Well it's been a while since I last did a proper update on the blog... too long really! I've been a little more consistent on Facebook because it's easier to add work in progress photos via my phone, but no excuse really! I finally finished a little bear that I'm really proud of so I thought I'd make a show of him.
His name (after much discussion) is Rigby Bear: I want to keep with old fashioned names for this style of bear I think. He's the second finished bear of this style, but the first started as I had to order more fur from America in order to finish his left leg, oops!I really think he was worth the wait, he looks very different to his twin who was made in matching blonde fur and has definitely highlighted how important the finish is to the look of the bear over the pattern itself!
He's about the same size as one of my big sloths albeit skinnier so I will have to take some photos of him with one as I think that'd be a cute couple. His fur is fancy kid mohair and a gorgeous chocolate brown, the same shade as Bombardier my first Bomb style bear. The facial pattern is very similar to his as well, but as you can see he has a more traditional neck joint as well as cotter pin limb jointing.
I often concentrate on entries for the years competitions around this time as I have the Easter holidays to get my act together, and I definitely think Rigby is a good contender! Now it's just the eternal question "to ribbon or not to ribbon" to answer. I do admire those people who conjure up elaborate costumes for their bears but I can't see mine in them (beyond a hat, bow or waistcoat perhaps?), which puts me generally in the Bare Bear categories.
For me this presents a bit of a challenge as I have entered the same competitions with bears from similar patterns (such as Seymour the Sailor Bear and Bruce the Bomb, shown below) and the accessorized bear has gotten nominated, even when I have preferred the totally bare one... it makes me wonder if it's important to think up something that gives my bear that little extra character before I submit his photos... what do you think?
Anyway, I hope you like seeing Rigby after a long absence. I hope I can finish a small scale sloth I've been working on with help from my first ever resin cast claws (exciting!) before long, as he's looking pretty cute so far too! At the last Hugglets I went to (by the way I'm there again in September!) quite a few people said they wished my creatures were smaller and whilst I think some of the designs (Bomb bears especially) need that large footprint, I'm happy to have a go at a little sloth shrinking!
Let me know if you have a "to ribbon or not to ribbon" opinion :)
Chloe and the Lugly's xxx
