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I have a question...this is serious even though it may sound stupid! I have been very despondent as of late because of several things in my life...no excuse I know and I am working on it. Here is the question. I made my bear with a sorrowful look on his face on purpose but do you think I should make my bears look happy? I have always been kind of drawn to the frowny bears myself...But, for others should I make them more happy???
Also, how about the Elephants...do they have mouths under their big trunks???
As a collector, I like my bears to be frowny but I'm sure lots of people like happy bears! Why not have a go at a happy bear and see what you think?
I have a question...this is serious even though it may sound stupid! I have been very despondent as of late because of several things in my life...no excuse I know and I am working on it. Here is the question. I made my bear with a sorrowful look on his face on purpose but do you think I should make my bears look happy? I have always been kind of drawn to the frowny bears myself...But, for others should I make them more happy???
I have to say I don't know what you're asking here -- to me, no teddy bear has ever looked sad. Some look stern, even arrogant, but never sad. They seem to default to looking "happyy" to me -- and with most teddy bear "expressions", I think that part of their charm is making them look natural; adding a smile to them might give him a personality that was unintended.
For example, of the artist teddy bears I have, their "happiness" is determined by how their eyes twinkle, the shape of their nose, the shape of their head, etc. To add a deliberate smile might serve to augment that, or it might not.
But the question you're asking is one only you can answer -- if adding a deliberate smile to your bears to really enforce they're happy -- and if that in turn makes you happy, then you should do it -- there will always be people who like it -- so that shouldn't be a problem. :)
Also, how about the Elephants...do they have mouths under their big trunks???
Yes -- they do. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Thank you for the quick replies...I guess what I see in my bears is "oh, I am so sorry, let me give you a hug!" I was looking at all the beautiful bears and most of them seem to have that type of look. The one that I really think looks happy, without a forced smile, is the Bramblewoodbears. I may have a go at one like that. Next I want to make my sitting elephant so I am sure I will have a lot of questions about her. I am waiting for some grey mohair to arrive!
Some of my favorite cats have sorrowful expressions and apparently collectors do like them. I think serious collectors have radar that tells them if a piece is from the heart or is just a piece that an artist tried to make look cute.
Karen
KJ Lyons Design
I love your cat. She looks like she is searching your soul...
Bubble Up Bears!Lenora,
Have you seen the sad clown paintings from long ago? I'm sure you have. Sad does appeal to collectors of bears as well as happy ones. Just depends on the collector as you can see here. I'm more drawn to the sad unhappy look because I think they need a home. 
Artist such as yourself have always made from their heart and what's inside of them. Even if it is sad.
Look at some Van Gogh paintings.
I hope you are feeling better soon.
Back Road BearsLenora,
You have to make what comes from with in YOU!!! Don't worry about what others do... create your own bears! Some artists can pull off "happy" quite well. Others do sad well. (And oh yes, there ARE sad, pitiful, woe-is-me type bears!!!) Every collector has different tastes. Every artist has a different style. There is no right or wrong. I'm a firm believer that there's a collector out there for just about every style of bear! Create from your heart, create with quality and a style all your own... it is those creations that will do best for you.
At a show just today a collector complemented me on having my own style and observed that the love and passion I have for what I do showed in the quality and details of my work. She noted that it's often easy to tell the folks who are just in this to make money or are trying to make what they think people want or are doing what they've seen other artists do, not creating from the heart. Collectors see this! It was a powerful observation!
As for elephants having mouths: Real ones do of course. Someone else here says they do. My elephants don't have mouths at all and sell very well!!! My point: it's personal preference and individual interpretation. If you want the elephant YOU make to have a mouth then give it one. It's YOUR creation, it must be what YOU want it to be! Not what anyone else says!
You need to experiment.... try things... find what YOU like... seek out the creator in you... use your imagination...pour your heart into your work.... trust yourself... be willing to take risks... do your own thing... these are the things an artist is made of.
Thank you so much for the advice. I realize that you are 100% correct. I do have to create what is inside just as I have with my other arts. My favorite doll of all times that I made was "Aunt Bessie". She is a maiden aunt of advanced years with grey hair, hooked nose and glasses. I still have her and I love her more than all the beautiful ones I have made...
PennsylvaniaMelanie and I prefer happy looking Bears. But, just because a Bear doesn't have an upturned mouth it doesn't mean he's sad.
A Bear can look pensive. A Bear can look soulful. A Bear can look dignified. A Bear can look inquisitive. A Bear can have a hundred different looks. A Bear doesn't always have to be cheerful.
