Friends of Teddy

The Friends of Teddy online show is still open and if you have not had a chance to stop by please do. I am pleased and grateful to report that eight of my creations found new homes. There is still so much to see! Zander is still available from my page and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite animals from other artists in the show! Be sure to check out Elena Donat's darling mini hedgehogs and other critters, Petelina Natalia's sweet faced chubby creations, the charming primative cats and bears from Sharie Reetz, and the delightful vintage-looking animal pull toys from Sue Jennings. If you love realistic animals, the work of Karen Lyons and Krista Griffiths is not to be missed. Really there are too many wonderful animals to mention so grab a cup of your favorite beverage and sit down to browse! http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/

Tiny Little Floppy Zander

On with the Show!

The Friends of Teddy Online show at http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/ is now open! So now I can show you what I have been making... I hope you enjoy seeing them. They are available right now at the online show!



Bronson




Bronson




Tiny Little Floppies--Zeke, Zander and Ziggy




Scamper and Scooter




Penelope and Peter




Missy



Kittens!

I have been very busy in the studio working on some new designs for the Friends of Teddy online show at http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/ . The focus of this show is animals other than Teddy Bears. For some artists who specialize in other soft sculpture animals, this show is a chance to highlight their work. For artists lke me, who specialize in Teddy Bears, this show has been a chance to branch out and stretch our creative muscles! I have had a blast!

I thought right away that I would like to try a kitten and I looked at some illustrations from one of my favorite children's book for inspiration. Of course the best inspiration sits right in front of me in my studio always!

I made the head pattern and thought it was an instant success, but I had to draft two bodies and three hind leg patterns before I got that part right!

Another challenge (which I didn't anticipate) was in coloring the kitten. I use an airbrush to accent my bears and it has always worked great. But I found that since I was applying so much color, the alpaca seemed to resist the color. It seemed to rub off as the parts were handled. Since I usually just used the airbrush color around the eyes and mouth (areas not handled) on my bears, this issue had not come up before.

I could typically heat the fur with a hair dfryer to set the color, but since this wasn't working, I put the unfortunate kitten in the oven!!! Poor Kitty!

That was an improvement, but the stripes were still coming off. I finally thought of art markers. These Prismacolor fine are pens are an alcohol based permenant ink! It works and they come in many colors. The parts were colored in many layers and the tabby striping done last. It takes a lot of time,  but I am so pleased with the results.

And here is my show preview piece finally finished! The airbrushed prototype kitten lurks in the background.  Since he is "flawed" --the poor dear, I have decided to keep him for myself and just handle him with care, but I have made another gray tabby using the permenant fine art pens for the show.

The Friends of Teddy online show and sale starts tomorrow at 4:00pm Easter Standard Time, but you can visit the preview right now at http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/ ! Hope to see you at the show!

Confessions of a Compulsive List-Maker

I have struggled for so long with trying to organize my time that am beginning to wonder if it is even possible for me. I am always making lists for myself in an ongoing effort to be more organized and keep myself focused on what I need to get done. I end each day by making a "To-Do List" for the following day. While I know that organization experts maintain that this is a great idea, I'm not sure if it is working for me, in fact, I am sure it is not! These lists, designed to make life easier, are becoming more of a frustration to me than a comfort. This is due to the fact that a large number of tasks end up moving from today's list to tomorrow's because they simply did not get done. I find this very stressful. Once, my husband told me I should call them "wish lists" instead of "to do lists" because "No one could possibly do all of that in one day!" My lists do tend to be longer than the day itself, and some days I am overwhelmed just looking at them.

Last Sunday night, as I sat in my bed, pen and notebook in hand, I thought about the week ahead. It was going to be a busy one both at home and at school. "I better write this stuff down so I don't forget anything," I told myself. I mentally began to divide the tasks into daily lists, and started to feel overwhelmed before my pen even touched the paper. Then I remembered this little quote a friend had posted on facebook:

She had posted it to her wall to share with all of her facebook friends, but I knew right away that the message was for me. I put down the pen and decided no list this week. Whatever I do will be enough.

Now here I sit, one week later, looking back at my week. It was indeed a very busy, but surprisingly stress free and enjoyable week! I worried at first that perhaps I had forgotten something important, or maybe I didn't get anything done. So I decided it indulge myself in one more list. I'm going to call this one my "Ta-da!" list, because I really did get a lot done!

1. I finished the school year and cleaned and packed up my art classroom for the summer.
2. I kept up with the laundry and my other household chores. (This one makes me so happy!)
3. I finished and shipped my last shop order for My Friends and Me
4.I worked on a new design/pattern for a cat. While it is still a work in progress, the head looks wonderful and I am excited to finish it.
5. I taught a beginner bear making class to a friend from school (7 hours!)
6. I got my hair done.
7. I enjoyed lots of family fun time including a trip to King's Island with Alex and Brendan,
8. and my niece's birthday/graduation party,
9. and a family reunion!
10. I also wrote two blog posts!
 
