Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

THere are so many questions, here. How much of the characters are your design or did you create them straight from the book illustrations? Generally, if you are creating soft sculpture from an illustration the copyright is with the illustrator. Usually the cost of the pieces and patterns are negotiated up front. You may be able to negotiate a special deal but with most companies they buy the prototypes and pattern and that's the end of it for you. That's why it's best to have an agreement at the start of a project such as this.
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Christmas trees make me sneeze!
Karen

OH! I worked so hard on Samara, then I listed her for auction, mistake. OK, not big mistake but I misspelled a word in the auction, tempature instead of temperature. Hmm, it's hard to handle all this especially when your mind is still in the design mode and not in the word mode. I thought of taking down the auction but then I though, maybe, this just proves I'm human. I hope collectors see it that way    Here is Samara http://cgi.ebay.com/Karen-Lyons-Present … 740wt_1021

Lisa!
Just amazing  :clap: Wish you could do some shows over here. Don't worry, you have wonderful work and quality is what counts more than quantity.
Karen

I have sooo many orders to fill but I really wanted to have at least one special piece for the Holiday Season. I'm hoping to, also, create a Snow Leopard as a realistic Christmas cat, but I'm not sure I will have time. http://tinyurl.com/24pl6bo

All I see when I look at taxidermy is a sentient being who's life has been deliberately taken, only to be reconstructed as an inanimate trophy.  What a waste of life.
SueAnn

Wow, SueAnn, Such a powerful statement of truth!

Karen

What inspires you to make something that's so true-to-life? I'm reminded of the still-life painters who re-created a bowl of fruit, for example, down to details as small as a fly nearby and a bruise on an apple. Those paintings lead me to contemplate the beauty of the everyday in a way that probably wouldn't happen with a real bowl of fruit sitting on a counter-top in the kitchen.

Becky

Well said, Becky!  :clap:  And I think you are right.

Becky,
Not picking on you. I've heard this before from some traditional bear artists. I just find it a little ironic that these same artists have no problem with realistic human art pieces yet complain that realistic animal designs are not art, but taxidermy.

Hmm, what about realistic human dolls and sculptures? Becky, could they be considered taxidermy?  ;)
P.S. My favorite thing to take to bed at night was, you can guess, a toy cat. THe more real looking, the better! Problem was there weren't many realistic stuffed cats. I ended up with a Gund cat with a rubber face. I had it until college when the rubber rotted away. Broke my heart. I never tied it together, but that's probably one of the reasons I spent so many years trying to create a realistic looking teddy bear type cat 
Karen

Tami! Thank you. Perfect face for my current project 
Karen

Aubrey Everett has taken over as editor of Teddy Bear and Friends. I met Aubrey at the Chantilly Show and, at first, I thought ~ she is so young I wonder how she'll do with the magazine and us old timers? But I think it was evident to many of us that something had to be done. We need to bring in more collectors and find a way to get readers coming back to the magazine. I found this latest issue very exciting and interesting (and not because I'm mentioned ), there are many new artists and stories that have interesting slants on teddy bears and teddy bear collecting. Then there is the new online Holiday Catalog, finally, it seems like Teddy Bear and Friends is getting savvy about using the internet.
Karen

Peter,
Thank you! I had an interview a while back but I had no idea that they had written an article?
Karen

Wonderful Cover! Love the pieces and the great colors to match! Congratulations Teddy Bear and Friends! I guess the new editor, Aubrey Everett, is pulling things together  :clap:

Wow! love them! So unique and lovable. Congratulations! 
Karen

Has anyone had this problem? I have some really beautiful 918 Edinburgh faux fur from several years ago. Apparently some stabilizing spray was used on the backing and over the years it has softened and become sticky. I can't sew it on my sewing machine. IT doesn't seem to be affected by soap and water and I fear whatever will take off the backing will, also, damage the fabric? Any ideas? Anyone else have this problem with other fabrics?
Karen

Actually all my steady collectors are teddy bear collectors. I don't know of any collectors that are just cat collectors? It may be different for dog collectors? I do create bears and my Polar Bears sell particularly well, but most collectors know me for my cats. I know I do benefit from the fact that there are so few artists creating cats but there are also many teddy bear artists creating very unique and unusual bears that have followers that also collect traditional teddy bears. I believe most artists are always exploring new ideas and I think that keeps the industry vital and the collectors interested.

