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Hey all - question for you about joints and sizing 'em. If you have your own handcrafted pattern you've made from scratch that perhaps doesn't fall into the category of 15" or 3" or 8" bear exactly, how do you size your joints?
How do you estimate what size of joint you'll need for the arm or leg you've created? How big should a joint be in a limb, or in the head/neck area? Do you measure those and then figure a 1/4" or a 1/2" in, or....?
Especially for bodies and heads, how do you make sure you've gotten the correct size joint? Furthermore, there are different sizes of cotterpins and washers. How do you then pair all the hardware up correctly? A lot of places sell them piecemeal and leave the sizing decisions up to you instead of selling them in a set.
I'd appreciate all the help I can get on this one. I've got at least a few bears that I've assembled that need joints, but since I've made the pattern myself there's no instructions persay on what joints to use!
Oh boy.
I'd loooooove to own a big Steiff bear, myself, one you can really hug. Like a 15-18" bear. The small ones are adorable though, so maybe one of those! There's some Steiff bears lined up at FAO Shwartz I'd die to have.
I'd also love to own a Kelly Dean Trashcan Ted (they're my favorites - in particular Tina Ballerina, she's faaaabulous and her story is SUPER sweet), and I'd also loooove to adopt a Bootbutton Bear.
As for making a dream bear, I'm on my way to making one. Unfortunately the intention was to sell it. ....which may not happen. I get too attached to the bears I make! Anyone else have that problem? XD
If you're looking to print out the graphic and then stick it onto a hangtag, I'd use Mod Podge. Mod Podge is the greatest stuff in the universe and it comes in all kinds of finishes - from glossy to semi-gloss and matte. http://www.plaidonline.com/apmp.asp will tell you about this great stuff. It's cheap, and all you need is a paintbrush to brush it on! It dries clear and is a glue, finish, and sealer all in one. It's nontoxic, air dries and is super easy to use. I've used Mod Podge for a LOT of different mixed media projects. Give it a whirl!
I'd say sell him! :)
He's a beautiful little sloth and as long as you're willing to give him up, there's nothing 'old' about him. He's only a few months in! I'd give him a name/story revamp only if you want to. He's still 'himself' since you sent over Cosmo in his place. If the custom order was to the commissioner's specifications (name and backstory), I'd change those. Otherwise, I'd find him a new loving home.
I don't think anyone would be put off by homing a homeless sloth, no matter where he came from or how 'old' he was!
Having the urge to create a dressed bear, I asked myself whether or not I wanted to actually make the clothing myself. I might want to, but what if the recipient of the bear wants to swap outfits?
What's the best general bear size for clothes? If one wanted to use clothes from Build-a-Bear their bears/plushes range from 14"-18" I believe. But what about baby clothes as well? Plush doll clothes and the ilk?
What do you feel is the most 'swappable' flexible size for finding clothes to fit a bear? I myself think it's about 14"-15", but I'm not so sure.....any advice?
Fishing line gives you a firmer whisker, and has more of a natural feel. It's pretty much always clear though. 
You can also use those fiber-optic plastic bristles that come on the cheap light up novelty toys. As for insertion, I've heard of a few methods. One is to use a hot glue gun, melt the end of the fishing line/plastic bristle and stick it right onto the fur. The other is to just draw each whisker through the muzzle and use fabric glue on the inside of the head to keep them from shifting around - that way you get even whiskers as well.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel perhaps you'd be better off machine sewing this? It depends on your granddaughter's age, but if she's a toddler......they are highly, unintentionally distructive. If she's younger, she might be gnawing on the thing, pulling it's arms, swinging it around. Machine sewing just feels a little tougher and more consistant to me for better wear and tear.
Bobbie, I'm sorry to quote you from the previous thread, but you're exceptionally well spoken on this topic!
I've seen open mouths or beautifully stitched noses & sculpted eye sockets, on bears that have crooked muzzle seams, ears & eyes that don't match in placement, fur trapped in seams with no attempt made to pull/brush it out, footpads sewn in crookedly and unmatched to each other, sewing stitches that show through to the front when stuffed.
These aren't bears that are made to look vintage, these are on bears that have had features added because the makers feel that following the most current trends will make their work more appealing and therefor sell better. It is done for the money instead of doing it for the honor of excelling in one's own mind.
