Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
I remember not too long ago there was a Wee Scone that Diane proclaimed to be a horror, and we all immediately fell on him in adoration and yelled at her (in a caring way, obviously!) for hurting his feelings :D. Sadly, I find I am now also coming down with a case of 'Bearmakers Disgust' and I'm having a problem with a new Sloth... I was aiming for the usual Lugly look, but I'm afraid with this girl I just got fugly! :crackup:
So, my question is, what happens to your rejects? Obviously, you try to fix them, but I'm hoping some of you have other tricks and tips: I can't bear to let her loose until she doesn't look like she has goitre any more XD
Please, someone tell me they've had 'monsters' too!
LuxembearsChloe, if you are referring to that picture as a reject 
I think he's lovely just as he is! You are being way to o hard on yourself.
I do understand what you mean about a creation not being quite 'right' though. I made a bear that I just did not love, and nobody wanted her, so I gave her a make over and she ended up making me very proud. 
The bear is Narni. It is worth trying to change a bear or other animal if it does not seem right to you......if nothing else happens then you 'll have extra expeirence and this is what can lead to new discoveries....that is what happened to me. 
Back Road BearsI have a bear who is now 4 years old and after many face lifts I've accepted the fact that she's a bear not even her mother could love. She sits in a cabinet, shoved back in a corner... I know she's there... and she's a reminder of what techniques I am NOT good at... eyelids for one... making girl bears for another! I can't just throw her away. That would be cruel! But I'm too embarrassed by her appearance to let her be seen in public. So you don't get to see her.
I'm thinking she'll be good for practice when I finally get up the courage to try airbrushing.
Posts: 51I have a box full of not so good looking bears and when people visit and see any in the box that they like I force them to take it along because I just can't throw them away but they are not worth keeping or selling. otherwise we have a dog who likes to have some toys... :redface:
Thanks Judi... she's not so good in real life XD Maybe you can see it better here?
Her neck is very bulgy to me... 
And I seriously need some magic advice for eyelids: my sloths eyes never seem 'set', and this girl has eyes that bulge out of her head: not a happy sloth! I liked her too, at first, but now she TAUNTS ME with her presence 
I really like your bear Narni, can't believe she was a mistake!
Daphne, I'm glad to know you share my frustrations! Could you bear to let a photo of her on the internet? I too cannot throw her away, but still, I'd like a solution! Maybe it'll just be patience, like everything else... 
puca bearsChloe - don't despair...........I have a reject grizzly/teletubby who has been consigned to a plastic bag (so I don't feel guilty) - one of these days I'll fish him out and take another look...........and then decide whether or not he can be rescued or just become a dog/cat toy (and our house has quite a few mohair pet toys!)
It happens - it's all part of the learning process............
big huggies
Maria
LuxembearsI'm thinking she'll be good for practice when I finally get up the courage to try airbrushing.
Perfect Daphne!!....then you'll love her and post her picture here
LuxembearsOh my GOSH!!! "fugly" that is hilarious....I haven't heard that word for years :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: Use your imagination :crackup:
LuxembearsChloe, do you have a close up you could post of your sloths face?
Wouldn't it be cool to have "Rescue Party" where we could bring all of our 'rejects' and give them all make overs. I bet we could come up with some great ideas by putting our artist heads together hhhhhhmmmmmmm......
Back Road BearsChloe - could you needlefelt a face on? Take out her eyes, felt over the whole face area, give her some eye sockets so your eyes look more set....??? I've never needlefelted an entire face on so I have no idea how it would work but just tossing out the idea. Also, and I HATE doing this sort of thing... but you COULD redo that neck piece that bothers you. I know, you'd have to unstuff, undo the joint, etc. but it's an option. At least if you do something with her face so you are happy first.... perhaps the neck won't bother you then.
Judi - no, you will never see Helga the Horrible!! She looks like she had a sex change operation that went bad.
Thanks Maria, wow, you clearly have pets with class Mohair toys, eh?
Cheers Bren, Mafia Sloth eh? That'd be the slowest high-speed chase ever XD
To paraphrase the ever-prevalent Justin Timberlake, "I'm bringing fugly back!" :crackup: Also enjoying 'Wugly', which is when you 'walk ugly to avoid the attentions of an unattractive man XD Here's a close-up Judi... even worse in full profile you see! Sorry it's so dark, but England is not very knid for light at the moment (and it adds to that lovely 'Frankensteins Monster' feel )
OMG (an idea forms, with potentially disastrous consequences) We should have a 'repair bear' swap! lol, give each other our rubbish bears to work on XD :crackup:
Oooh Daphne, I know I should just rip out the neck and start again... I'm too lazy XD I'll do it eventually, but it seems so much easier to just forget, or work on a newbie. I'd like to be able to structure their faces a little more too 
Maybe I'll save up for Judi's class next
Hi Chloe....I agree with Daphne....grab your needle felting needle and add more face and bigger eyelids...she really isn't that bad.....tho she did make me chuckle with her slightly tipsy expression!
