Holly...

Back in the summer, the American magazine Travel Guide ran a competition for it's readers with the first prize being a painting of their favourite bear done by me.  I have finally completed the winner's painting - I'm only so late in doing so because the winner could not decide which bear to choose for her prize, so commissioned me to do a second painting of the other bear!

This is bear 435 Holly, who lives in Katmai National Park, Alaska.  She is quite something, being fairly old for a bear and yet still producing cubs which she raises in a calm, well practised style. She has also won the annual fun Fat Bear contest in the past - as you can see here, she gets large!  This has been painted in watercolour on paper.

Up next, another commission, another bear...
 

Bears & Blankets...

This week I have made a Holly bear - she sold within 2 minutes of being in my Etsy shop...

...an Otis bear - he's still available, but not sure for how long...

...and completed the lacy crochet blanket that I have been working on over the past few weeks.

 The blanket is also in my Etsy shop.

Currently on the easel is another bear painting, although at the moment it is just the background whcih has taken me a week to finish - tomorrow I start painting the bear, yay!

How It Starts...

This is my current commission - I thought you might be interested to see how a painting like this gets started.  Initially the bear was drawn out carefully in pencil, with a sketchy background as in this case it is mainly leaves, with the water flowing around the rock that the bear is standing on.

Then I begin to paint in the background, carefully around the outline of the bear.  Usually I would use masking fluid to protect the edges of my drawing, but I have run out so on this occasion I have just had to take my time and do it the hard way!  Once the paint around the outline of the bear is dry, I rub out the pencil marks so that when the time comes to paint the bear, I have no dark smudgy lines showing through the paint.  I will do this throughout the painting in order to keep the pencil marks that are visible to a minimum.

The reference photograph I have been given was taken by the lady this is for and is a little bit fuzzy - she told me she was so excited that her hands were shaking!  So as I go, I will try and sharpen it all up a little - I do have quite a few other photos of this particular bear that I can call upon to get details of the face etc. to work from.

This is in watercolour on paper.  I have two more bear paintings to produce between now and Christmas if possible...it's going to take some doing!

Bear Cubs & Boxes...

I completed this last week - bear 435 Holly and her cub, using a photograph that Ranger Naomi at Katmai National Park took last year.  This cub is now ten times the size!  This was painted in watercolour on paper. It was snapped up within minutes of me posting it online and is now winging it's way to Spain.

I've also been working on another painted trinket box - this one is a prize in the American magazine Travel Guide summer competition.  The painting on the lid is of Otis, winner of this year's Fat Bear contest.  I assembled it yesterday after lining it.

I think you will agree, I found the perfect fabric to put inside - loads of fish for Otis to snack on!

 This box is already spoken for but I will be making a couple more at some point between now and Christmas.  I can't say when - they are very labour intensive and I have to fit them in around other work.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Wuz A Bear...

I've had such a busy winter that bear making has had to take a back seat, despite me having plenty of orders.  However, I am now in the process of catching up slowly - this is Holly, bear 435.

This is another Holly, this time with her mini-me cub - last year on the Explore.org cams this cub was one of the most entertaining things of the whole season!  She climbed trees, she played with other bigger cubs, she had an unfortunate run in with a porcupine, and grew fat and fluffy, ready for hibernation.

She was very like her mother by the end of October.

These bears already have homes to go to - if you would like one too, just let me know - as long as you are prepared to wait for a a little while!