Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

PS...one more thing tonight...
Thank you very much ladies for the lovely and supportive comments!  That means a lot to me.   

Angels on your pillows  (my mom used to say that)

hugs
Judi

Thanks Dilu!

   If you get a chance to click on my bear in Intercal you can see the mohair up close(but I am sure you already know that!).  This mohair is some of the softest and nicest I have had the opportunity to work with.  This is the first time I have worked with English mohair.

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between English and German mohair?  Or does that only refer to the location of it's origin?  hhhmmmm

Ahhh Daphne...we are kindred spirits...with very sweet blood!

I too am an Registered Nurse, Dilu, but am not working as one anymore.  I have opted to stay at home and be with my children and make my bears.  It is much less stressful this way .  Stress is a big factor in controlling blood sugars.  Being creative and drawing, painting , and designing bears have been great stress relievers for me.

Just so you know...that picture of me was taken just after my 40th birthday this past March 3rd.    And and I have had diabetes since the age of 12,,, insulin dependant.  It takes a tremendous amount of effort to maintain normal blood sugars.

I also Ballroom Dance on a regular basis.  I almost wanted to call my bear business, Dancing Bears because I love to  Ballroom dance so much with my husband,  Who used to teach dancing.  He is an awesome dancer too...and he milks cows!!!!!!  He's a dairy farmer.:P:lol:

Diabetes carries such a stigma.  Like I said before, I have heard it all my life that I do not "look" diabetic.  In fact I spoke in front of a whole crowd with a local TV personality at a diabetes fund raiser about "what is a diabetic suposed to lookl like anyway?".  It was great.  Atittude is everything.  I can live a normal life...it is up to me.

Don't mean to write a novel but I think it is really nice to hear about other artists backgrounds.  We can get to know each other this way.:)

Hey Laura, Daphne,  another cute name for a diabetic (or hypoglycemic)artist who makes bears could be "Sugar Bears" hee hee.  Well, now..maybe us three can be the "sugar babies" or "Sugar Babes" !!!  I like that a lot!:lol:

Dily,  I work quite a lot with real fur and I sure can relate to the swollen, sore, poked up hands.  I use a leather needle and thinble, which helps a lot.  Testing my blood sugars four to eigth times a day doesn't help either!

Take care!
Hugs, Judi

Hi,  Welcome newbies!

I use taxidermist bear eyes on many of my bears, and doll eyes too.   I always presculpt  the eye sockets.  The MOST important thing to remember when using eyes with any kind of pupil is the direction of the GAZE.  I can't tell you how many bears I have seen out there  that have a blank stare because the eyes are not looking in the same direction. or they have one eye that looks off...like a "lazy eye".

It does not matter if you want the gaze to be to the right, left , up, down, or straight ahead...the gaze must be correct and equal.   This will make a difference between a good bear and a  bear that burns into your soul.

I truly beleive the gateway to the soul is through the eyes.

Best of luck!

SHELLI!!!! I got the avatar to work!!!!  It was something to do with how I was storing them .. ggeeesshhhh.  Thank you so much.  It look sgreat!

Hugs, Judi

Hi Paula.  Welcome!  I see you are from the UK.  I am originally from The UK too.  Spondon, Derbyshire.  Now I am in Wisconsin.

Shelli, WHat is TBCI?  Also, still having trouble with my avatar.  It will not upload.  For some reason it is tells me it is not jpg when I try to up load it to this site...when I know that it is.  Sorry to be a pain .  You did such a beautiful job on it too.

I still like the airbsuhed acrylics on real fur.  It is soft and blends in beautifully like it is actually part of the bear and it's permanent.  I don't know if acrylics would work with a regular brush. It probably would but would not look as soft as airbrushing.  I have only done airbrushing and since this works for me....I think I'll stick with it.  BUT it is always great to hear of other ways to do things.  It broadens our horizons;)   

I think you're probably right with the pet silks.  But anything that comes in a sray like that would not be fine enough to do detailed work on a bear.  For larger areas of color that may be fine.  For example, when I am airbrushing around the eye area, I am working extremely close to the surface, almost touching it,  with a very small amount of paint.  The spray is almost as fine as a pencil line.

