Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi Dilu.

The airbrush course will continue to run and I am the instructor!:D  I wrote the course earlier this year.  Some one sent me an email asking about the course and I responded...was that you?  The names don't match.  Maybe I should go and check my webmail.

Anyway, I run my airbrush from a 20 pound CO2 tank.  It is completely silent.  I hate loud nosie.  There are some quieter compressors but they are not silent.    You can get smaller tanks.  Places to find a CO2 tank would be at a welders supply.   They can also hook you up with a pressure gauge.

I when to a school that specialized in airbrush art.  I became certified in 1984 in Fine Art and Airbrushing/Photo retouching and graphic rendering.  I worked as a professional airbrush artist at GM Photgraphic at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren Michigan for a few years after that. 

I have done lots of paintings over the years.  WHen I discovered the wonderful world of bears I was able to combine my airbrushing skills to my own origianl designs and have been having a blast.

In the on line course I have provided a basic teddy bear pattern (or you can use your own) and I take you through the basics of using and controlling an airbrush. The first couple chapters talks about all the supplies you need and how to properly prepare yor paints successfully.  In chapter four I take you step by step on how to actually airbrush some nice shading on the bear.  The sky is the limit to what you can do with airbrushing.  There is also a chapter on trouble shooting.

One of the really nice things I like about these classes is that you can have daily contact with the instructors through a message forum.

Here is a photo of the back of a denim jacket I airbrushed about 15 years ago:

Almost all of my bears have airbrushing on them...some more than others.  I just love this type of art.  It is so soft and gives effects unachievable any other way.

I have more photos on my website of airbrushed paintings.  This tiger pic came out a big larger than I expected for this forum.

What a small world!!!!!

Dilu...:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

It took a while for my hubby to see this 'bear thing' as something very worthwhile too.  Now he really enjoys seeing what is next.  Since he is a dairy farmer , I made a very large Queen Cow sitting in a throne.  He has placed her high on a plant shelf in a place of honor.;)

Hey Daphne and Dilu,

I have been running my airbrush with a CO2 tank for more than 20 years.  It is silent, very effective, and easily portable (but can take a bit of muscle if you have a larger tank), and no water trap is needed.  The down side (and this is a very small downside) is that it does need to be refilled when it runs out.  My  tanks lasts for more than a year at a time.   Just something to think about.:)

Hi Paula,

I have to start by saying I love your bears.

In my experience with polymer noses, a really good glue works very well.  You could also put a wire on the backside but that might create pressure on the polymer clay and it could break free.  E6000 glue is very strong glue.  Also Magnatac Glue is iron clad.  I have tested it mysel by really pulling on a  finished, glued-on nose.  They stayed put.

Hope this helps.:D

I think your site looks great Laure!  I know nothing about web design.  Nancy Tillberg designed my website and she updates it for me.  I feel lucky to have her do this  but on the other hand I am sure there is a lot of satisfaction that would come from being able to be in control of your own site.

I get excited when I learn new things about computers...in baby steps, mind you.  Nancy showed me how to work with photos on these forums and wella!....what fun.   

Shelli, your website is amazing.  Great job!!!

Besy of luck Laure!!!
HUGS, Judi

Dale is like the Shell Answer Man!  Dale, you're better than the yellow pages.  Great to have you here!

Dilu, I think your spelling is right on...at least I have not seen any errors...(I'm a typo queen ).
Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments.  If you make any real fur bears please share them with us.  I love pictures!
Donna, the mink bear is 18" tall.  She is made from a mink stole also...but a fairly good sized one.  What I do is lay out the muslin pieces on the back side of the fur to make sure everything fits before cutting.:D

Hello ! SInce we are on the subject of real fur bears.........

I don't want to turn this in to "Judi's Gallery" but I thought it would be really neat to show all of you three other real fur bears I have made from the exact same design as the mink bear pictured in an earlier post.

I think it is really fun to try different furs with identical patterns and see how different the outcome is.

I started making bears using real fur.  I only tried mohair a couple of years later and a friend of mine said it very well...regarding going from real fur to mohair...". ...is like a hot knife in butter."

Anyway, here they are.  First one is , I believe American Sable

second bear is made from real alpaca fur,again, the same design.

Third bear is red fox fur.

Dale,
Love the patriotic flag but I think we would all really enjoy seeing  one of your bears or a picture of you.   Maybe you could add one to one of your posts.

How about we start a teddy bear club.  I nominate Dale for President.  Any seconds?

Dilu,
that's funny what you said about your hubby.  Mine too has little to say about them except.  Yaeh, that looks great.  He says that to all of them.  When I ask for more specific responses...he turns it around and pulls out a Holstien Dairy amgazine and asks my opinion of a certain cow.  He is really funny.  Actually he is very supportive of my bears and even brings people who visit our farm up to the house to see them.

Laura,
my Sugar Babe gal, give the real fur a try.  It is a different experience.:)

The eyes I use are concave on the bear in my avatar, also my Fairy Bear Tinker on ebay and int his forum on the for sale page, and on Kenai on Intercals mohair bear photo gallery.

Opal, who is also on ebay and in the Bear's for Sale page here in the forum, has full bulb eyes.:D

Hi Laure,
I don't use any wire on my doll and taxidermist bear eyes. Maybe that works for other people but I can't see how you could control the direction of the gaze that way.

