Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I have been selling for over 10 years and this is the first time I have been asked this by a collector. I have a collector who is selling some of her collection. She has asked if I would be willing to sell a couple of the pieces that she bought from me several years ago. She said that she knows the artist would always get a better price in a resale. They are very nice pieces and she says they are in pristine condition.

First, would you, as the artist, be willing to do this?
Or is it better to let the collector sell the pieces?
What percentage would you ask if you did offer to sell the pieces?
I guess, most importantly, is it worth the stress and negotiation involved

Thanks,
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Hello, Robert ~
'My goal, in my short stories is to help, revive the interest in this Brooklyn couple who created the first teddy bear'
I'm having a hard time understanding what you are saying? Where do you want to go with this? If there are photos of the Michtom bear an experienced teddy bear designer could recreate it. Or are you more interested in the history of the Michtoms?
Karen

Oops! When I said older kitten, I meant in represented age. He is actually a new, just created kitten! I changed the wording to a larger kitten 
Karen

This is one of my larger kittens, about 4 weeks old/8" in length. He has beautiful German glass cat eyes and is very soft and fluffy. He is currently available on Bear Pile ~
http://www.bearpile.com/item/47063

Looks like a mother Bobcat and kitten? But, also, could be a Maine Coon Cat?
Karen

I'm just about to create a red tiger kitten. I think I'll use this guy as a model.
Thanks! Gail

  Love this guy! You know me, Kelly Dean~I just love the sculpture of his body!
Karen

HE is cute. I could have used him for a model. Just finished this kitten for a customer.

Leanne,
From my experience, I'm a long timer, there are many reasons why, particularly, well-known artists leave the spotlight. Working full-time in the bear field is very hard work; you have to be constantly evolving and creating new designs. Then there is the promotion, shows, and selling of your work. Also the years of work take a toll on your body, wrist problems, nerve damage, back problems. And as you have said, sometimes the Muse just leaves or other parts of your life become more important. With this tight economy some artists are forced to seek other work to make a living.
Karen
P.S. So far I'm hanging in there ~ Full-time bear/cat artist

Smells like my daddy person 

Thought I'd try, again. I love the look of the Abyssinian~ Subtle, yet distinctive. Abyssinian cats have been with us since ancient Egypt and there are some who believe they are still wild in remote areas of North Africa.
http://tinyurl.com/6gga5ln

No illustrations? I don't think that would interest many buyers? A book such as this calls out for illustrations 

Jane!
THose are such AMAZING photos! What kind of camera did you use?
Karen

Mom! These are the best toys you EVER gave me 
KAREN

Bobbie,
I and I know many of us, would love a professional in-depth Teddy Bear magazine. And I would advertise with such a publication. But I'm not sure this is possible in these economical times. The magazines are NOT hiring people who have knowledge or experience in our field. THey are hard-working people who want their magazines to succeed but they are not hired because they know our field, they have to catch-up with understanding our art while trying to publish the magazines.
Karen
P.S. Natascha~I have won over 10 TOBYs and a German TED Award but I have never won a Golden Teddy Award. I finally stopped entering.

THis is such a delicate issue. I'm not sure what can be done? Last year I contracted for a year's worth of ads in TB&F (my favorite magazine). I wanted to support them in their new efforts. But I guess we were not enough. THe magazine issues are thinner and thinner and their internet presence is meager. I still love the professionalism of Teddy Bear and Friends and hope they can pull through. I was turned-off when I heard the Editorial themes that Teddy Bear Review was featuring for 2011. THey seem to be missing the whole idea of the 'Art' of teddy bear/animal art and going for the hobbyist (not a bad thing, but we will miss them). It's a dilemma. The internet is here; more and more sales are made on the internet, and many of the new collectors are finding us on the internet, especially international collectors. I want to support our magazines but I have to go where I can get the most notice as an artist.
Karen

The wording of the ad sounds very Asian. If that's true it will probably be very difficult to talk to them. Asian countries are very vague about copyright laws. But it's worth a try 
Karen

Melisa,
I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to my income. eBay(who owns PayPal) is becoming very unfriendly to small sellers, particularly, artists. You can't be rated any higher than standard/average unless you sell more than 100 pieces/yr. It doesn't matter how highly your customers rate you or your auction selling prices. This places us at the bottom when a customer does a search. Here's hoping things will change! Meanwhile, I'm trying to reach out to other teddy bear venues and polish my own presentations. Let us know what happens with eBay?
Karen
P.S. Your work is wonderful! Sadly, that sets you up as a target for some types 

Wubbie, there are about 10 very fuzzy Maine Coon Tiger kittens wrapped around each other.  You can't tell where one starts and the other one ends. Cute fuzzy pile of love  Ali, I'll take the dark grey/brown tigers 
Karen

I want them all!
Karen

Whoa Boy! My cat heads have 8 pieces not counting the ears. I also use darts, and needle sculpting. I think cats are a special case. Cat faces have a lot of negative spaces (where there is a curve into the head). With darts you can create curves and cheeks curving out but it's difficult to create a more cut/sculptured face without adding more pieces. Also I find that I can be more accurate with cut pieces. Small darts, for me, tend to be wider or narrower or slightly off from side to side. I find them harder to control than actual cut pieces.
Karen
The left side, smaller pieces, are the cat head pattern pieces.

Lisa,
HE is wonderful! Love his face and his amazing coat pattern  :clap:
Karen

I wanted to give my Polar Bear all the posing ability of my new wild cat body style. A little tricky since a Polar Bear has a well padded body compared to a Tiger or Leopard    I also wanted to give him blue/gray glass eyes instead of the black glass I had been using for my Polar Bears. Sooooo here he is, my Naluk~
http://tinyurl.com/3v8hlhl

Very surprising~! Red tigers are almost always male.
"Orange tabbies are far more likely to be male, with an average ratio of 80 males to 20 females."
The same way Calicos are almost always female.

Not to be graphic, but fleas can sense heat and smell blood. They would not be attracted to your bears and I doubt you will find any there.
Karen