Asleep in my studio?

I don't think I have ever neglected my blog this long. Sorry, Friends! It has been so long since I have posted anything here that you might think I have been asleep in my studio, but I have not! (The kitties do occasionally though.) I have just been very, very busy. After the July online show, I did manage to get a few of my orders finished, but there are still more to go. I took an online class for school, and school started for both my sons and myself (I teach art at an elementary school) and that takes a large chunk of my time. I have been working, though. Recently, I have been busy creating for two shows coming up fast.  Previews coming soon!

Polars, Pandas and Plans.

I tried very hard to get both my panda and polar bear finished and listed in time, but life has a way of foiling my plans! Nothing is wrong, so no worries, but I have been so busy with my family's needs that bear making time was much more scarce than I thought it would be. I was only able to get the little polar bear finished (she is on the available page now) and while I will be listing the panda soon, I am not going to give a time for his listing at this time because falling short of these commitments I make is as frustrating to me as it is to you my dear collectors! I will give a "heads up" to all of my mailing list before the panda is listed though!
Thank you so much for your patience and I hope you'll enjoy meeting Nova. See the "Available" page for more photos!

News

I mentioned in my last post that I had two more bears in progress which didn't get finished in time for picnic. I had planned to list them on my website July 6th, but I need to delay that for one week for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious is that they won't be finished! I have taken a sort of impromptu vacation this week enjoying some family time over the holiday week. Also, our computer has died and while I can check email and post a text only blog from my Kindle, it isn't much good for editing photos, or taking them for that matter.

I also wanted to let my collectors know that I now have 25 names in my jar for the 20th anniversary drawing for a one of a kind bear which I will be doing at Christmastime!  For each bear or animal adopted this year,  January 1,2013 to December 1, 2013, I will put the collector's name in the jar. 

Teddy Bear and Friends Picnic!

I have been having such a good time getting my bears ready for the online show and I have been dying to share them. I am writing this post just a few short hours before the show begins but I must wait to post it until show time. I was going to have eight bears, but have finished just six for the show and hope to have the other two ready for my website next week. I am especially excited about these "smaller" fellows I have been doing. They are such a sweet size for holding, and they have loads of detail! Three of them are made from some new Tissavel imported synthetic fur which is just delightful to work with!

Huey was introduced last week:

Huey

Huey

Joining him are two more 14 inch Tissavel fur bears, Ari and Dewey:



Ari




Ari




Dewey




Dewey



Sam, a 15" bear made from wonderfully dense alpaca and mohair blend fabric, joins the picnic as well!



Sam



Sam



And last but not least, are the wee ones Burgundy and Latte who are made of dense alpaca.



Burgundy




Latte



I hope you will visit the show!



Teddy Bear and Friends Picnic--the preview has begun!

Hello!!! This is Huey! Huey and his friends are getting ready for a special summer picnic and you are invited!

It is the Teddy Bear and Friends Picnic online show and sale and it will take place in two weeks. This show includes 75 juried Teddy Bear (and other soft sculpture) artists from all over the world! Visit www.TeddiesWorldwide.com or click on the link  to the right on my blog page to see a special preview showing one creation from each of the participating artists, and vote on your favorites in each catagory!

More photos of Huey to show you his sweet smile and handsome profile. I just love this guy!

 

Philadelphia Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention

I can't believe it has been nearly three weeks since the Quinlan Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention in Philadelphia and I still have not posted a review. This is partly because I have been quite busy with school (teaching) and with my sons' school and sporting events, but mostly because it was so wonderful that I am sure mere words--and certainly not my crappy cell phone pictures---will do it justice!

I was working right up until the moment we left, as usual, and took the following photos of my six pieces just before getting them packed to travel. And then I forgot to pack my camera!!! I nearly cried when I realized it. Well, honestly, I did cry a little, but hey, it was late, I was really tired and I had a massive headache. One day I will get it together, and I will be able to attend shows (one of my favorite things about the Teddy Bear business) without winding myself into a big ball of stress beforehand. It wasn't this day though.

Here are the photos of my show bears (the doll is in the previous post) which I am pleased to report all very quickly found new homes.

Coraline

Ferdinand and His Puppet



Remi and His Puppet




Harpo




Jumping Jack!

