Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thanks, guys,
I hope they find happy new homes at the weekend!
Hugs,
Christine

Really impressive, Tami!! 
Is he a ooak or are you going to have to sculpt more Teddy Roosevelts??  The bear is super too - love his shape and proportions:)
Hugs,
Chris

Well... I am being just as slow as ever and have a grand total of FOUR bears ready for Hugglets, so far!!  I have found a new way to sculpt faces onto the bears and I am very excited about my new designs - I just wish they didn't take so long to make!
Anyway, here is a sneak preview - you can find more details on my website, and I shall be adding more bears to my Preview page as they arrive.  I hope you like them!!
Bear hugs,
Christine

Hi Brenda,
This is a bear I made recently, with a muzzle sculpted from Apoxie Sculpt.
Apoxie Sculpt is a two-part epoxy clay; you mix equal amounts together and then you can model and sculpt with it.  It cures at room temperature in about three hours - 24 hours for full cure.  While it is in it's malleable state, you can use water to smooth it and even to dilute it to the consistancy of a paste.  When cured, you can drill, carve, sand it, and it takes acrylic paint very well.

Thanks Ellen - I know YOU will be there!!
Thanks for letting me know about Maja and Anna!!
Hugs,
Chris

hi Bobbie,
Berta has contactme, thanks!
Regards,
Chris

Overseas subs are always more expensive as they have to include the cost of shipping - and magazines are quite heavy, relative to their cost.  Also, TBScene is a monthly magazine, so you would be getting twelve issues.  I just checked the foreign subs rate for TB&Friends and it works out about the same, allowing for the fact that the US magazines are bi-monthly.

Perhaps, if you put the word out, there might be a TBScene reader who would collect the tokens for you if they don't want to enter the comp themsleves?
Hugs,
Christine

Good grief, Paula!!
What are you worrying about??  I have only FOUR bears ready so far... hang on, what am I doing spening time on the computer?? - better get back to work!!!!    And why is it that small bears take me just as long to make as bigger ones??!!!!

Lovely bears, by the way - especially Raffles!!
Hugs,
Chris

I agree with Tammy!!
Goodness, these competitions are such a lottery and it all comes down to the personal tase of the judges on the day.  Paula, your bear is scrummy - and Edie, I LOVE your ballerina!!

Hugs and applause to everyone who entered!! :clap:
Chrisx

I suppose you could set them in with Apoxie Sculpt?  Make your eye sockets nice and deep and then put in a little AP.  Press the eye into the socket and then either sculpt some more AP around the outside to make eyelids, or wait until it has cured and then needle-felt, or whatever you would normally do to make eyelids.  This is only a suggestion - I have never tried it myself. 

An alternative might be to buy plain white glass eyes on loops (you get them from a taxidermy supplier), and paint your own irises onto them.  You would get the doll eye effect, but you could attach them in the normal way.

Regards,
Christine

Cats - don't you just love 'em!! The one thing I've learned over the years is that you can never predict how they will react to a particular situation!!    It looks like Tiger has really fallen on his paws with you and it's amazing that he has been accepted by your other cat so quickly.  I'm so glad it has worked out well for you all!!
Hugs,
Christine

Hi there,
How many Dutch and Benelux artists will be at Hugglets??  Can you let me know, along with your stand numbers - I have a magazine feature idea for later in the year and would like to make contact with as many of you as possible, and Hugglets seems as good a place to start as any

Please pass the message along to any of your colleagues who may be going but are not on TT.  I shall be on stand 28 in the main hall, if you want to come and see me there.

Thanks!!
Christine

Wow!!!!!  Congratulations to EVERYONE who got nominated - the work is incredible!! :clap:  :clap:
Chrisx

Me too - I'll be there, in my usual place on stand 28.  I'm really looking forward to unveiling my new sculpted bears!! :dance:

Ohhhh, I can't resist... here's one I made earlier!!  His name is Bucky and he is made from faux fur with a direct sculpted face.  He stands around 14 inches and will be at the show.
Huggies,
Chrisx

Yaaay - well done, Tammy!  Beautiful bear!! :clap:

I have just heard too:  My bears, Spencer and Beppo have been nominated!!!!!!!! :dance:
Hugs,
Christine

I'm with Bobbie!!!!  You are SO talented - this is an incredible piece and the award is utterly deserved!!  I hope you go on to produce even more incredible work!!! :clap:  :clap:
Hugs,
Chris

Hello there,
Yes, I am afraid you do.  The company owns the license and - in theory, at least - you must apply for permission to reproduce it in any form, even if it for your own private amusement.  I gather that Disney is VERY vigilant in pursuing anyone who infringes one of their copyrights or licenses, for instance.

If you look at it from their point of view, it is understandable:  the company in question will have spent an awful lot of money having a product designed, produced and brought to market.  Particularly if it is something that then takes off and becomes successful, they will guard their ownership very jealously as it is a valuable income stream for them.

