Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Wow, Mikki... that kitty is really a sweetie.  Love the coloring and the eyes are really expressive and sweet.

Sophie, I've never seen joints that big, so if nobody is responding it's probably because they don't have a resource for you.  Good luck!

Wonderful news!  She's fantastic, Lisa.  I love softies and the awards go to such creative folks -- like you!

Here's the link for anyone wanting to view the nominees and vote:  http://www.softiescentral.typepad.com/

What a darling little bunny, and a perfect model for your rabbit-y creations, Brenda.

I was sooo excited to stumble on that, too, while in SF this last weekend.  ADQ had sent me a note a while back, informing me that my bear had been accepted for publication.  But I didn't realize the issue was out until I was at a bookstore away from home, just yesterday.  It was a huge thrill to make an appearance in a new publication, and extra exciting that Lisa and Aleta were both featured so beautifully, too.  I was also really excited to see some work from artists with whom I'm less familiar -- or don't know at all -- who are cranking out some really cute little bears.  The more the merrier! 

Thanks so much for the kind notice; it's very appreciated.   

Your wee ones are so, so cute!

My littlest one isn't as little as the ones pictured before, but he's still my baby, full of innocence and the sweetest, soft cheeks.  He chose, on his own, to go as a little girl baby this year.  He used to be about the gore on Halloween, but the last few years, it's all about the laughs!  This was his first Halloween to trick or treat without an adult chaperone, around our neighborhood (which is very close and in which we know almost everyone.)  He got to stay out with a big group of chums until the late, dark witching hour of... 8:30.  But hey!  It's still a rite of passage!  Laughing here...

Anyway, here's my Noah.  He's 12.

More pics of Halloween at my house, on my blog.

Sending you all Halloween wishes for scary good times and a bag full of treats.

Check out this website for some pumpkin-y inspiration if, like me, you've not yet gotten to the carving.  So incredible!
http://www.pumpkingutter.com/

Happy Haunting!

AWESOME!!!!

It looks like you guys had so much fun.  I'm super excited that so many bear artists felt welcome to attend even though they're not even "regulars" here at TT.  I may have resigned as an "official" advisor here, but this place is still my baby and so much a part of me, so that makes me incrediblyhappy; we've always tried to be so welcoming here.

HUGE thanks and credit and hugs and love to Tami for creating that same welcoming atmosphere at her Fuzzy Slipper event.  It looks like it was a resounding success as a result of her caretaking and good spirit.  I sooooo wish I could have gone!

What a cute little vignette!

WooHoo, Sandi!  Now THAT's a teaching accomlishment to be proud of; I'd be beaming too.  Congratulations to you and your winning students.

Sandy, she's adorable!  Love the bouquet and the stocking!

Whee!  Awesome pics, Bobbie.  Where are YOU?  Hand that camera over to someone else at some point this weekend so we can see your lovely smiling face, too.

Say HI to Michelle for me if you think of it.  She's clearly keeping people's attention!

So pretty, Heather.  Congratulations to you on a beautiful creation!

Hi Erin.  I'm one of those who uses a VERY FINE LINE Micron permanent pen to essentially create an "outline" for my nose stitching. I don't use anything underneath, and I do shave down every last hair right to the backing before I start.

I actually tend to insert my needle directly ON the line I've drawn, piercing the line right at its center with my needle with each stitch.  The line is so fine that the diameter of the needle is basically the same width as the line I've drawn.  As I stitch, I pull the threads very slightly - - VERY slightly -- so that the nose gets to look a little "stuffed" even though it's not.  When I'm done, I encircle the nose with an embroidered outline of two or three very long stitches; one across the top, and either two or three (depending on the bear) across the bottom.

Hope this helps!

Have a great time and a GREAT show, Sue Ann.  I can't wait to see all the pictures when you (and everyone else) return.

I think all is fair in love, war, and business (including the internet)... unfortunately, from my perspective.  Personally, I wouldn't resort to the tactic you're describing, because it would feel icky to me. 

