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Tami Eveslage Original Teddy Bearsthey aren't my look... that's why I made them...
I agree. We have to try different things to keep ourselves growing as artists.
Matilda Huggington-beare
I'm hoping this photo link works.....??? any way... this is Annie, she is massive. I never really finished her. She is a project from way back.
Her nose insert is now missing ( so new design is possible)and I would love to get her finished but have no idea what to do.
I really think she needs to be redyed......but what colour?
Throw it at me folks and I will do as I'm told. Remember though....this head is about the size of a basketball 
desertmountainbearI actually think Annie's color is gorgeous. I would not redye the fur, I think that the muzzle is the wrong shade for the fur, in my opinion she needs to have a shade of muzzle that blends better with the fur, a light yellow or orange would be my choice. What she is wearing is to pinkish. I would give her a more prominent nose, she can handle it, after all she is a big girl.
Joanne
FenBeary FolkI am so with Joanne on this one :hug:
I would suggest a large m shaped nose (I can't do those) in orange and yellow stripes
Don't redye, would be a shame, come spring when we have had a gloomy winter she will be a ray of sunshine :dance:
I love the color myself but that muzzle... Hmmm.. And maybe trim the hair around the eyes a tiny bit so you can see them better.. but I'd wait till you do something with the muzzle.. Maybe a darker nose would even help She is so bright then the nose just fades into her muzzle.
Hugs!!
Melanie
Hmmm..I had a hard time seeing what is wrong with the eyes except that you were shooting for a traditional. I would combine the easiest and cleanest of all work arounds so to speak. This pair could be semi-traditional with your spin on em.
Myself, if I had my hands on this pair I would take Paula's advice and move the ears forward, more so on the lighter bear. Putting the inner edge of ear on outer gusset seam and lower edge of ear not extending beyond the level of the eye line, in a )=curved fashion, so to speak. Ears, pin em around, don't like em, move em, move and pin em again, until you find a sweet spot. 
As well, I see a little shading around the paws and pads and think it is enough for the size of the bears but would again take Paula's advice and add a few claws. There quick, easy and fool proof. Dozens of styles to choose from too.
I agree with Jenny, more shading on the fabric can be messy business. And I think the small eye white is a nice detail, I found white rings most useful when making darker bears with black eyes so the eye is more visible in on dark fur. My avatar bear is cream and has a white ring, bigger than my average but the thickness of the mink, even when scissor sculpted barried the eyes. Instead of shading on a light bear, I would consider penning or painting a tiny edge around your ring for future projects.
Perhaps adding teddy under the arm of an elephant as it's special friend, and upping the price is the fastest solution. I realize this sound a little lazy but I'm on the practical side of, 'time is money' and always look for a work around unless I absolutely can't live with something as it is on my bear or friend. You have a lot of excellent feed back and again, if it were me I would put these to practice into a new piece. Your friends on TT are correct that the right buyer just hasn't come for em yet.
TTYS,
Lazy :redface:
Benson BearsWendy, on such a biggun I think a short pile fur would work better than the ultesuede (?) muzzle, then you wouldn't get that puckering where the nose is embroidered. Also try adding some darker colour to the insides of the ears. Definitely change the shape of the nose too. 
Benson BearsDaphne, if you're after Traditional then the ears definitely need to come forward and the eyes should be set just below the seam on the side head, but do sculpt them in as has been suggested. Try some soft pencil shading rather than paint or pen on this short fur, I think it would end up less messy and you can build it up until you're happy with the depth of colour. Hope this helps
Back Road BearsDear Lazy
If he wasn't 13" tall I would definitely have tucked him under someone's arm as a friend and been done with it!! I HATE redoing anything!!!
UPDATE: I have removed the nose, ears and eyes on the lighter one and given him a new nose, more triangular and perhaps traditional. I have moved his eyes out a little along with sculpting the eye area. And removed the whites. And the ears are pinned further toward the front and look so much better there! Oh, and he has a new mouth, with a septum (that verticle line before the inverted 'V'). He looks SO much better already!!!! Gotta finish his nose and sew those ears on. Then I'll figure out something different for accessories. I don't sew clothes but I'll see what I can come up with. I agree shading on short pile is not always pretty. Kathleen is right, the paw pads are shaded. I think I'll hold off on shading the face/mohair for now.
Back to work.....
Back Road BearsWendy, I love her color too. She definitely needs a bigger and perhaps colorful embroidered nose. The mohair coming down to a point between her eyes might take away from her femininity (sp?). Reminds me of John Travolta in Grease! 
A pretty bow, perhaps a multi colored (orange/yellow/pink) wide organza ribbon would give her bling and compliment her fur color.
bears by beesley TMHi Daph. Now I am known to be a nice lady so please keep in mind when you read this that it does not play into my comment.
I love your two little bears. I think your new pattern is adorable and creating differences in our bears is a good thing. It shows our collectors that we are versatile with our designs and creativity.
So as to why they have not sold yet...beats me because I love them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and different people have different tastes. I would not change a thing about these two cuties.
They will find a wonderful Mommy or Daddy I just know it!
Hugs Louise
bears by beesley TMAwe! I quite like Annie too! I love her colors and would not change a thing about that! Well if her nose insert is no longer, when you do another, she will be loved!
Hugs Louise
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Wendy, of course, you DO know that all of these color & shape changes can be accomplished by needling wool OVER the top..... blending it right on into the orange nap and then grading the length of the orange to rise up naturally out of it, right???
ANY style of nose and needle sculpted (doll-needle) mouth can be worked over this large an expanse. I'd love to get my hands on her!
We have a frozen treat here - do you have "Deamcicles", on a stick like popcicles? Vanilla Ice Cream Surrounded by Orange Sherbet?