That said, copyrights and licenses (which have a shorter life), do lapse - and it is very unlikely that anyone would come after you for making a one-off plush toy that never leaves your house    

Christine

I have absolutely no problem with allowing collectors to reserve bears ahead of a show - especially if they are coming a long way and won't be able to get there for the opening rush (which we all hope will happen!).  It allows them to arrive unflustered, knowing that they can pick up their special bear once they have got their breath back, and also gives them a chance to wander around the rest of the show in case they miss something else!    I usually ask for a 25% deposit up front to hold the bear, which is forfeited if the person doesn't turn up by a pre-arranged time.  This works for me as well, since it means I can still have bears on my stand until the afternoon - from which orders and commissions for similar bears can be taken.

I also don't have a problem with letting my overseas customers reserve bears from my show previews.  I was one of the first UK artists to start putting up preview pages on my website many years ago and took the view then that, since a lot of my collectors live too far away to get to a show, it seemed unfair to exclude them from reserving a bear from my preview.  However, I do try to create a balance, in that I do not put ALL of my show bears on a preview, so that there are always more bears to choose from for the collectors who can make it to a show in person.  Since I established this way of working some time ago, I am reluctant to change it now.

I try to be fair to everyone and, so far, my collectors seem to be happy with the arrangement.  Perhaps because I have always been happy to take commissions - which I know some artists prefer not to do - my collectors are comfortable with the fact that, if they miss out on a particular bear at a show, they can always order one later.  I do find that a lot of people like to come and look first, then go away and think about it and come back.  If I have sold some of the bears in advance, then I know that all my expenses are covered, even if I take more orders than make actual sales on the day.

Chris

Yup, Appalled of Norfolk here!!
I can just imagine the scenario if you were unlucky enough to be burgled - sooner or later, insurance companies will start asking "Did you give out your home address to an online auction site?" - and thereby invalidate your claim!
It's a terrible idea - along with seval others they have come up with lately.  Ebay seems to be in self destruct mode at the moment!
Chris

Yaaay, Edie!!!  I am SO glad you are making these little bears again, it is such a brilliant idea!!  And I love the packaging too!! :clap:
Hugs,
Christine

Yes, yes, YES!!!  I agree with everything Paula says! :clap:
You really must price your bears according to the market place, for all the reasons Paula stated - and there's another one;  what if you take some orders at the show?  If you have priced your bears too cheaply you will be forever stuck in a position where you are just about covering your costs and working for nothing.  You will have no room to grow because you can't just suddenly hike your prices - and you may find that you get fed up with the whole thing and give up altogether.  Your skill and your time are worth something - no one should be expected to work for free!
Christine

I do think selling through shops can be a valuable part of your overall selling strategy.  As Paula has said, a good shop will promote their artists and encourage collectors through the door with special events, personal service, etc.  I have had good and bad experiences over the years and the number of shops I supply now has drastically reduced in the past few years - partly by choice, and partly because so many have closed down.  I suspect that the shops which folded were the ones marking up bears too high and not doing enough to really sell their artist bears.

Nowadays I only sell through a couple of shops, but we have good working relationships and I know that they are reaching parts of the market I can't reach alone.  It has also brought me a number of new collectors who are happy to buy direct from me as well as through the shops I supply.  This is because the shops are not greedy with their markup, so their prices end up only a little higher than my own, and because I learned to price my bears so that I can do wholesale and still make enough money to live on. 

If you are concerned about your pricing, try finding out what the shop will probably retail your bears for and then divide that figure in half - if you can live with that, then wholesaling might work for you.  It's a rough and ready formula but will give you some idea of where your wholesale prices should be.  This is NOT the same as giving a 50% discount off your own prices, by the way!!  But a shop will likely have to double whatever your wholesale price is, so it is a way to gage whether your prices are too cheap/ too expensive, or spot on.

Christine

Thanks so much, you guys! :hug:

I had an e-mail from Abracadabra to say that all the bears got adopted in less than 24 hours - wow!!!!
Miyu - there is a bit of information about how I sculpt the muzzles on my blog.
Huggies,
Christine

This is Humphrey; one of the bears I have just delivered to Abracadabra in Saffron Walden, England.  I included two of my newest design, with direct sculpted muzzles and I am so pleased with them!  Humphrey is a cute little morsel and stands around seven inches high.  You can see all five bears on my blog
Beary best wishes,
Christine

Hi Ed and Daphne,
From what I can see, there are not many bears on it as yet, and several TTers have commented that items under $100 sell better than more expensive things, so that would probably rule out artist bears - for now, at least.  It seems to be a very cool place to find beautiful handmade items of all descriptions though, from stationery to clothing to jewellery to artworks, and everything in between.  Imagine the classiest craft show you ever visited, but with a couple of thousand exhibitors from all around the world!!

I have been spending waaay too much time on there in the past few days and have just signed up - as soon as I get my darned kitchen finished (aaargh!!!) I will be setting up a shop of my own there.
Chris