As I said, the convention was amazing. It was even better than last year. The Artist's Signature Gallery was so full of incredible dolls, sculptures, and bears, and it was standing room only for the gallery visitors! It was really difficult to vote for my favorites, however the winners were no surprise as their pieces were so spectacular! Wish I had photos...

The workshops available all looked fun and I even did a presentation of my paw pad techniques. I took "Sculpting a Child's Head" taught by Diane Keeler. I wanted to share a photo here of my classwork. I went to take one today and... well, as scattered as I have been lately I suppose this is not a complete surprise... but I've completely lost my head!!! It was a fantastic workshop with a great teacher, and it was a pretty good head, too. I guess I'll show you when I find it.

I took some cell phone photos of other people's workshop creations though. Sue Van Natten taught a jewelry making class when students made these delightful charm necklaces!

Sharon Barron taught a workshop on finishing a lovely red mohair sailor bear!

I fell in love with this bear from his photo and really wanted to take this workshop as well, but it was at the same time as Diane Keeler's so Sharon very sweetly made up a kit for me and I finished it when I got home! Here is my finished bear with a little friend I purchased from Sharon as well!

Here are a couple of pictures of my table...I've GOT to bring my camera next time!

The challenge galleries were a lot of fun too--Dolls by Bear Artists, Bears by Doll Artists, and Funk and Junk--I just didn't get any good pictures of them.

If you ever have a chance to attend this show I highly recommend it!!!

Adventures in Dollmaking! (Rotkäppchen)

 

Rotkäppchen






































I have been wanting to post about this project for a while, but I had been too busy actually finishing her for the Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention in Philadelphia to have any time to write! I made her for a special challenge gallery which was part of the show; bear artists were challenged to create a doll, and doll artists were challenged to create a bear. She is not my first doll, though. I have been sculpting whenever time allows since 2003. Unfortunately, "whenever time allows" = "almost never", and I rarely finish anything I begin because when you wait more than a year for time to finish something, it can lose it's enchantment. I am so glad this little girl, who I started in September (click here and here to see  posts about the sculpting of her head), did not share the fate of the other disembodied heads in my studio!

I loved every minute of making her and I loved how she turned out. The most enjoyable thing about making her was that I had no idea what I was doing!!! Well, that is not entirely accurate, I suppose. I have gained some skills over the years that fit nicely with what I was trying to do. I have been blessed enough to take sculpting classes from several world reknown doll artists. I can sew, and I have been honing my pattern designing skills since I was about ten...

The portrait painting classes I took last year really helped me with the painting...

I also took a class on wig-making, and learning to tame my own frizzy hair was useful as well!~

I guess I don't mean that I had no idea what I was doing, but it felt so different from making the bears because I don't yet have a "way of doing things" with the dolls. I have chosen to concentrate my artistic efforts for the last 20 years on designing and making Teddy Bears, and by now I have certain things that I always do, and I am pretty confident each bear will come out pretty close to the picture I have in my head. Who knew how the doll might turn out--and that is what was so exciting!

It brought to mind how I worked when I made things as a child. I recall one of my first doll making adventures. I had seen a picture of a cloth baby doll in a magazine and wanted to make one. My mom supplied my brother (often my partner in creative adventures) and I with an old sheet, needles and thread and stuffing --and when she saw what we'd come up with, she even bought us some yarn for the hair! We drew our pieces right on the sheet with markers and cut them out and sewed them. We didn't worry about mistakes, because we weren't afraid to try again if it didn't work.

That was just the way it was with this doll. The first pair of legs were too thin, so I made some more. I thought the bamboo skewer I put in the leg as an armature might be too flimsy, so I looked around for something and found a large knitting needle. I hate using elastic, but found that thin ribbin works and adds a sweet detail to the sleeves and drawers! She was going to be a brunette, but I loved the pale blond with the burgundy fabric for the cape. I began with a picture in my head to guide me, but I also followed where the doll lead me. I'm glad I did! I wanted her to look like a storybook illustration in 3-D and I think I have achieved that.

I was pleased and flattered that she was "adopted" very quickly at the show gallery, but I must admit I would not have been sad in the least to have had to bring her home to my studio to stay. Sometimes people ask me how I can let the bears go when I make them. I can because I know I will always make more. She was harder to let go, but I suppose I'll just have to make more dolls!