Did you check the supplier's page source (code) to find this information?  I'm not even sure how to find such a thing (I've never looked), although I do use keywords for my own site and know how they're supposed to function.  Depending on which version of my website I'm referencing (because I don't do a terrific job of keeping things the same from version to version), I sometimes include words which relate to awards or honors I've achieved, or positions I've held (like this one at Teddy Talk; I might have "Teddy Talk" in my keywords), so that people searching for those things will pull my results as well as everyone else's. 

But that seems like something different than what you're describing, Jenny, because I have a distinct attachment to those concept, and am not just "riding coat tails" which is what I think you're objecting to, if I read you correctly.  It's not like I've put "Jenny Johnson" in my keywords, just to grab a piece of her action! 

That's an interesting thought, though...

<kidding, of course>

Oh, Clare, how wonderful.  Congratulations to you!

Gemma...  Perhaps some help???

1.)  SAVE the palette by right clicking on it here in this thread, and then SAVE AS.  Be sure to remember where you save it!

2.)  OPEN the palette in your photo editing program.  I'll pretend you're using Photoshop because that's what I know.

3.)  OPEN the black template file, which will become your graphic image.  You'll now have two files open.  This (below) is what my Photoshop program looked like at the start of each new graphic I created for this challenge.  I had the template open (which I ultimately covered over), and I had the palette open.

4.)  Go to the little toolbox in Photoshop.  In my version it's oriented vertically along the left side.  You should see a little EYEDROPPER tool.  It looks like, well, an eyedropper!  That same tool can also be toggled to a sampler (which also looks like an eyedropper) or a measuring tool (which looks like a ruler), so if you don't see it right away, run your cursor over the tools and see if it pops up.  Notice that the "default" colors for foreground (black) and background (white) automatically appear and will stay that way unless you choose to change them.  Info on how to do that, to follow.

It should look something like this: 

5.)  SELECT the eydropper tool by clicking on it.  Then run it over the palette.  When you get it to the color you want to use, simply CLICK on the color.  The foreground color should immediately change to become the color you've just selected.  Something like this:

6.)  Now you can use the color you've chosen with PENCIL or PAINTBRUSH, using the PAINTBUCKET to fill, or by creating shapes (using the CUSTOM SHAPE tool, which looks like a big splot, or any other drawing tool.) 

7.)  You can also reference the palette when you're using the TEXT tool.  Just click on the text color box once you've selected the TEXT tool, and then use that eyedropper to select the palette color you're after for your text. 

Hope this helps!

The very shortest version of this advice is:  Use the EYEDROPPER tool to sample colors from the saved palette of colors you want to use.  You must keep the palette open in your photo editing program, alongside your graphic image, in order to do this.

Gaby... VERY nice work!!!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

I'm really touched by everyone's kindness.  Thank you very much for taking the time.  I feel very appreciated, and that's an incredibly good feeling.

Ooh, I love the "behind the scenes" idea, Chrissi... and also, a history of TB&F via cover art.

If you can't get ALL the issues, Mindy, what about having another of those awesome photo collage produced?  You could have a "25th Anniversary" cover made using tiny photos of prior covers, and then blow it up big.

You did say you had three years to plan this, and a five billion dollar budget, right? 

Not what I'd "expect" to see, but what might be nice to see:

--  How about some kind of slide show or display of the TOBY contest that TB&F has run over the years, and the winners for each year?  Attendees would really see how bearmaking has evolved over time, not necessarily from "worse" to "better", but just in terms of new styles (anime, felting, etc.) and looks (contemporary, vs. antique looking offerings)

--  Perhaps a "where are they now" update on some of the foundational bear makers/manufacturers featured by TB&F in the early days, who made our own run in this industry possible.

--  Longevity certificates for bear artists/manufacturers who've been on the circuit and making bears steadily for 25 years, who've had some sort of association with TB&F.

--  A timeline of the magazine's publishers and editors.