You've just described my first and second attempts at bearmaking. I was laughing as I read this and thought 'oh no, she's described my bears perfectly!' although, I recognize those things as faults on my end - a lack of control at making bears versus 'vintage handmade'. I think some elements of handmade and a little worn around the edges are beautiful but they must be done conciously and they must be put in intelligently. Otherwise you end up with a mess. An obvious mess.
It would have been kinder to these creations to have not shown these images, as paw pads with uneven marker spots are not that attractive.
Laughing still - Booker, my first bear, has very uneven marker spots on his footpads.
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As for the critque concepts, I love them. It's like a bearshow without a winner - you get the benefits of having professionals look over your work and let you know what you can improve on without the added pressure of having to win a contest at the same time.
Critique is the most important element to being an artist next to making the art itself. In any medium, any spectrum, it is incredibly important - sometimes we do not perceive our faults and mistakes like others can. Once they are described and pointed out, we are able to improve by watching out for them next time around.
What I MUST add and what I must impart is: A checkmark based system is fine to point out flaws/mistakes at first glance but critique is only truly helpful if there is a DESCRIPTION that follows. Critique is helpful if it is described, thought over, detailed in it's error correction, and professional in it's tone. Why do you think, as a critiquer, the nose is crooked? Uneven gusset shape? Poor matching? Bad stuffing? If the pawpads are uneven, maybe there is a method to making them straighter? Where are they off exactly and by about how much? Some items don't need a full description but some absolutely do. You can't help someone impove by checking off their mistakes on a list - you must tell them where, how, and why the fault is the way it is (by your own estimation, because it's the critiquer's help we're looking for here!). You could even make digital notes on the submitted photograph itself, circling places that need help or correction, to make it very clear where the mistake is.
It also means that the person submitting the bear for critique needs to send very good, very up close, numerously angled photos detailing all aspects of their bear. They have to WANT you to look for errors. INSPECT for flaws. Find their mistakes and correct them. This isn't a bear contest with a pretty photo - this is critique and critique alone. You can't send one pretty picture and have people critique at face value.
That's my input!
Thank you very much to you both! I super appreciate the feedback and I'm very excited he's gotten a warm reception. I've definitely got the bug, Fen! Number two is coming soon...just need to joint him. (If I had a husband, I expect he'd come in handy for it, haha!)
Hi there all! Just finished my second bear after some time waiting on the joints. He's far from perfect, and he's a little rough around the edges, but I feel he's got some cute personality. His name is Booker - the fur itself is faux, not mohair. The paws are suede. He's got hand-shading around his eyes and muzzle, and the paw-pads are hand-drawn. I have a third bear waiting to be jointed that I designed myself from scratch, and a fourth in the works. Jointing is hard! (I'm using the plastic safety joints though...)
Edit: He's about 9" high. He fits into my Boyd's bears clothes!
I fly by the seat of my pants, personally - I'm not a fab designer yet but I really enjoy just doing sort of wacky things and seeing what happens! The hardest part for me honestly is the head and gusset, messing with that I've found changes the personality of your bear quite a bit (and the face sculpting after) - ears are next, they can go through lots of tweaking and placement adjustment for just a little round shape! Arms and legs are next - they're my favorites to mess with because they're sort of simple and can really give a bear a personality all on their own. The body I'm still figuring out to be honest - I'm keeping that sort of simple. I'm new at this, so the body is still just one once-designed shape for me just yet!
Thanks everyone! I've decided to go with the joints. I bought a pack, and it's worthwhile I feel if I'm going to be making more bears (which of course I am!)
As for your question, eatcakevintage - YES, the plastic joints are often called 'child safe doll/bear joints'. Cotter pins are definitely not child safe, and the only other way to joint your bear is with the plastic ones. They're the ones I enjoy using the most, not because they're child safe in particular, but because they come all together in a set and the cotter pin thing was always a bit complex for me.
As for shading - I'd be careful. I know that prismas/copics are non-toxic, but that baby will probably be sucking and gnawing all over that thing if he takes a shine to it. There's a lot of 'babyproofing' that needs to go into a bear if he's going to be a baby gift, that I know for sure.
Hi there, I'm in the process of making a teddybear - only problem is, I'm not really into buying and waiting for the joints. I sort of just want to finish the bear!
He wasn't expensive at all to make, and I don't think I'm going to sell him for much, but I am curious as to whether he'll sell at all without joints. He's small, not a miniature, but about 11" high? Less?
Has anyone sold unjointed bears? Should I order the joints and wait? Advice is appreciated!
I am absolutely in love with Tao! Awesome color combo!