I feel I must add a little footnote to the discussion,
*There are collectors who, apparently, have not been badly hit by the economy. And who are very active and engaging with artists on a regular basis. When I attend a show it's my highest price pieces that sell first to collectors. Granted, I don't attend many shows but when I am going to be at a show I am sure to inform all my collectors and I let them have a sneak peek at my newest designs that will be at the show. I have a fairly long list of internet buyers and over a third are from other countries. (In a few countries our pieces are considered a bargain because of the strength of their dollar against ours.)Travel is so expensive and difficult nowadays. Shows are just not getting as many high-end collectors traveling long distances for a show. I believe it is up to each artist to decide which market they want to approach. It does take a lot of thought, planning and hard work and there is no, one way, to approach your potential buyers and collectors. But I firmly believe that lowering prices to attract buyers is frequently a losing proposition and it is difficult to hold the respect of collectors, especially, if they see you selling a piece that is similar to one they had purchased but at a cut price. I think there is nothing wrong with having a few less expensive pieces, i.e. for me my kittens, but I will not design according to price points.

Aleta,
This is such a complicated question. Yes, my work is my sole income. Yes, I will not drop my prices. BUt more than any time in the past I feel it is very important to evaluate what you are doing as an artist, and where you want to go with your art? My collectors are, currently, very selective about what they are willing to purchase. They want to know what are my newest designs? And they will critique them. I am able to keep and even raise my prices but I find I have to always push myself to create new designs and to promote and show them. Not easy times! But times such as these will keep us on our toes 
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

THe Mary Vellan book is just a tiny 64 page book. At the time I found it it was the only book out there that talked about how to create your own patterns. It is quaint, but I wouldn't go out of your way to buy it. The Rudi book has much more to offer. The Mary Vellan is really nice if you collect teddy bear books.

Joanne,
Glad you like it    Is it the Rudi book? I, also, thought that was an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn to design other animals. It's helped with some of my realistic bears, too.
Karen

That was fuN even if we were bowling with cats    Once I got the hang of the first few balls I got 5 strikes in a row. I was pretty good at bowling way back when 

I guess I went down a different path   I started out doing a couple of bears from a Simplicity pattern and right away I knew I wanted to create different animals and I knew I would have to invent my own style of patterns. The first book I found was Nursery Toys, Mary Vellan, 1956. It had the basics for pattern design and helped me get started. My other favorite was How to Make and Design Stuffed Toys, Rudi De Sarigny, 1971. This is a great book to use for developing new patterns from photographs.
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Melisa,
Congratulations! How wonderful THey look amazing and most important, they look happy 
Karen

I know Krista Griffith/K Pawz does some custom realistic dogs. Beautiful pieces!

Bobbie,
Here's the rule : You can end an auction to sell it to the high bidder any time you want. But why would you want to? Let it run the full duration so last-minute snipers get a chance to play.

You can end an auction early and cancel all bids, provided it has more than 12 hours remaining. That would be selling an item off-eBay and is against the rules. You'll get your account suspended for doing that.

When someone asks you to end your auction early to sell an item for a certain price, you can be damn sure they're offering less than your widget is worth. Otherwise they would just go ahead and win the auction. I tell those people to go ahead and place a bid, and "Good luck!"
Karen:
IT is really bad to end an auction just because you don't think it will meet the price you wanted (that's what a reserve is made for). I think what they did is against ebay rules but the problem is proving what they did. I have heard of people researching and discovering that the seller has done this before and that would make a better case. WHo knows, maybe he can negotiate and see if he can still buy the item. Most sellers don't want to be investigated by ebay and it does sound like these sellers are violating policy.