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Posts: 4Hi! I have searched up, down and all over the internet to try to figure out the answer to my question but have yet to come up with an answer. Also, I have never made a teddy bear before but I have been interested for quite some ...
My question is where to find or how to make fur that is similar to the Charlie Bear fur. I know it is long pile but does anyone know how it is that the bears are able to have dark shading under their eyes or multi-shaded fur or muzzles that are lighter or darker than the rest of the fur on the face? I don't know if I am even describing this right because like I said, I am new to this and new to sewing in general. Does anyone know how to achieve this look or is this only possible because these are manufactured bears and not handmade? 
Thanks!
EDIT: To add reference, BearBottoms also uses a technique similar to what I am talking about: http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=38933
Posts: 102Hi dolly!
I'm not sure what you mean. There are realistic furs with different colored tips, so when you shorten the hair on the muzzle it has another (mostly lighter) colour.
The bear in your link was painted around the nose and eyes. I like to use acrylic paints for shadings like this. You can read more about it in the library.
I hope this was at least a little helpful. 
Past Time BearsHello, Dolly (couldn't resist) . . . check out this topic in our library to see if it helps with your question. Many of us use permanent markers, paint, or other shading supplies to get the effects you're talking about. http://www.teddy-talk.com/search.php?ac … y&tag_id=2
Elli and Sue Ann are right. The Bear Bottoms bear is a great example of expertly done shading. In addition, many Charlie bears are made with a "tipped" fur (as Elli describes). Here's a photo to illustrate what happens when that kind of fur is trimmed:
Becky
Posts: 4Hi dolly!
I'm not sure what you mean. There are realistic furs with different colored tips, so when you shorten the hair on the muzzle it has another (mostly lighter) colour.
Thank you for your response, Elli!
I'm sorry! I think I should have provided another example.
Here are a couple examples of what I meant: 
Notice the white color around the eyes and muzzle? I am wondering if perhaps because it's a bigger company, fur was specifically designed for those particular bears but I was wondering how to achieve the same look.
and
How the eyes have dark fur underneath. I was also wondering if perhaps dark fur was cut and sown under the eyes to achieve that look. Hmm.
Do acrylics fade over time?
Posts: 4Hello, Dolly (couldn't resist) . . . check out this topic in our library to see if it helps with your question. Many of us use permanent markers, paint, or other shading supplies to get the effects you're talking about. http://www.teddy-talk.com/search.php?ac … y&tag_id=2
Haha! 
Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.
Posts: 4Elli and Sue Ann are right. The Bear Bottoms bear is a great example of expertly done shading. In addition, many Charlie bears are made with a "tipped" fur (as Elli describes). Here's a photo to illustrate what happens when that kind of fur is trimmed:
http://www.teddy-talk.com/img/members/2 … _corey.jpg
Becky
Tipped fur! Now I hadn't even really thought about it that way. It does make sense! Thanks! What about for things like the dark patches under the eye? I posted an example of what I mean a few replies above. I am wondering if the fur is just cut and sewn under the eye or if it's been airbrushed or painted to look that way ... or if maybe since it's a big company, they can afford to have the fur created especially for each bear. LOL 
I just love the way the dark fur makes the eyes more expressive and gives them depth and I've seen a lot of teddy bear artists use that look.
Posts: 102Ok now I understand, dolly! 
You are right, the company used different furs, the white face and dark eye patches are just sewn in. Both bears have a dark shade over the nose, that was painted.
Some paints fade quite fast, others doesn't, depending on the quality. I never had problems with fading, but I started useing paints only a few years ago and always keep my plushies out of the sunlight.
Dolli, you can also use painting-shading to do the eye patches. This is the technique I use to do panda patches, or raccoon patches. I did a tutorial on my blog some time ago:
Eye patches tutorial
I now use watered down acrylics instead of pastels, you can use many different mediums.
OK - Yes, in the two examples you posted, it looks like Charlie Bears has used different-colored fur for the muzzle (first pic) and the eye patches. In other words, they cut out separate pieces of fur in those colors and then pieced the bears together.
Charlie Bears may indeed have fur that is made especially for them, but they make their bears in the same way as anyone else. It's not as if they take one piece of fur and stuff it and voila - a teddy-bear head! My bears, for example, usually consist of 23 separate pieces of fabric - more if I've made a contrasting muzzle or other special feature. Manufactured bears - even the cheapest ones - are still cut out and sewn by somebody, so the principles still apply.
Are you feeling inspired to make a bear yourself, Dolly?
Becky