I have not tried oils like Shelli uses but it looks really great!  There are lots of different ways to get color and shading on bears.  Neat!

Thanks Shelli.  That helps a lot!

Very cool Shelli!  Glad to hear it.  My kids think I am goofy...and I take that very kindly too.

My seven-year-old Rachel, sometimes says,  " Is that ALL  you ever do, mom? Make bears!":D

How is your poor Toby doing anyaway?

Hi.  I think this is such a wonderful place to chat about bears AND to be able to show what we have for sale. 

My question is this:  What are the guidelines for displaying available bears on eBay here in this forum?  I understand there has been some concern about clogging up the message board and/or turning this into an eBay advertisment.  I, too, do not want to see this happen, but do want to share what I have to offer.

I like the idea of having the eBay seller ID available with the signatures with posts.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated?

hugs, Judi

Here's another thought for you when painting noses.  When you want a black nose, use brown underneath FIRST.  This will make your black paint richer.  ALso you can let a little brown paint show around the edges for a really nice effect.  I learned this when I went to school for airbrushing.  Using more than one color and layering them with give you more dimension and a nicer effect than using only one color.

You should always start with your lighter colors and work down to your darker colors making sure not to cover up the lighter shades entirely...leave some on the edges.  The darker shades will "sink" the areas where you want more depth.

Hugs Judi

Winney,

I have the Prisma pencils too.  I have been using them for drawing since highschool and they are wonderful.  I also have worked extensively with real fur and I am having a hard time seeing how the pencils would work on real fur.  I am really doubting that they will .  You work with fur so you are aware that real fur is more "slippery" to the touch, than mohair,  which leaves not much for the color to "grab" on to.  Maybe you can prove me wrong  since I have not tried that.

  I airbrush with acrylics on real fur and heat set it.  It works beautifully, like nothing else I have ever tried.  BUT>>>>like we have all heard on this board......go with whatever works for you.  That is what makes us all so unique.........

...hey WInney...got any more cookies?  Kenai is asking.

HUGS
Judi

Winney, My bear's name on my avatar is Kenai.  I was watching Brother Bear with my kids while I was working on him. ....sooooo that is how he got his name.  I am am sure he must smell your cookies!!!!!!  WHo wouldn't love oatmeal raisin cookies..mmmmmmmmm.  His mohair fur came from intercal and you may see him up on thier site soon.

Dilu, I loved your story about your dad's boxers!!

Here's a neat story that my brother likes to remind me of:

When I graduated from higschool I went to an art school specializing in airbrushing.  Well, I was airbrushing six painters hats for this group of break dancers (remember that?) with the word "Pizzazz!"   I was so into the fancy airbrushing that I was doing that I did not realize that I had made  all the "Z's"  into "S's" instead.  Think about it!!! LOL.  My Mom cracked up over that!  How rude of me...do I need to spell it..!!!!  YIKES!  Needless to say I had to ditch the hats.

Oh, and PS Winney, I am going to look for some acrylic paint remover...maybe I can save some of my favorite brushes(as they are always the ones that get ruined).  Thank you!

Hugs Judi

I feel a new surge of beautiful bears in the future with all this shading talk going on!  YEAH!  Bring 'em on ladies!

Just for the record, acrylics are ideal for airbrushing because they layer beautifully, dry very quickly, and when they are heat set they become permanent   (hhhmmmmm why is it then, that the paint is permanent on my brush when I don't wash it off , but i have to heat set it onto every thing else!):mad:

Winney, I love those big headed bears too!  I just bought a bear from Art Rogers with a large head and HUGE eyes!  He is darling.  I don't buy many......just one here and there;) every now and then.....:P

To add my two cents...I have been making bears since Jan 1999, but have been an artist as far back as I can remember.  Drawing , painting, airbrushing....etc  Even in the past few years I have seen a change in bears.  The creativity has skyrocketed!...and like Winney said...just when you think you have seen it all..........

