Bear Artists Online - TBACA

It always fascinates me the order in which different artists complete their bear's face.  For me, I have to do the eyes first always, then the nose, mouth and lastly the ears.  If I don't do it in that order I am completely thrown. 

What order do you other girls work on your faces, and is it always the same routine?  If someone asked me to do it differently, I don't think I could get the balance.  I also always finish the face before attaching the head to the bear, but I know of one artist who attaches the head and finishes stuffing the bear's body before working on the face.  I'm afraid I need to get the head in too many awkward positions whilst working on the face to do it that way!!  Do you girls have a set routine?

Hi Christine, I know some people do it differently, But I always do it in the order you do. I don't think I could do a face with it attached to the body. It would be too awkward. I always love your bears Christine.

I wonder what the other girls do?

I prefer to sew the nose, then sculpt eye sockets, then I add the mouth stitches and "tidy" the nose lastly adding the actual eyes. I don't know why I do it in that order but it's always the same! I always add the ears before attaching the limbs too.

Thinking about it quite a lot of the processes fall in to a "usual" sequence; I usually stuff the body , then arms then legs! Maybe we're all a bit ... well, OCD ?????

Mini Hugs, Ruth x

I always pretty much complete the head before attaching it to the body, there is so much involved in one of my bears' heads that I don't think I could manage all the manipulations with it attached. As for the sequence in which I work on the head, that varies a bit depending on the bear. And it can also be determined by what's at hand near my chair, or if I have to go upstairs to get something! I know that sounds pretty lazy, but it's usually because I'm on roll and just want to get on with what I'm doing and I try to time my excursions upstairs for when I have a few things to get (incomplete house, we have a ladder for access, which can be tricky)

So I guess I don't suffer from OCD, but in general the sequence of costruction is..... head, neck, body, front legs, back legs, then the stuffing sequence after the head is attached is neck/ front legs/ back legs and then the body

I may finish several heads even before I have sewn the bodies. There can be two or three heads sitting on top of glasses staring back at me, and watching while I complete their bodies.

I tend to sew the nose and septum, then add the eyes then the ears...but again that can change with my mood at the time.

Next I usually stuff the body, then the limbs...but not always...it can depend on whether I am making a bear or an animal.

So there you have it, as clear as mud!

It seems we are all creatures of habbit !! I always finish my head before I attatch it and my order is always eyes first then ears and lastly nose No Exception.

I tend to work on a few bears at a time I finish all the sewing first next I fill all the limbs and the heads, I then complete the faces and all that is left is to joint and fill the bodies.

Walla!! I have a hug of bears in front of me.

Well that's how it's supposed to work in theory!!

Hugs Lyn

I am like Lyn.  Sew everything first(a couple of bears), fill limbs, do the head and then complete the face and joint and then fill the bodies......can't do it any other way!

Bear Hugs

Susan

I always finish the head first, eyes nose mouth ears in that order , then finish the sewing before putting all together and stuffing. I think it would feel really wrong doing it out of order

I will often work on more than one critter as I often get "sewers block"! So I will spend days or weeks thinking about how I am going to do something. BUT the head is always first, embroider  the nose, ears pinned and stitched on. Do some needle sculpture, set the eyes and then shade with prisma pencils and chalks.  Like Rachel, it would not feel right doing it out of order. Does that mean I have OCD.  LOL!

It would feel odd to mix up your order, I complete all the sewing first then stuff the arms, legs and head. Complete the head with ears, nose ,mouth, test eyes..scissor sculpt the cheeks and the finish the eyes. Then joints and fill the body.

I always complete all the sewing, sculpting of paws and stuffing of limbs. I do the head last. Once I finish the bears face I loose interest in the bear and probably would never finish the rest. On the face I do the sculpting first, then the nose, eyes and ears last. Then all the shading. The limbs get attached first and the head last so it does not get knocked around too much.