I can picture their replica here; a wonderful blending of creamy ivory, surrounding a shaded soft orange nose, blending from light to bright/dark, right on into that orange mane, which in turn is shaped like only a hairdresser can do it. This can be a Great Off-Ramp for you!
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsWendy, of course, you DO know that all of these color & shape changes can be accomplished by needling wool OVER the top..... blending it right on into the orange nap and then grading the length of the orange to rise up naturally out of it, right???
ANY style of nose and needle sculpted (doll-needle) mouth can be worked over this large an expanse. I'd love to get my hands on her!
We have a frozen treat here - do you have "Deamcicles", on a stick like popcicles? Vanilla Ice Cream Surrounded by Orange Sherbet?
I can picture their replica here; a wonderful blending of creamy ivory, surrounding a shaded soft orange nose, blending from light to bright/dark, right on into that orange mane, which in turn is shaped like only a hairdresser can do it. This can be a Great Off-Ramp for you!
I was thinking felting too. I'm sure you had thought of that Wendy. Dreamcicle the Bear! I think that's a yummy idea!
KezjoyKritterzMy first thought was that they need eyebrows..and perhaps the eyes need to be sunk a bit more..they look like theyre sitting on top rather than in..if that makes sense!. Looking forward to seeing the after photos!!
Kerrilyn
whoops..didn't see there was 2 pages..this comment was for daphnes bears..i'll check page two out and comment on the orange one in a separate post
KezjoyKritterzwendy..that orange is stunning..its definately the nose/muzzle letting the bear down..you could trim the inside ear fur to make them more defined...im not sure what to suggest on the muzzle..needlefelting does sound good..have fun experimenting
Kerrilyn
Hi Wendy,
My instinct would be to set the eyes wider apart and increase their size. As the pile is so long and dense, you might also like to consider trimming the inner ears, so they are more defined from the head. I like the muzzle shape and think the colour of the muzzle is fine, but I would suggest a black nose ... there is so much bright colour going on with this bear, a bold black nose and mouth should help to define her expression, without clashing.
Matilda Huggington-beareG'day folks..... thanks for your suggestions. My goodness you are all a conservative bunch aren't cha?
Since the muzzle was detached several months ago it gives me a clear run at a new design. The head is huge so store bought eyes just will never be big enough. I plan to make my own. I am going to try to make them in resin.
I also think this will be a good opportunity to design an open mouth with teeth. I think if I do any needle felting on this Bobbie it will be the nose and details around the eyes.
:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:
puca bearsHi Wendy
LOVE the colour.............but I'd definitely clear away some of the fur around the eyes...........and SEW a BIG nose (???????)...............brown would work too............and then maybe play with some needle sculpting...........
have fun!
huggies
Maria
Posts: 3,540Wendy, if you don't want to attempt the resin eyes (though I admit, it sounds like a lot of fun!!), perhaps you could try taxidermy eyes for her?
I personally love Annie's colouring, and agree with the others, honkin' HUGE nose with lots of colours to play on her fur. Oranges, peaches and maybe some yellows. Something flashy, with rhinestones to be pinned into a bow at the ear to throw in a touch of feminine. She's got a large personality and I'd be playing that up even moreso. They're right, come end of winter, she'll be a perky face. 
Daphne, I actually like your two bears, and do like the eye whites. What I would change is their little bows. To me (and please don't take this wrong), they look artsy/craftsy....and that automatically translates to lower dollar amounts. I would ditch the bell/bow, going with a simple key, or a simple pendant instead. If you wanted to do the bows, I would finish the edges. Yes, I know that's what you usually do, but I think the 'tatty/craftsy' look isn't right.
Matilda Huggington-beareI thought I could make a mold with some broken eyes Debbie. Love the idea of lots of 'Flash'. You are right she deserves to be BOLD :dance: :dance: :dance:
I'm starting to get some enthusiasm for the ol girl now
Dear Lazy
If he wasn't 13" tall I would definitely have tucked him under someone's arm as a friend and been done with it!! I HATE redoing anything!!!UPDATE: I have removed the nose, ears and eyes on the lighter one and given him a new nose, more triangular and perhaps traditional. I have moved his eyes out a little along with sculpting the eye area. And removed the whites. And the ears are pinned further toward the front and look so much better there! Oh, and he has a new mouth, with a septum (that verticle line before the inverted 'V'). He looks SO much better already!!!! Gotta finish his nose and sew those ears on. Then I'll figure out something different for accessories. I don't sew clothes but I'll see what I can come up with. I agree shading on short pile is not always pretty. Kathleen is right, the paw pads are shaded. I think I'll hold off on shading the face/mohair for now.
Back to work.....
Curiously, now that you've taken us this far I hope we get to see the after pics? It's kinda like a teddy make over show. Please forgive me, I know your bears are 13 inches but sometimes I get carried away and think & work big...heheeeeeeee
Hello Matilda, I did notice you have planned to do a little needle felting and an open mouth with teeth and I think you should go for it & hope go all the way with the spectacular, colour. I would love to hold a wad of soft, milk chocolate wool or fabric at the muzzle and pin a black triangle in palce to see if it grounded the orange a little. The colour of your bear suggest to me that there is a professional clown screaming to come out of her. In a nut shell, I see a milk chocolate bear muzzle peaking out of a orange clown costume.
Back Road BearsI will post new pictures.... I promise!!! Just have way too many things going at once and have yet FINISH anything!!! :doh: Give me a couple more days!
Matilda Huggington-beare
Heres another one. He's about 6" tall not including the ears. He is made from the most delicious soft curly mohair.
He definitely needs a facial. Any advice? Don't be conservative either. I'm not squeamish and nor is this bunny. :lol:
PS: Daphne I didn't comment because everything I had been thinking was already taken up in the early postings.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the changes. :dance:
