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Posts: 6Hi, I'm a newbie, nice to meet you all!
I have a question:
I've made a few sketches of my own bear designs. Now I want to make patterns based on my own sketches, but I can't get the head right.
The proportions always come out wrong and the head never looks exacly the same as I want it to look.
I've bought a book 101 Bears to Make, but it's not use when it comes to my problem.
Could you please share your head construction and design techniques? Thanks.
Also, do you make your patterns from scratch or drastically alter existing patterns to make your own? Thanks again!
Well, i know when I made an original doll pattern I made 8 heads before I found the one I liked. I would make one, stuff it and start over. I'd re-draw and start again. I don't think there is any other way than trial and error.
Posts: 6Well, i know when I made an original doll pattern I made 8 heads before I found the one I liked. I would make one, stuff it and start over. I'd re-draw and start again. I don't think there is any other way than trial and error.
Thanks for you reply!
Gosh, I think I'm going to die that way LOL
Thank god I'm not trying it on mohair, I'm making them from fleece.
Have you even made your "test pattern", tried it on alternative inexpensive fabrics (like felt, fleece, etc) and it was fine, and when you finally cut it out of mohair and sewed it up it was all wrong?
How much risk is there when transferring a pattern to mohair after it's been tested on other fabrics?
Have you even made your "test pattern", tried it on alternative inexpensive fabrics (like felt, fleece, etc) and it was fine, and when you finally cut it out of mohair and sewed it up it was all wrong?
How much risk is there when transferring a pattern to mohair after it's been tested on other fabrics?
I always make mine from cotton muslin first, and then make it from mohair when I'm sure I have the shape I want. So far, I have never wasted any mohair this way. I think you are fairly safe to use this method. 
One thing I always keep in mind, is the test bear is of the shape only........fur will be added on to it, so to speak. Depending on the type of mohair you use (long versus short for instance) the look could change a bit. But as long as your shape is good, you really can't go wrong! And also, it's often as Jennifer said..........trial and error until you get the shape right. Frustrating sometimes, yes!! 
Best of luck to you with the design stage!! :hug: :hug: Will you share pictures of the finished design? We love pictures!!! 
ToadBriarWhat is fleece - you mean like polar fleece? That stuff is stretchy, but mohair fabric is not -
you will get way different shapes when you stuff a stretchy fabric versus a non-stretchy one.
You can back a stretchy fabric with muslin to make it keep its shape, though.
I hate doing test shapes, I like the surprise of changing things with each pattern and finding out
what makes each bear different....going in directions that give more pleasing results but always
shooting a bit into the dark! But for a couple of projects I needed to recreate living animals in
expensive super-dense mohair, so I did tests in muslin. Muslin's great cos it is cheap and non-stretch!
Drea's BearsI've just started creating patterns from drawings in the last two weeks also. I have to agree with Jennifer and Tracy, it's trial and error untill you find a shape that's pleasing to you. I also am using muslin to work with because it's non-stretch(and everyone else has recommended it!). I have a pile of at least 6 heads now, tweeking the pattern a little at a time so I can watch it's evolution into what it will be as a final product.
I'f you're worried about who it might translate into mohair, try finding the pattern of 1 or more heads that you do like as a finished head in mohair and make them in muslin, then you can see how the look bare ( 
). This way you can compare what your pattern will look like in relation to the ones you already know work well in mohair and the jump into the expensive fabric might not be as scary!.................................I't works for me?!
Good luck!
AndreaM 
Olga,
Everyone so far has made great points. Be especially certain NOT to use a stretch-back fabric because even if you draw a shape that pleases you, you'll never know it due to the stretch that occurs when you stuff.
If you do create in muslin first, keep in mind that there will be a certain length of hair or pile added to that finished silhouette. So your end result, in mohair or synthetic fur, will actually be a bit "fatter" or "puffier" than your muslin prototype. That is, unless you choose to make your final bear in muslin or a non-pile fabric, in which case you're good to go!
