Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

wow how generous. Thank you.

My ornament is going in th mail today. :o)

omg so cute

As a collector I feel bad if I have to email and find its out of my price range. I prefer to know the inns and outs as I can see the item.
Hope this helps.

As a new bear artist I will be listing my prices. I already have a full-time job and so I would like as much time as possible creating bears and less times going through emails.

beautiful

I think its a samoyed puppy.
they look like polar bear cubs when they are young.
(they are my favourite dog)

For my birthday my partner bought me a subscription to Australian Dolls, Bears and Collectibles magazine. I have noticed reccently it is more about dolls. For instance the current issue has only dolls on the cover and I think it was the same for the last couple of issues too (maybe one teddy here and there).  There seems to be only one bear pattern in the issues aswell.

Now I'm not saying I dislike dolls, I think the artists have done fantastic jobs, but i thought it was more even. half - half kinder thing. Well it used to be...

What has happened? I'm a little disapointed as a bear artist to find there is only adds for bears and not pages of interviews and designs. I love reading about the history of bear artists and all their creations. :(

I wonder if this is beacuse of the market? or is no one interested in reading about teddies anymore? Is anyone else having the same issue?

There is no lack of adds for teddies. Just a lack of interviews and designs.

Maybe I'm just weird and don't know what I'm talking about... lol

In my opionion I do not believe soft sculpture is much like taxidermy. They are usually created for two different reasons.

Soft Sculpture - is made from love and inspiration for artistic value. - in the sense that we value the particular creature and are inspired to recreate it. In this train of thought it is very much like painting a landscape. (I'm not trying to compare soft sculputure to painting by any means but alot of art is about recreation no matter the medium). it usually has a unique spin on it (the artist's interpretation).

Taxidermy - is made for "preservation" (for lack of better word) and trophies
Taxidermy can not add things that were/are not there to begin with. They're more like taking a photo of an existing creature and preserving it in 3D. - I hope I'm making sense

I guess its like comparing a house painter and an artist painter...
one is making a living and one is art form. I'm sure there are Taxidermist out there who believe they are creating art. But to me its more like forging god's work. There is no unique value...

I hope I am not being offensive to anyone. That is not my intention at all.  :redface:

I'm not a fan of Taxidermy either.

do you think their should be different category in bear shows?? such as a realistic / more detailed category maybe?
I think there are many different types of work created and some may get overshadowed by the more detailed sculptures. for instance anime bears are not supposed to look realistic and therefore should not be compared to this. - I am not saying they are but maybe there should be another category to give the less detailed bears a chance. they are all magnificant aswell.

I love bears of all kind.

In my opionion I do not believe soft sculpture is much like taxidermy. They are usually created for two different reasons.

Soft Sculpture - is made from love and inspiration for artistic value. - in the sense that we value the particular creature and are inspired to recreate it. In this train of thought it is very much like painting a landscape. (I'm not trying to compare soft sculputure to painting by any means but alot of art is about recreation no matter the medium). it usually has a unique spin on it (the artist's interpretation).

Taxidermy - is made for "preservation" (for lack of better word) and trophies
Taxidermy can not add things that were/are not there to begin with. They're more like taking a photo of an existing creature and preserving it in 3D. - I hope I'm making sense

I guess its like comparing a house painter and an artist painter...
one is making a living and one is art form. I'm sure there are Taxidermist out there who believe they are creating art. But to me its more like forging god's work. There is no unique value...

I hope I am not being offensive to anyone. That is not my intention at all.  :redface:

I'm not a fan of Taxidermy either.

do you think their should be different category in bear shows?? such as a realistic / more detailed category maybe?
I think there are many different types of work created and some may get overshadowed by the more detailed sculptures. for instance anime bears are not supposed to look realistic and therefore should not be compared to this. - I am not saying they are but maybe there should be another category to give the less detailed bears a chance. they are all magnificant aswell.

I love bears of all kind.

Looks like they are waiting for the mail man

he's a cute little thing, with his big tummy and loveley blue eyes.

I love the little stories that come along with your teddies etc 

He is marvellous.

they were all wonderful.

Ohh I like to travel. I wonder where Yuklin will show up next? Kepp us updated.

Oh what lovely bears. I'm very happy for you Joanne. Thank you for sharing your story wth us.

WOW 
Have a goo show and have lots of fun

What a great range. Love them all. Have fun at he show!

I would like to know details as well. Sounds interesting.

My advice...Use gel pens when drawing patterns onto mohair and fabrics. They do not seep through or rub off like other markers can.

Teddy Bear Market Profile Survey
Which age range do you fall into?
less than 20
20 - 30 = 23
31-50
51+

Gender
male/female = Female

Which country are you from? = Australia

Are you...?
Employed = full time receptionist
Self Employed
Unemployed
Other

Are you...? (please state all that are relevant)
A collector = yes
An artist  = yes - starting out
A promoter
A dealer
Just interested in bears

If you're an artist or dealer, how many bears do you usually sell per year & how many have you sold in the last year (roughly speaking)? Just starting out.

If you're a collector, roughly how many bears (and other animals) do you buy each year?

If you collect artist bears, who are your favourite artists?
I'm yet to start my collection but these are the ones I'm ver interested in Jenny loves benny, benson bears, Kj Lyons and many more...

Has the recession affected the number of bears you've purchased in the last year or so?
yes/no - give details if you would like to = YES, to many bills not enough spare monies for luxury items.

How much would you pay for a well made artist miniature bear? (change to own currency if neccessary eg. less than $30 [US])
less than £30
£30 - £50
£51 - £70
£71 - £90
more than £91
depends on quality and uniqueness so all of the above 

I agree Laura. Maybe make a lesser expensive bear during these hard times, a simpler design.
You can still offer the deluxe at the same price but maybe making a couple of simpler designs will get the people who sell bears as their sole income through until things pick up?

I know this is easier said then done, but is it such a bad idea?

he does not look happy   

its panda bunnies

101 bears to make - Nancy Tillberg
I was given this book off Linda Benson, Benson Bears and I love it. It is the best book I have found so far.
Unfortunately it is quite expensive because it is out of print.

I have used darts in my two peice and it has come out reall well so far.