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wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

I keep hearing this term "soft sculpture" used a lot since I've started getting into artist bears.  Can someone please explain to me what exactly this term is?

Gantaeno Je Suis Lugly!
Posts: 1,065
Website

I think it's just a posh way of saying 'I sculpt things out of fabric'? bear_tongue

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

Are all teddies soft sculptures?  I think the bears I make would probably laugh if they were called that, lol.

K Pawz Creations K Pawz Creations
Victoria BC
Posts: 33

Great question!
I call my creations soft sculpture firstly because I usually make other animals instead of bears so I needed to find a term to use because it is really hard to call a puppy or cat a Teddy bear. For the most part they are made the same as Teddy bears, as in from a pattern, cut out sewn out of fabric and stuffed with stuffing, but aren't a teddy bear because they are usually a different animal other than a bear.
Secondly in the art sense I use the term soft sculpture because that is what they are, they are a piece of sculpted art to display like you would a sculpted figure from clay, wood, bronze, porcelain etc., just that my medium for sculpting is fabric and stuffing instead of clay or something else traditional for sculpting.
The cool thing with soft sculpture over hard sculpture is that when you get tired of one pose you have it displayed in you can change the pose any time you want bear_original
Does that help?
Hugs
Krista

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

Why would you want them just for display?  What they love is to be squuzzed and cuddled.  I love on my artist bears the same as I do the manufactured ones and I believe they know they're very loved.  It makes me cry when I hear about a bear or critter that is only displayed and never cuddled with *cry, cry, cry*.

kellydean k e l l y d e a n & c o m p a n y
Narrowsburg, New York
Posts: 718
Website

no one ever said they were 'just' displayed, Krista said it was possible to change the way they were displayed.  there are those of us out there who believe a piece can have two functions, and be both cuddled and proudly displayed as a work of art.  I find no dichotomy in this.

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

That's true.

K Pawz Creations K Pawz Creations
Victoria BC
Posts: 33

Thanks Kelly, absolutely! I didn't mean they are just for display, I have hundreds of emails from my collectors who send me picture stories of their creations and their adventures, one lady even sends me videos, but these same people also put them back into a display cabinet when they are done playing with them to protect what they have paid a large chunk of change for from dust, sunlight, pets etc.

Hugs
Krista

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

I don't freak out about them living in a display cabinet when they're not being played with.  I know they have to have a house.  I just feel bad when they're not played with at all.  I heard about a bear someone had from the 80s, not an artist bear, that she kept in a box.  I'm obsessed with 80s bears and I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!  Sorry, I'm weird, I know.

K Pawz Creations K Pawz Creations
Victoria BC
Posts: 33

You're not weird at all! I couldn't imagine a bear or any other animal kept in it's box once it gets to it's new home, they should be out for all the world to see, and to snuggle too of course.
Teddy bears are one of the worlds best comfort givers and none should be left in a box.
Hugs
Krista

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

Oh absolutely.  When I heard about that 80s bear, I wanted to spit.

enchantmentsart Feather Heart Creations
TX
Posts: 419

I call my work Soft Sculpture because it seams to be an easier term for people to under stand LOL When someone see an stuffed animal for $200 they seam to be weirded out but when I call it a soft sculpture it's more "fine art" LOL it's a bit of a mind game if you will ^_^ But I also make "traditional" teddy bears (jointed, hump back, etc) that I just call artist bears.  I use the term soft sculpture for my plush animals that are needle felted or painted in some way.
Here is a good example of one of my soft sculptures, but there are other things that can be called soft sculptures
firegangplauh.jpg

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

Yeah, I see that.  I'm new to artist bears and most people I know don't collect bears, so yeah, I can see where that would work.  I think I could be mildly autistic, though, or either OCD, and I have weird reactions to some words.  Soft sculpture is one of them.  It's like for some reason whenever I hear it I also hear a big diminished chord like they use in movies or something.  It's a really weird thing that I have.

dangerbears Dangerbears
Wisconsin
Posts: 6,021
Website
enchantmentsart wrote:

Here is a good example of one of my soft sculptures

That's a good explanation, Nina. And oh, Jessie! If only you could see this guy. He's one of my favorites of all time - a standing-up dragon in bright orange with white and red. He has fingers and toes, fangs sticking up from his lower jaw, a friendly, innocent kind of face, and his head comes off!  bear_grin (In the last picture he's holding it in one hand!)

Becky

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

His head comes off?  Cool *plays the same diminished chord, which would be very appropriate for a critter when he takes his head off*.

enchantmentsart Feather Heart Creations
TX
Posts: 419

Thanks DangerBears!
He's a dragon goblin creature thing not really what type of animal he would be.
LOL yeah his head comes off because he was a creature from the 80's movie The Labyrinth called a Fire Gang or Firery.  In the movie they could remove their head and legs LOL I used a strong magnet to hold his head in place.

wubbiebear Braille Teddies
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Posts: 671

Aw come on, you're killing me here.  You know I love the 80's.

Gemma82 Wakefield
Posts: 177
Website

Enchantmentsart  - I LOVE that guy!  Labyrinth is my favourite film and he is amazing and perfect!

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