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I just finished a bear today... the third I've made from a large yardage of ivory mohair.
When I finished and was editing SCUFFERS' photos, it occurred to me to look back at the photos of the two prior bears I made from this mohair. When I did, it really struck me how the smallest of details -- like eye placement, ear placement, colors used to shade, colors used to finish/accessorize, eye color, nose color, pad type and color, and all of those little things that go into bearmaking -- can really make a difference in how a particular bear turns out.
These three bears were made from mostly different patterns, although the middle and right side one have the exact same three head pattern pieces. But I don't think that's what really explains how different they are.
This isn't the first time I've thought about how unlike (some kinds of) doll making our bearmaking hobby really is, since in (some) dollmaking, molds can be used to more or less define the features of a series of dolls in a very concrete, unchangeable, similar way.
I've often thought bearmaking was defined by the tiniest of little stitches here or there, the slightest difference in eye placement, the littlest change of shading, which -- if just a smidge "off" from where they were put down on the bear before -- can completely change the look of a bear.
Anyone else have photos of bears they've made in a series, or several bears made from one piece of mohair, that they'd like to share, that might illustrate how these guys we love to create inevitably turn out so completely different from one another... even when in many ways, they are the same? I'd surely love to see.
Doncha just love making teddy bears? It's this very stuff that makes it the best kind of creative, rewarding, exciting (even), fun!
These bruins of mine are: PRECIOUS, SCRUFFERS, and FAE
Delartful BearsOh wow, Scruffers is my fav in that photo! Such different little beings there Shelli!
I only have two example of bears made from the same mohair
Great topic, looking forward to seeing more photos!
Danni
Hey, I recognize the bottom one from your avatar!
That's exactly what I mean, Danni... the bear on top has a more rectangular nose and what appears to be charcoal shading, and the bottom one has a more shield-shaped nose with shades of brown on the muzzle. He's also looking up a bit more, and has his chest (or tummy!) more proudly pooched out. So very much the same... but very different indeed.
Do I sound like a blathering idiot? I just think this is totally fascinating.
DoodlebearsThese are two bears that I made from the same mohair. Their names are Rosalie and Precious. Both of these bears are made from the same pattern but as you can see I have placed their eyes differently, Rosalie has eye patches and plain pink pads whereas Precious has flowers embroidered on her white pads.
Jane.
Just Us Bears
I made five of these Holly's...four of their owners were coming to a bear day I went to so I asked would they mind bringing their bears so I could take a photo. The one second from the left was the first one and she was gone before I got to make the others, and I had forgotten to write down eye size etc. So although I thought the others were the same as her, when they were side by side, the first really stood out as being quite different. The last 4 were all almost identical because I kept the previous bear to copy.
These are same fabric, different bears! I like to use the same fabric and see where it takes me ...
Hmmn, that's odd ... where's the photo upload button gone?
Found it!
Here we go:
Why won't it let me send more than one pic at a time?
Having my troubles today!
Okay - so where's my pic gone now ...
Is it me, or does the forum have attitude today??? :P
So, now I've sent the wrong pic up and can't bring it back down. Ho hum. Anyway, as you see, first bear of edition is above and third bear of edition is grinning from the left ... same pattern, same bear, individual characteristics though! Funny thing is, 2nd, 3rd and fourth bear are like peas in a pod ... not that the forum will let me show you that here today!!!
Posts: 8,574Oh You guys! What a fun thing for a Saturday morning!
Thank you
Shelli- your babies are precious
Danni- ditto-so cute so huggely
Jane- I embroider my paw pads too- very cute and lucious colors!~
Hayley-How cute- congratulations! They are wonderful
Paula- wonderful and I love that you have them outside for the pics..Your avatar bear is too wnderful
you guys are just going to spoil us with all these wonderful photos
Past Time BearsOh my goodness, ladies . . . all of those beary examples are absolutely WONDERFUL!! A great demonstration of Shelli's original topic! My twist is making up the same pattern in different mohairs. I made 5 bears using the very same design, but using 5 different fabrics from Intercal. This was a long time ago! They still have the examples posted on their site, however. You can click on http://www.intercaltg.com/special/8.html and see them. Even though I made them myself, they all look different to me because of the mohair.
LuxembearsSuper pictures ladies! This happens to me a lot...I don't have photos to share at this moment...too tired from vavcation but just had to comment.
I am sure you all can relate to my saying that I just cannot duplicate a bear. They all take on a different personality even with the same design and mohair. SOmetimes when I am reluctant to sell a bear, a buyer will say, "Oh, you can make another one"...... but it just does not happen that way.:rolleyes:
Look at your children....they come from the same 'makers' and have very close similarities but they are still different.
Posts: 8,574
hey I can play too!
Yep! same mohair totally different look 
:lol::lol:
Absolutely, Dilu! And that's why, when I referred to dollmaking, I said "some" with intent... because people who do OOAK hand sculpts or work with cloth dolls have, I'd imagine, the same experience we bearmakers have, with just the slightest millimeter of difference really changing EVERYTHING, from expression and mood, to head position, posture, and attitude.
Your pictures are all terrific and your bears so cute and superb. I love any topic that gets people to show off their bears! I can't get enough of them. Yes, I am a geek. A bear geek.