Ta-da! I'm going to see if this works two weeks in a row. I am hopeful! 
 

Bearcat?

I am working on a new pattern design,and I am quite pleased with the little face which is emerging. It is going to be a kitten. I wish I could show you, but it is for the Friends of Teddy online show which will take place next month at http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/ and he can't be unveiled until then.

Perhaps it's better not to show it in it's unfinished state, though. The body pattern was a complete miss--"FAIL" my sons would say. Also my family was offering some unsolicited critiques. I was pleased with the little guy's head so I showed him to them. Alex said, " I don't like the pink in the ears. It makes him look like a mouse." Sean said, "he looks like a cat-bear...or a Bearcat!' He added that last bit with a laugh; the Univeristy of Cincinnati's team mascot is called a Bearcat.  I can assure you that my kitten looks nothing like this:

Or even this:



Bearcat is another name for the Binturong, a viverrine mammal from Southeast Asia

I think the reason I am pleased with my kitten --even with the helpful comments from my family, is because I can see not only what my kitten looks like now, but also where it is going, and I can tell I am going in the right direction to get it there. I was going in the wrong direction with the body (I can ususally tell that pretty quickly too!). but I changed direction. I can't wait to finish him, so that you and my family can see he's a kitten- not a mouse or a Bearcat!

Philadelphia Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention

The show was so wonderful I am still buzzing with excitement! I am sitting here trying to get my brain to slow down long enough to write a post about all of it, but there is just too much! The workshops and seminars, the signature gallery, the meals and events were all top notch. It's always great to see friends from other shows, and this time I met so many new people. I have seen wonderful bear artistry at shows, and this one was no exception, but the artist dolls have blown me away! I have admired the work of these artists online for years and it was great to finally meet them and to see their work in person! I also had the opportunity to take sculpting workshops from two award winning artists, Diane Keeler and Mark Dennis. They are both gifted teachers as well as being talented sculptors! Next year, my plan is to be more prepared. I'll arrive with MORE sleep, bring MORE bears, and MORE money!

As usual, I was so distracted with it all I practically forgot I had my camera. However, I did take a few pictures and Sean got some of the award presentation, so perhaps these will help me tell the story, but the only way you'll be able to understand how great it was is to go yourself!


Participating doll and bear artists were invited to create pieces for a special one of a kind signature piece gallery and competition. These were just a few of my favorites...

Francisco Carreno made a wonderful Steam Punk themed bear and donned themed garb himself! He looked great. I had seen Francisco's work in magazines, but always thought that with all that detail it would be bigger. Very impressive!

Here is my own signature piece, K'eyush.



 Deb Canham made this beautiful vignette! Sadly, my photo didn't do it justice.

This wonderful sculpture is by Mark Dennis!



This is Diane Keeler's piece. Lovely!!!

I love this one, but I cannot recall the artist name--I'll have to look it up. Maybe if your eyes are better than mine you can see the card.

Stephanie Blythe made this gorgeous Little Red Riding Hood! Her work is graceful and detailed and much smaller than I had thought before seeing it in person.

There were several workshop offerings and as I mentioned, I too two sculpting ones, but I was so focused on sculpting I didn't get out the camera.

On Friday there were lectures, and I chose to attend Martha Burch's one on costuming and accessorizing.

Her expertise in this area is apparent! 

  



My table display...needs more bears! I'll do better next year.

My table

Michelle Lamb's table



Darlene Allen's table




Christine Shively-Benjamin's table





Wanda Carson's table

 


Nancy Wiley's table--I bought the book and will be buying the doll!




Jacquie Pollit's table



Amy Thornton and her table



Hellen Bullard Award of Excellence Award winners




Beverly Port Collector Award of Excellence winners




Beverly Port Artist Award of Excellence winners




K'eyush and his awards!







K'eysush was put on layaway at the show so I get to enjoy him a wee bit longer in my home.

It was a wonderful weekend, and I am already making my plans for next year. Hope to see you there!



Getting Ready!!!

I am getting very excited about the Philadelphia Doll and Teddy Bear Convention this weekend! (See my show schedule for more information.) I'd be even more excited if I were not so tired...As usual I am sewing away into the wee hours of the night trying to get just a few more bears finished. I may even be sewing in the car while Sean drives the 10 hours to Philly...or maybe I'll sleep.

Sorry I have no time for a longer post. I just wanted to share a couple of my favorites from the pieces coming along with me to the show. First up is my signature piece, K'eyush ( His name is Inuit for bear cub)

Next is Toklo...

This is Xing-fu

Here is Leo...

And finally a group shot of some bears waiting to be packed up for the trip!

Maybe I'll see you there!