After a while -- 10 - 20 bears, probably -- you'll discover a silhouette for side head and gusset pieces that works for you and you'll be able to enjoy creating those pattern piece freehand without muslin prototype, and just seeing what you end up with in mohair the first time out the gate.
Have fun!
OK, I know I don't do designs like most teddy bear artists but I have found over the years the only way to quickly create a 3d head is to do a 3d sketch. Meaning creating a head out of clay. Even if it's small, you can use it for the pattern and just use math to create a larger head. In my former life I used to create toys to go with cartoon/animated movies. I quickly found that 2d sketches are difficult to translate into 3d. Sometimes what the artist has created in 2d was physically impossible to translate into 3d :doh: As long as you know basic pattern construction with a simple clay shape it usually only takes three prototypes for even a difficult design.
Karen
P.S. I always use fur for prototypes.
Karen, I think Kim Basta also uses your method regularly! Isn't it called pattern draping when you overlay tissue or paper towels or fabric or whatever onto a 3D form and then add seamlines and darts to conform to that 3D model?
I don't do this myself but it fascinates me. I also don't work up a prototype in muslin. I just wing it!
What did you do "in your former life" specifically? Interesting!
Isn't it called pattern draping when you overlay tissue or paper towels or fabric or whatever onto a 3D form and then add seamlines and darts to conform to that 3D model?
I have seen that! It is so cool! Good way to make clothing too.
One thing I did that was a pain in the butt: After I made one head I put pins in all the seams an inch apart, then took a measuring tape and measured the distance across the seams so I knew where to make the curves in the gusset. I transferred all my measurements to graph paper and drew a pattern. My only regret is that I didn't take photos of my process! It looked like I was doing brain surgery on this doll head stuck to a pencil with a hundred pins sticking out of it.
fribbles, ltd...Kim was kind enough to give me some pointers using that process, and I must say it has helped IMMENSELY, because I had no previous experience with translating how I wanted the bear to look to the pattern---I just picked interesting shapes and went from there. I highly recommend the way Karen and Kim do it---it is so much easier for me to translate it to 3-D from 2-D.
I never tried to use graph paper for it though!! Wow, Jennifer, I bet that poor clay figure had a heck of an acupuncture treatment by the time you were thru!! =P
Amelia
Posts: 6WOW! Thanks to everyone who replied! So much useful information!
Do bear designers use any pattern construction techniques as clothes pattern designers do? Well you know, like calculating all the measurments, etc?
I got the idea of polar fleece from a Russian bear making Livejournal community. Some people use it for "training" (like first bears), because it's rather cheap and widely available. It is stretchy and sometimes the shape of the head goes strange because of this.
I have a few pieces of stunning mohair, but I'm still afraid to cut it I have to order it from abroad (the US and Australia), so it becomes even more expensive.
Can felt be used instead of muslin? (I don't think I have any muslin in my house, I'll have to do some shopping).
I'm planning to use sparse and ultra sparse mohair. It's going to be a whimsical Japanese style teddy, so this type of fabric suits my sketch the best.
Shelli, nice to see you here too. I've checked your blog, how's your hand? Get well soon!
Thanks again everyone!!! I'll post some pics if I make something worth looking at 
Otherwise I'll have make amigurumi bears.
Melbourne, AustraliaAfter I made one head I put pins in all the seams an inch apart, then took a measuring tape and measured the distance across the seams so I knew where to make the curves in the gusset. I transferred all my measurements to graph paper and drew a pattern. My only regret is that I didn't take photos of my process! It looked like I was doing brain surgery on this doll head stuck to a pencil with a hundred pins sticking out of it.
Sound a bit like VOODOO! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Hi Karen
Can you share how pattern draping is done? It is something I would like to try but ned help in getting started
Hugs
Gail
Drea's BearsHey yeah, some tips on draping would be great, It seems quite logical really to get something 3D from something 3D. I'd love to know more about this!!!! Pretty please 
:pray:
AndreaM
Matilda Huggington-bearehttp://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=11008
http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=2963
http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=8146
The last link is about designing round heads. I hope these help?
Wendy
Winkle BearsI use calico or chinz (spelling?) whichever is cheaper... not sure if thats the same as muslin.