Hayley, I've gotta ask... did you mark eye placement and nose placement points on your pattern, and points for the embroiderly floss to enter/exit for the mouth stitching, on your patterns? You're right... the three bears DO look a lot alike, and the other one, less so.
Or did you just compare, compare, compare with the example you kept on hand?
For me, it's very like what Judi said; I do each bear on a lark from my heart as I'm inspired, so when people say, "Of course you could remake it!" I tell them, "Honestly, I really don't think I could, even if my life depended on it. There's just no way to do it without precise guidelines."
Once in a while I toy with the idea of doing a very small (maybe 3 bears) edition and haven't even tried yet because I seriously don't think I could replicate my work.
Past Time BearsThat's precisely the reason I quit making small editions . . . I simply cannot clone a bear either - no matter how hard I try. I also have come to the conclusion that I don't like to duplicate bears at all! So it's all OOAK these days and probably forever!! 
Posts: 8,574Does anyone know how they do it? You read in the mags, limited edition of 10 or something....and I always wonder, how do they do this the same over and over....
I have tried and am not able to do it....Viva La differance
Dilu
PS Thanks Shelli !
I am playing around with a 5 piece head and am really jazzed with the shape I am getting, plus it allows me to have big old honking noses. I really love noses!
Shelli Geek Shelli Geek hmmmmm :rolleyes:
Bargeek ( no the German might be misunderstood without the umlat)
Geekbear.....hmmmmmm nope :P
I'm sorry Shelli, my dear, I just can't get geek to fit with Shelli
But you are special and talanted and obsessed... and beautiful
Yeahh that fits a wholelot better :)
Dilu
Posts: 8,574We could have a challange.....
Or intercal could have a contest and the winner gets a yard of mohair! :lol::lol::lol:
Three bears as exactly alike as possible using a specific mohair they need to get used up....hmmmmm
I guess its a good thing they don't listen to me :D
Actually this is very common in the quilting world.....The mags and stores do challanges all the time
Delartful BearsI am starting to think of not acepting orders. People always say, I want one like..so and so.....
When I try to make one similar, I NEVER can... They always look completly different, and I think it has to do with the needle sculpting I do....
Gerat photos everyone, Shelli this is a fantastic topic!
Danni
Rufnut Teddy'sGreat Topic, and photos.
I get requests to also make the same bear over, and always tell people, its hard to make the same bear over. I will not guarantee to them that it will be the same. I would prefer to give them something unique to be fair to the person who owns the original one.
Posts: 8,574There you go
Karen has the answer....Artiste bears one of a kind....maybe when Marion comes back she can write it in French.
People seem to like things in Fancy Francoise
di
Just Us BearsShelli,
I didn't mark anything on the pattern, I just made sure I didn't offer the previous bear for sale until I had completed the next one. I was really surprised with how similar I managed to get them. As I said, I had already sold the first and she was gone before I decided to make her an edition of five...and it only came about because when I offered the first bear for sale, five people wanted her...that was before I knew about ebay. So I told these people that I couldn't guarentee the bears would be the same, and didn't accept any deposit from any of them until they had seen the finished bear and decided they still wanted it.
I was floored when number two and three looked like twins, and even more surprised when four and five were really close copies too. I did find little details like stuffing made a difference and I had to copy the amount and distribution from the previous bear. Even eye placement and depth of socket sculpting...I'd think it looked about right, then grab the other bear to see that just a few mm out competely changed the face. With the noses, I used a template for them all...but once again couldn't remember which size I'd used on the first one (I write everything down now!) and with the mouth...I always line the edges of my mouth up with the edge of the nose..so it was just a depth thing, which was pretty easy to eyeball. What did I learn from doing an edition of five bears? I will NEVER do that again! NEVER! I almost killed my interest in bearmaking because I got so depressed knowing that my next bear was going to be exactly the same and the one before, and the next, and the next. And I had nothing new to show on my website during the three months it took me to make them all...because people would just think it was the same bear and they were spoken for anyway.
I was at a stage in my bearmaking where I had only made two or three bears from my own patterns and I was desperate to make something different and try new things. My suggestion for anyone thinking of doing a small edition, is to actually make two bears the same BEFORE you decide if you really WANT to make X more. Nothing kills a passion faster than being tied to something that resembles a chore!
Past Time BearsVERY well said, Hayley!!
Posts: 1,153I have really enjoyed this thread and I hope it keeps going....thanks Shelli for starting it.
When I was into making original porcelain dolls and shops started carrying them...dummy me, made editions of 100. By the time I was done, I was down to editions of 5.
I learned VERY fast that....'when something is expected of you, it ceases to be fun'
I feel like this is ART not a SCIENCE...and I get requests to make something twice and I hate it.
If I do decide to do one (price being the determining factor for me)...I make sure they know it may look better or it may look worse....but it will NEVER look the same.
I have to tell you , you girls do fantastic work. I really love to see the pics everyone displays.
Nanc........
Luxembears
Hi Guys. Here are two bears made from the exact mohair except for the paw pads. They look very different from each other. On Nod you cannot see the glitter in his brown eyes but they do sparkle in 'bearson'.
Kiprie BearsHi Judi & Everyone,
Sorry I just jump in here too.
I don't have any pics to share but everyones bears are soooooooo gorgeous ! !!!!!!!
You girls are SUPER ! :lol:
Judi, Nod & Winken are so adorable babies!!!!!
Hugs/Marie
