Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store

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Cape Town
Posts: 13

pittapatta Apr 10, 2012

I simply love the bears I have seen with the shading of the fur around the eyes and nose. It makes them look so soulful, which as a lover of Labradors is a look that melts my heart.
I would love to know what it is that is used to create this effect if anyone out there would care to share that with me?

South Australia
Posts: 305

Tatty Bears Apr 10, 2012

Look in the Library under shading there is lots of help there. bear_thumb

Cape Town
Posts: 13

pittapatta Apr 10, 2012

Thanks so much Sheree, Once I got to actually looking around the site bear_wacko I did pick up on that! What I need to do now is find out what the equivalent of the trade brands that are mentioned, such as Prisma, out here in Africa. I have already seen lots of topics to investigate, like leather noses, oh, and hosts of other things!

desertmountainbear
Bloomsburg, PA
Posts: 5,399

desertmountainbear Apr 10, 2012

I do use pens such as Prismacolor when shading. But what I use the most is acrylic paint. I water it down and dry brush it on. Work slowly and build up the color you want. I use a stiff brush when applying. I cut the tops of some of the brushes off to help give me just the right brush to work with. I would experiment with an old piece of mohair or fur that you are using. Acrylic paint needs to be set with heat. So I use a hot blow dryer on it when it is dry. I keep the dryer moving so as not to scorch the fur.

If you use markers, go to the art supply store if you can. The reason I say to go to the store is that I have found that many marker colors are too red or orange when applied. You do not see that until you actually use it. I try to look now for the cooler colors. But maybe not all brands are the same.

Whatever you use do some research and find out what brands hold up well over time. Some brands of paint and marker are not as light fast as others.

Hope this helps,
Joanne

Cape Town
Posts: 13

pittapatta Apr 10, 2012

It does indeed, Joanne, and I have in the meantime read a very interesting post about marker colours and fastness to light. I have contacted Prisma to find out if I will be able to get their markers here, but will also try the acrylic paint, and I believe gouache works as well.
I am going to be spending a lot of time going through all the various posts, probably back for a number of years, so that should keep me busy for a while!! bear_happy

florida
Posts: 321

HeidiBears Apr 10, 2012

Yep I use Prisma markers to shade my bears too bear_thumb , although I find that they aren't really good for shading huge areas because then the fur feels kind of sticky. I've never tried acrylic paints on my bears... wouldn't that make the fur hard?

desertmountainbear
Bloomsburg, PA
Posts: 5,399

desertmountainbear Apr 10, 2012

I do not ever shade large areas with acrylic paint, although many artists do with an airbrush. I use the Folk Art pure pigment paints, they are very concentrated color. I dilute them down with water and use a dry brush. I have even used them to add lighter color to dark fur, (inner ears for example,) I brush the paint after it is dry. I have not had it go hard on me. I think it is because I dilute the paint.

Joanne

florida
Posts: 321

HeidiBears Apr 11, 2012

Very cool, thank you for sharing that tip with us Joanne! :hug:

Melbourne
Posts: 694
Website

karenaus Apr 11, 2012

I'd say your bear supply places in South Africa will stock pencils/markers etc for shading with. Of course in time you'll probably want to experiment with other things, but for a starter, I'd say they will be able to supply what you need.

South Australia
Posts: 305

Tatty Bears Apr 11, 2012

Don't forget to try art supplies store for the Prismacolors too.

ATALIA BEAR STUDIO
Bloemfontein
Posts: 1
Website

atalia Jun 15, 2012

Hi,
You can try oils, Copic pen- Honeydewbears will have last one and airbrushing tools, visit their site, I sure someone have shop in CapeTown.

pittapatta wrote:

I simply love the bears I have seen with the shading of the fur around the eyes and nose. It makes them look so soulful, which as a lover of Labradors is a look that melts my heart.
I would love to know what it is that is used to create this effect if anyone out there would care to share that with me?