(it's about R13 per metre as opposed to mohair around R300 per metre). 
only thing i dont like about test patterns is that the bear always looks like a hairless animal with some sort of balding disease. LOL.
but when i am happy that the pattern works then i use the mohair and my bears always turn out beautiful.
I find that every bear is unique and it will take time/experimenting to get the shape I want.
I focus on the area i am designing and cut and shape the pattern when I see how or why the last one did not meet my objective.
i find that drawing the sides of the head to the shape you want is the first step. I feel its easier to visualize your bear and then design the gusset focussing on the muzzle. that way i seem to get the shape i desire.
The paper draping sounds like a great idea... never thought of that. just have to work on my clay sculpting skills.
:doh:
Hello! again.....
It's hard to put into words, but I'm going to try to explain a few things about draping. First, there is no right way to do draping. Every artist I have met who uses this technique has a slightly different way of accomplishing it. It, also, depends on how complex your subject is. Of course I chose a very difficult animal, the cat, and my cat head has 12 pieces What makes a piece difficult is how many twists and turns a piece contains. An animal like the cat has a lot of negative spaces (parts of the head/face that curve in and need sharp darts or a whole separate piece)
1) Your clay sculpture does not have to be detailed like the one I show above. A simple basic head shape is all you need with maybe a slight mark where the eyes and ears will be placed. Make it a size you are comfortable with, you can shrink or enlarge the pattern pieces when you're ready to do a test. It's very interesting to see how a 2d drawing translates into a 3d model :pray:
2)This is the point where you have to decide which basic pattern type you want to use? It's usually best to start with a pattern you're familiar with. You're just using this as a guide to how many pieces you're going to trace off of the sculpture. Some artists actually draw lines on the clay sculpture showing the pattern pieces.
3) I then take tracing paper. You can use any light flexible paper. I prefer paper because you can flatten it out and trace a pattern from it more easily than from a fabric. Now here's the tricky part and the reason it takes about 3 prototypes to get your shape; you are going to lay the flat paper pieces over the sculpture and create small folds where there are sharp curves. These folds will be your darts/gussets. Certain pieces like a center nose or back of head will curve slightly but as with most teddy bear patterns, no dart is necessary. If the curve is radical; example the side of my cat's nose, a simple dart won't work. I had to cut a separate piece making my original pattern plan more complex.
4) Now you can lay the tracing paper pieces on some card stock and try your first pattern. REmember the symmetry thing with the paired pieces (unless you're creating an asymmetric pattern) I like to sew the darts/gussets in the pieces first and match them to my clay head (if it's to size) and make sure they are the right shape. Then I'll do the same thing as I add more pieces, matching it to my sculpture. Be patient! It does take several tries no matter how careful you are 
Thank you Karen for sharing this information. I guess one just needs to take the bull by the horns and dive in. I am a visual learner so find pictures a big help
Hugs
Gail
Drea's BearsWow, thanks Karen. I think I'm starting to understand a bit more clearly.......I think!
I'm gonna give it a try, now all I need is the clay!
Thanks again,
AndreaM
Matilda Huggington-beareAbsolutely well detailed tutorial Karen. I'm so glad drawings do it for me. I would hate the tedium of having to make a sculpture of my critter as well.
I have a friend that is going to benefit grately from your explanations. Thankyou!!
Wendy
Just a tip about the sculpture.....If you want it to be life size (the size of your teddy bear head), you can use crumpled aluminum foil as the center to help save on the amount of clay you need.
Wow! Karen that is a great tutorial...
Fascinating process, no wonder your creations are so amazing.
Thanks for sharing :hug:
~
Kathy
Wow, Karen! Thank you for the great tutorial! What type of clay do you like to use for the sculpture?
Ellen
Flying Fur StudiosThanks Karen, you are a true artist!
Can I pattern drape on my live cat? LOL :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: I would love to recreate his face, but I have a feeling he just wouldn't stay still long enough.
Well, since I can sculpt, I say it's about time to try this technique because I dream of sewing detailed animals.
Thanks again!