  I presculpt the eye sockets, thoroughly,  and use a really good glue.  Magnatac works wonderfully.  You're absolutely right about it not being a perfected art.  It is very tricky and takes quite a bit of fiddling around with to get the gaze just right.  That will "make or break" a bears overall look.  BOY, can it take some patience!

After my eyes are set exactly where I want them, I bulid up the outer eye area with corded lids and/or needle felting. I am always playing around with different way to achieve the looks I want in a particular bear.....and it often changes from bear to bear...that keeps things interesting...as I get bored very easily.

WOW, this message board is really growing.  Nice to have you here Laure.

Hugs, Judi

Dale, we must be typing at the same time!:lol::D

Eileen,  Thanks for the comment about Griz (mink bear above).

What works best for me, is, I tuck the fur into the seam before I sew it.  After the seam is sewn pick all the fur out from the wrong side...when you turn the piece to the right side, pick the fur out of the seams here too.  I use a thick needle to pick out the fur.  It can be a pain sometimes, but worth the effort for a nice finished piece.

Hope this helps.

Exactly what Dale said.

I also want to add to all this great advice about shavers. 

For real fur bears on the muzzle I bought a plug-in PET groomer.  After all, pets have real fur....so it works fantastic on fur bears.  They also would work well on mohair...after all, mohair is a real fur fiber.  I bought mine at Fleet Farm for about $22.00.  I also tried the battery operated mustach razor and it was not good at all compared to the pet groomer.  Real fur often has an undercoat whereas a human mustach does not, so real fur can clog up a mustach razor...it did with mine, anyway.:rolleyes:

Hi Dilu:D
I learned how to needle sculpt just by trial and error.  I also studied faces of real bears... A LOT!  I noticed how the eyes were sunken into the head and how the chin looked..etc...

Everyone does it a bit different..soooo as long as you get the desired result there is no wrong or right way to do it.  I am a firm beliver in diving in head first...nothing ventured, nothing gained.     ALSO...Nancy Tillberg teaches an on-line class called Extreme sculpting.  I have not taken that class but I know that people who have are very pleased with what they learned.    There may be books out there to.....hhhmmmmmm

Thanks for the nice comments gals!

Dilu, You might want to try alligator clips instead of paper clips.  They hold the pieces together easily, accurately ,and won't slip at all.  As you sew on the machine you just slip them off.   And, they're super easy to put on and take off.  I love them!

Dilu, I love it!  "Suffering is optional"  Definitely words to live by!

Donna,
I have been making real fur bears since I first started making bears in 1999.  Mink is one of the hardest furs to get a smooth muzzle.  The best advice I could give there is to use an electric razor on the top of the muzzle.  For sculpting the cheeks I use mustach scissors as they have a serated blade and grab the fur as you cut.  You will find that if you use regular scissors, the fur can slip and you'll get an uneven look.  If you use a machine stich that is very small it may cut right through the the leather backing , so I make my stitches a bit larger.

I line my bears with a good sturdy muslin.  Some peolpe sew on a machine with real fur...and sometimes I will too, but only the larger peices.  I always sew the heads by hand.  It is really important to pick the fur out of the seams, especailly with mink, or it shows through on the right side.

Like Gail said too, Nancy Tillbergs book is really a great source of information too.

Good luck!

Just wanted to show you one of my real fur bears made from mink.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Ditto on what Shelli said!

Elieen,

I airbrush acrylics on real fur.  I have been doing that for a few years with great results.  Most of the bears on my website are real fur in the adopted bear pages.  Just make sure they are heat set to make them permanent. 

Haven't tried Dale's suggestion but it sounds like it would work too.

Thanks ladies for answering my question.  Now that makes things much clearer.:D

Dale, you have just been officially inducted into the Sugar Bear Babes!!!  That image is dated the year I was born.  Cool!  Hey, I would love to see your bears.  Do you have a website?

My diabetes is part of the reason I don't travel around doing shows.   I really should never be alone , like in a hotel room incase I go low.  It has happened.

Daphne, I do the four shots a day.  ANd I think it is SO FUNNY what you said about people saying, "Oh you must have it bad" when it is just the opposite...we are in better control this way.  I have heard that so many times.

  I used an insulin pump for nine years but when my brand was recalled I switched back to multiple injections.  I use a novolin pen.  It's great and I canuse it in public to inject and no one knows what I am doing...like at a resturaunt.

When I worked as an RN in a nursing home...almost every resident had a teddy bear inthere room.  There is something very comforting about having them around.:)

Thanks for the tip Dale.  I agree highlights look great on the eyes but not dead center.

Shelli, you are on your way, girl, to bear graphic designs!  hey ALL look super!

You know it SueAnn! 

I couldn't imagine life without bears either.

Dilu!  That is hilariuos "OOOO maybe he need two"

Speaking of cows....

My husband and I were on World's Funniest Videos about four years ago.  We had video taped ourselves Ballroom dancing in the milking barn in the center isle between the cows.  We had set up our camera and tripod because we were practicing a shoulder lift doing a Waltz and we wanted to see how it looked.  We have a stereo system piping tunes through the barn....well, anyway, when we veiwed the tape we also heard the cows mooing, and heard and saw them ...eh hem... peeing into the grated gutter.  Don't get me wrong...my hubby keeps a VERY clean barn...Our cows each have thier own mattress's and he keeps them very clean.  But...it looked so funny with us in our barn clothes doing such a graceful dance as the waltz!!!!!

It was aired on the Mother's Day edition.  That was our 21 seconds of fame!  and we got $500.00.  Not too shabby!