Can't...stop...sculpting...

 I love to take sculpting classes! Heck, I love to take any kind of art class! The obvious reason for taking  workshops is to learn from the experience of the talented instructors, but I always have another motive for taking sculpting and painting classes. It is simply to schedule time to actually do those things I love. When one makes a business of her art, it can be challenging  to find time to pursue new artistic avenues. Making bears and teaching art are more than full time endeavors and with family time added to that I have little time for "hobbies". I have been sculpting for nearly 9 years, but since I have so very little time to sculpt, I still sort of feel like a beginner.

I was scheduled to take a doll sculpting seminar this week with Jack Johnston, but he was forced to cancel because only one other person besides me had signed up! So I decided to take my scheduled time to sculpt anyway! I have been admiring the work of Susie McMahon  for some time. I love the way she uses a painted cloth over clay technique which gives her dolls and figurative sculptures the look of a 3-d painting! I want to try this!!! Using some of the refunded deposit from my Jack Johnston class, I ordered Susie McMahon's Pipkin kit from Etsy. I can't wait to make this little doll.




Susie McMahon's Pipkin

 

But I also wanted to try the technique on my own sculpt, so I started a paperclay head...and I worked on her for nearly 12 hours straight!!! I couldn't put it down. I love to sculpt!



I covered a styrofoam egg with paperclay



                                    



Eyes are a challenge!




I wiped out the eyes and lower lip.




It helps me shape the upper one the way I want.




Then I put in the lower lip.




Getting rid of some clay in the eye sockets.




Better, I think. I need a but more material inside of the browbones.





With a shoulderplate.




I am pleased overall...Still need to work on the eyes.

I tried drawing in the eyes temporarily, but something is not right. I am in love with her though, because I am in love with sculpting! I can't wait to try the "cloth over" method. I have to leave her to dry and get back to work on my bears. I have a few orders and TWO shows coming up fast!

Chasing the Perfect Bear

In a recent discussion on The Guild of Master Bear Crafters forum, several artists mentioned a drive to create the "perfect bear" as a motivating factor in their work. Many also mentioned that this drive can be discouraging as well. I think it is interesting to see how many people express the need to make the ever elusive "perfect bear". In the Guild and elsewhere, I have read this same sentiment from bear artists over and over. It seems almost universal. It is as if there is a “Perfect Bear” jogging along ahead on the path, pausing now and then, but always darting out of reach again when one gets close. What a frustrating little bugger he is! This is a little strange to me, because while I can understand looking at one's work with a critical eye to see what can be improved upon, I don't think I have ever expected perfection- I only expect to do my best.

I saw this nugget of wisdom on the website of one of our guild members, Kelly Dean. “Always be happy with your work; never be satisfied."

It resonated with me because it is exactly how I feel. Each bear, or doll, or drawing, or painting that I call finished, makes me happy. If not, I would say it was not finished. There are things which do not get finished because I can see by where they are headed they are not going to make me happy--the basket of failed kitten parts in my studio from my recent foray into feline design is a case in point! Happiness isn’t complacency—my work is not stagnant. Even though I am happy with it at the time, my work does grow and improve. I think my best work today is better than my best work a few years ago. I'm sure any one of us who has been doing this ten years or more can look back at something we did ten (or even five) years ago and see growth. And the more you do something, the pickier you become. I have one of the first dolls that I sculpted hidden at the back of a shelf in my studio. There is so much wrong with her, I cringe when I see her today. But I am also amused, because I recall positively blushing with pride when I brought her home from the workshop to show my husband!

Another example of this is the portrait painting class I have been taking. After doing three paintings of the models who sit for the class, I painted a portrait of my son. I was so very happy with it. I felt like I had really captured a likeness of Brendan at age 5. When my instructor was critiquing it at the end, she said, “It is a very good painting for where you are now.” And “This will not be your best painting.” My mom, who was taking the class with me, wondered if I might take offense at these comments. I didn’t. I knew exactly what she meant. If I keep painting, I will get better. However, the knowledge that better paintings were in my future did not diminish the happiness I felt for the best painting I had done so far.

Perhaps it is all a matter of semantics. It really is the same thing, I suppose. Some artists are chasing “Perfect Bear” and I am chasing “My Best” and both are leading us on a path to improve our work. There is a difference though. Perfect Bear keeps right on running with barely a backward glance, but My Best stops every now and then to offer a congratulatory hug before he takes off down the path again!

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!