standing? I'm worried about the spindly legs... :P

Bronwen, do you have the air conector thingy, or just the grip and the D60 cans? I got through one of those FRIGHTENINGLY quickly...

Hello everyone :)

Ok, so I'm having a few problems with Sloth at the moment, due to my lack of fur for him, so in his absence I would like to present to you all my latest creation: a giraffe.

Ok, so not exactly easy... or sane But a good chance to attempt something new: airbrushing.  Just a basic coating on him at the minute, as I am using the not-so-fine COPIC Airbrush System (*waits for blows to fall*): I know you all hate it! It was a bargain, so I thought I'd get it to try it out: I can always sell it on! The cans don't last long at all...

Anyway, here's his head and neck: the pieces I find easiest... next the body, the hardest bit in my opinion.  Sorry for the RUBBISH photo, but it's late here and there's no light in England anyway   And I suppose I should add his ears and horns... any advice on the horns at all?

Can't wait to try hooves XD

Anyhoo, I'm off, hope you like him (He's my first sewn-face critter on my own original making, so I really hope so)

Night!

(PS, yes that is a wine glass he's perched in... all part of my o-so tidy bear making desk )

Wow... TRULY amazing! Look at that organisation! And the amount of mohair too... it makes me want to throw it in the air and roll in it like money   You'll never lose anything again now!