Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Just Because...

...they are so cute!!!


They are staring down at me next to their empty food bowl at the bottom of the stairs wondering if it's time to eat yet!



I wish the camera flash didn't do that to their eyes. I have to have the flash on or Cinder looks like a cat shaped ink blot on the photo!

Monday, February 8, 2010

A Tiny Bit of Inspiration

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I have started a collection of tiny ball jointed dolls or BJDs. (On the BJD forums, dolls 30cm or less are called "tiny" since BJDs come as large as 70cm.) I purchased my first in October of 2008, and last year added four more to my collection, including this adorable doll which my husband Sean bought me for Christmas.

(Natasha is playing Goldilicks with Slightly's bear and two bears I have made for a friend.)



These posable resin dolls are no ordinary collectible; they are yet another opportunity to exercise my creative muscle! They can be purchased undressed, unpainted, and bald for dressing, painting, and "wigging", like a blank canvas to create a little personality from my own imagination. These little cuties have inspired me in other ways, too.

First, they have inspired me to revisit the world of miniature bear making. In my early years of bear crafting, I wanted to try everything, so I made a handful of miniature bears. As my skills grew, so did my bears, and I find that I enjoy making large armfuls of bear the most. But my little dolls needed bears didn't they? So I got some upholstry velvet, and had another go.

Here is the result!




Chloe and her Teddy



Slightly and her Bear



To give an idea of the size of these little ones as compared to my typical work, here they are posed with my Paddington!



I have also been inspired to try my hand at sculpting my own tiny BJD! This is a big project, and I'll be working on it a little at a time, while I continue to make my bears, so expect periodic updates. Here is what I have so far.

A drawing to serve as a map for the proportion, a cute torso, and an alien head!



A cute baby face.(Where did it go? In my next pictures she looks so different!)


Here the head has been sculpted and hollowed out, and I've started to work on the legs. The legs and torso will be cut into pieces for the jointing, but I thought sculpting them as a whole would help me get the anatomy more accurate.




The final thing that these tiny dolls have inspired me to do will remain a secret for now. The scope of the project is greater than anything I have yet created, but if it comes together as well as I can see it in my mind, it will combine all of my creative passions!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Hello!!!!

I haven't posted in ages, but I've still been making Teddy Bears. I am slowly but surely getting caught up with my orders. Last year, there were always about ten. As soon as I finish a couple, I'd receive a few more orders. Due to challenges outside of my bear business, my work time was diminished greatly, and many collectors waited a long time for their bears. This made me sad, but my collectors have been wonderfully patient, and I am so thankful for this.

Currently, I am working on a pair of bears for a pair of sisters in the UK. One of the bears is finished. One sister collects Teddy Bears and has three of mine already. She has commisioned this special clown bear as a gift for her sister.

Here is Pablo. He is approximately 20" from his ears to his toes, and made of dense alpaca. He is based on a smaller bear I designed a little while ago whose pictures is in my blog header. I hope his new Mum will love him.



He has a little cone hat, and collar made of fabric, ribbon and decorative trim.



This is a nice shot, but what is that gray shadow in the background?



MISSY!!!!