The first mistake people make is to think that Bears are always "Sunshine and Lollipops." Teddy Bears are very serious things! They can have the whole range of emotions that people can have. They can even be angry! Yes, the Bears here do get angry!
It all boils down to something I said before. Teddy Bears are perfect mirrors for their human's emotions. Whatever the human feels, the Bear can feel too.
Sometimes it is empathy. If you feel sad, your Bear feels sad for you. If his human isn't happy, the Bear won't be happy either.
Sometimes the Bear takes on emotions in place of the human. The Bear is a surrogate for your emotions. If I come home from work and my wife isn't feeling well, she'll hold up a Bear and say, "The Bear isn't happy!" It's a way for us to express emotions we're not comfortable with.
Sometimes, when we see a sad looking Bear we don't feel as sad, ourselves. It's good to know that you're not alone in your sadness. The human and the Bear commiserate together. It's like the Bear takes a little bit of the load off.
Here's a funny thing. Even Bears made from the exact same pattern can look different at different times.
We have several duplicate Bears living in this den with us. Even commercially made Bears are not identical. Hold them up together and look closely. You will see that there are minute differences in their faces. It is those differences that make every Bear unique. Moreover, they provide a perfect canvass for a human to project their emotions. Those minute differences are interpreted differently every time a human looks at that Bear. Even the same Bear can look different at different times, based on how the human feels when looking at the Bear.
The best thing to do when making a Bear is not to try to make the Bear look a certain way. Just make him look the way that looks best to you at the time. If you are feeling happy, make the Bear happy. If you aren't feeling so happy, make a pensive Bear. Sometimes you'll make a dignified looking Bear. Other times you'll make a thoughtful looking Bear. It all depends.
Try talking to the Bear. Ask him (or her) how he feels. Make the Bear's look accordingly.
You don't have to make every Bear look exactly alike. After all, no two people are exactly alike. Who said Bears should all be identical twins? That would be boring!
You are the Bear maker. It's your art. You have the right to do whatever you want so make the Bears the way you like them best! 
Bear-HandsHI Lenora
as a bear artist i dont normally plan my bears faces they just seam to happen and i think that is the key, not many artists i think (i could be wrong) really plan a face they just appear ......god now whose sounds like they have lost it lol
just go with the flow bear hugs susan x
The Littlest ThistleWell I just looked, and all my bears are smiling, that is, all the ones I've made. Oh well, I've been called relentlessly cheerful before 
I don't know why I thought you had to make a pattern and "make" a face and plan the whole thing. My dolls were never that way. I always talked to them and didn't know what they would look like until they "told" me. Even boy or girl they "told" me. I promise my next bear will tell me who he is as we go along and I won't worry so much about how to make him as just let him come alive! I guess I was just so nervous as first...
Posts: 28As a collector I'd buy a sad looking bear. I'd figure that when I'm suffering with bouts of depression the bear and I could be sad together. Support each other. That sort of thing.
I like em' happy and sad. All sorts of expressions are fine by me.
I'll have to check all the bears in my collection and see what I think. But, perhaps I think differently according to my mood?
EJ's CraftsI haven't been on in here in a while because of a big show I was doing. (18 days). It was a great show.
Lenora, like everyone has said before, each bear is so different and they will tell you what he/she should look like as you do them. Just go with the flow and they will all turn out like they are suppose too. Good luck with your ellie.
Thanks Eva...
PennsylvaniaI don't know why I thought you had to make a pattern and "make" a face and plan the whole thing.
That's because you are a very careful and fastidious Bearmaker. :)
You always want to make the best looking Bears that you can. You want to make Bears you can always be proud of.
This is a very good quality for a Bearmaker to have!
All the Bears in this den think that is a very admirable quality in a Bearmaker.
Honey Valley BearsHi Lenora
This is what I believe about teddy bears that we make. Each one has there own personality. They will be made the way they want to. I did a teddy bear for a show on Sunday and no matter what I tried to do this bear just looked grumpy. He just wouldn't be a happy little bear. Suprise, most people that passed my table at the show picked him up and loved him. He was just out of budget. I had one lady come back 4 times and each time she went right to him. Don't fight what your bears want to be. I think a lot of it has to do with how we are feeling at the time that we make them. And lets face it if we are a total mess we wouldn't be working on the bear in the first place. But let your emotions flow into the bear, very good for each of us. And most collectors will love the bears, it may not be the bear for them, but it will be the bear for someone out there.
Hugs
Amber
I have learned that bears are very emotional...and, so are their owners!