Lynne :hug:
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsOMG (an idea forms, with potentially disastrous consequences) We should have a 'repair bear' swap! lol, give each other our rubbish bears to work on XD :crackup:
My doll club did something like this...we called it a UFO (UnFinished Object) swap! And Connie B and I did one too. I had started a bear to add to my own collection. It was started with a wonderful Jane Perela pattern and I just never finished it. It was in a box for years, because I didn't like the way the head looked stuffed--it didn't look like the pattern picture. Connie also had started a bear on all fours from a purchased pattern and never finished it. So we switched and she made the Jane Perela bear look wonderful, and I just love the little bear on all fours that I finished. It is a really fun swap!
About your sloth... and Diane's bear...The situation reminds me of a book I was reading recently about teaching children to draw. The author spoke of how when a child is drawing and has made something they don't like, we adults try to talk them into liking it. We tell them we think it is wonderful and make a big deal over it. I think we do this to one another too, because we want to be possitive and encouraging or even because, inspite of the creators opinion WE do like the creation. But this author suggested that this is doing the young artist a disservice because it is robbing them of a learning opportunity. Instead we should allow them the freedom to dislike their work and perhaps say something like, "What would you like to change about it?" Thus giving them the chance to do some critical thinking and problem solving.
So, even though I personally like your sloth, I will take the art teacher stance and ask, "What would you like to change about it?" 
Another thing to think about is there are times when a project is not going as planned, but if you push through a bad stage you will often be pleasantly surprised with the result. Then of course there are times when you, as the experienced artist know a project is going nowhere so you put it aside and move onto something else!
Posts: 2,203I think he is cute!
I think you're right Tami The problem is, I think the mohair I used is just too straight and short for my sloth patterns: the joints are all exposed... hmmm. I don't know though, Naira was made with a similar length mohair, and she turned out alright!
Well, maybe the 'unfinished bear' swap isn't as mad as it sounds! Did you keep the bear you improved?
Thanks Jenn! Ruddy neck... 
"a bear by kim":crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
i hide mine!!!!!!
i wont tell you shes great because at the end of the day, its your opinion that matters. i stuff them away and try to forget about them otherwise they haunt me and i spend far too long trying to fix unfixable problems!
LuxembearsHelga the Horrible!!! You crack me up!! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Chloe, Like Daphne said, I would build up the face with felting. Gotta run for now...will be back to chat more with you ladies ( and Gents) later today. :hug:
Hey there Chloe,
How's it going?
I think that this new sloth is cute too. 
I know what you mean about the eyes bulging out a little, with no hair on the face I guess it seems even more noticeable. Building up the needlefelting seems like a good plan but never having done it myself I'm not sure how much extra work this would entail. On my latest project I've actually set the eyes into the face in an attempt to make them look more natural. Err, not sure how sucessful I've been this though, time will tell. lol!
As for my rejects, well there haven't been any (....... yet!) I can bring myself to reject anything, it would be like giving up on one of my children. Though having said that I do feel like getting rid of one or both my (real) kids every now and again. :crackup:
Regards
Lisa
Ok,
I'm tough. I refuse to store any guys I don't like, they would haunt me 
I do what I call a headectomy; I pop the head off, salvage what I can; i.e. eyes, ears, nose. Then I start over with a new head. Since it's almost always the head/face that goes wrong that's enough to get me started again.
Karen
P.S. But I agree, I would LOVE that Sloth
Newcastle, OntarioHmmmmm ....interesting question. What do I do with my rejects? I put them up for sale and they usually end up going faster than some of the ones I like. No kidding - when I'm really unhappy with a piece, I will leave it a few days, try and fix it as best I can, and then bite the bullet and sell it
Years ago, I supplied a shop with soft toys and I made a mouse that I thought was the ugliest one I had ever made. I even put a brown paper bag over it's head, on the way to the shop - I couldn't stand it. The silly thing sold before I left the shop! So, I don't hang on to my rejects - they go up for sale as fast as possible, so I don't have to look at them. I don't keep the ones I make that I fall in love with so why would I want to look at rejects. :crackup: :crackup:
hugs,
Brenda
YorkshireChloe, I really like fugleys face, theres a softness to it.
As for the big question where all reject go .............................. send them to me, I would love them! As I mentioned to one TTer, I am quite happy to be the TT Official Bear Bin!
Have a break for a bit and take a fresh look again in a few days.
Hugs Ali x
Awww you're all so lovely I love my TT pick-me-ups, almost as good as chocolate! I was expectingy lots of "I NEVER make mistakes!" lol
Do you think if I did a little selective needle sculpting it might pull in the neck bulge a bit? I've never really tried it before... I'm going to have a go at more complex eyelids though :)
Heya Lisa, I'm pretty good except for my recent deluge of exams! Shouldn't be on here now really! I really can't throw her away or anything, but she's annoying me XD
Karen, I'm picturing a bucket of eyeless, earless, mouthless heads next to your work area XD I should really just re-do the neck but ack, I'm lazy
Brenda, obviously your mouse was pretty ok! Maybe the buyer thought it was 'intentional ugly ' 
I might go for that with this one
Ali, I agree! Lets you and me set up an 'Unwanted (or misused!) Bear Sanctuary for Teddies!
Matilda Huggington-beareChloe, I rescue what is working on the critter and redo what isn't working. With the critter I am working on at the moment I made an entirely new body. And am now really happy with her.
I have a basket full of rejected body parts that at times I go through and recycle the hardware.
WEndy