Creating bears is like breathing for me...and I bet it is for many of you too.  Geesh...I need to get off this computer and get to work...plus my daughter has a dance recital today.

HUGS everyone! Judi

What a great story Donna.  I am sure that will stay with you forever.:)

I often save the comments from emails, and letters that I have recieved from bear mommies who have adopted a bear from me.  One of my own bears sent me a Christmas card last year!  I loved it.  Another lady emailed me to tell me she cried when she took the bear out of the box, she loved her teddy.

Just knowing the affect our bears can have on people's emotions really make it all worth while.

As far as stashes of supplies...can we ever have too much mohair or supplies?  I have tons on hand 'cause I never know what mood will strike me next and I had better have the right stuff!!!:lol:

They work fabulous.  Much better than pins with out distorting or bending the fur or mohair.   I use small alligator clips  AKA "roach clips."..not that I know anything about that!!! If I am sewing on my machine I remove them as I go.  I have been using these for years.  They also work super well for positioning paw pads accurately.

Thanks for the info on the avatar thingy.

Great idea Winney...and Yes, a hair dryer is safe for bears...I just make sure I place my hand inbetween several times to check that is is not too hot.  You also want to keep the dryer moving at all times.   

Let us know what you find out about the pencils.  Thanks!

I don't know about the color fastness of colored pencils ,Shelli, but I heat set my paint that I airbrush on my bears and this makes it permanent.  I know the last thing you want is the colors to rub off. 
I think colored pencils would be great if they could be made to be permanent. hhhhhmmmmm

Can anyone tellme why my avatar is cut off?  It 270 pixels by 203 wide.  Thanks.

Okay, here's what I think works the best for me instead of pins, paper clips or staples........alligator clips.  They are one of the tools I could not make my bears without.  They grab the peices together without making any holes.  These are a MUST for real fur.  Much better than paper clips as these will not slip.  They accurately keep the pieces just where you want them.  This is one of my best kept secrets.  No mess, no holes, no damage to fur or mohair, simple to use, MUCH FASTER then pinning.  I even use them with my sewing machine.

Thank you very much Shelli!  I will definitely be participating!

Hey Elieen,
I agree with you %100!  I, too, am very happy to have found a bear family here.  You guys are my only connection to others who share the same passion.

Get this...this is funny!...I have had two people recently who have said to me..."oh, you make bears?  They're really cute...so, you buy the head and stick them on the bear?"  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lol::lol::lol::lol:  One lady asked me, " You mean you make the head and face too?!"  LOL... Non-bear people are CLUELESS.  When I explained that I make my bears completely form srcatch, and that they are entirely my original designs...they look amazed.  Who do they think makes the heads?  Some lady in China sitting in a factory????:PLOLOLOL  I shouldn't be so harsh.  People who are  not in the business and who do not collect are just unaware of how large of an industry bears really is.  It is then that I enjoy thier expression of shock when I tell them what some of them go for$$$.  tee hee hee  Only bear folk can relate to this.

Shelli, I am going to send you a photo that you can play with!  I think that would be GREAT!  I think you are very talented and I have always wanted a logo design.  Give me a few days to get a picture to you.  I think I have just the right bear...I think...:lol:

HUGS!!!! Judi

Hi.
I have a question about seling bears on this site.  Can they be bears that I also have available on my website or other websites?  Or do they need to be exclusively sold here if they are listed here?

Also do the bears need to be made from Intercal's mohair to be sold here?  By the way , I am so very very impressed by the mohair sold here.  I plan on buying  A LOT of mohair from intercal.

Hugs,
Judi