--  A timeline of "updates" or modernizations or makeover of the magazine.  Did it get a new masthead or typeface at some point?  When?  Why?

--  Some sort of magnificent showcase of where TB&F, and teddy bears, are today.  With a focus on both artist bears, and highly prized antique and vintage collectibles as they function in today's market and in your magazine, today.

--  Lots of free espresso drinks and a huge pile of chocolate.  OH, wait... that's what would be nice to see EVERYWHERE I go.

<hehheh.  I see that Debbie mentioned the original covers.   Did you ever get ahold of one?  I hope, I hope, I hope.>

I've asked for subscriptions as gifts in the past (I got Teddy Bear Scene and TBCI one Christmas when I was already self-subscribed to our domestic magazines.)  I've also given subscriptions as gifts (my mom loves them, whether I'm in them or not.)  Something to keep in mind as the holiday season approaches!

Advertising is a tricky thing and yes, can be difficult to afford.  But like Mindy and Paula and so many others said, I feel like it's something I need to and should do, not only to keep "top of mind" with customers who will reference those magazines long into the future, but also, because it's my advertising dollars (and yours) that keep the magazines running, and I loves me my teddy mags!  Sometimes, you've gotta spend money, to make money.

I can't advertise in more than one magazine at a time so if I have a nominee or an upcoming appearance in a particular magazine I make my decision that way, otherwise I alternate appearances in our domestic magazines. Most of my customers are in the US but if they were in the UK or Germany or Japan I'd spread some advertising dollars there, too.  You could also argue that I could DRAW new collectors if I spent ad money there.. but a girl has to tighten the purse strings somewhere. The kids have got to eat and have shoes!

Some years I take a few months off advertising to "catch up" because it isn't easy to afford.  But I think it's an important contribution and worth the chafe and really, it does help your business tremendously, so I do it whenever possible.  And yes, even though it pinches to spend so much, the prices really are very low compared to other publications. 

You folks could also consider placing a collective ad.  For a nominal contribution from each party, many individual bear artists could appear in a single, larger ad, with fees lower than you might expect for such a big appearance due to the sharing of costs across parties.  Just a thought.  Sometimes really nice people with graphic design skills might even offer their help in getting such an ad developed...

Ha!    Point well taken.  You're absolutely right; there's a huge distance between one person's aesthetic and the next, oftentimes.  Good catch!

Yes, I was referencing that I think it's important to feature only high caliber (not necessarily expensive, award winning, tenured, or classically beautiful) work if we want bears to be taken seriously as both art and investment (especially the older pieces).  I do believe it's likely quite do-able, to feature high-caliber work, still allowing for that variety of offerings you're mentioning, and allowing for differing tastes.  I might not want a vintage bear, or an anime one, or a contemporary one, for example, but I can probably recognize, no matter what I'm looking at and what my tastes, when a bear is well made and clever and has a particular artist's or manufacturer's stamp or style... and when one does not.  In case it was misunderstood, that was supposed to be my point.  Not that we should exclude or judge based on a particular style or taste... but rather, that maybe we shouldn't INCLUDE just for the sake of being "inclusive", either, because that might actually shoot the magazine cause, and bear collecting/artistry, in the foot.  And if I seemed to say that variety is lacking in bear magazines, that was an error on my part.  Actually, I was implying the opposite; that maybe the magazines focus on showcasing too many bears, too shallowly, and that a shift to fewer bears, shown more deeply, might be a better "hook" to capture reader attention.  But I dunno.  As usual, I'm talking outta my butt.

Please remember, I'm speaking broadly and very open-mindedly about every magazine I've ever seen and at the same time, about none at all, no artist or bear at all, in particular.  Just tossing ideas about in a brainstorming kind of way, wondering aloud whether being more selective might serve the purpose of making magazines more attractive/unique/interesting/insert appropriate adjective here, and people more likely to buy them.

As for Karen's bear sharing a cover with tampons... ummmm... have to say, I somehow missed that one.