Bears to admire
Many bear artists have their own websites with thumbnail images of bears they've made. These are great for seeing what's out there, for showing you new ideas and different approaches. This site has a long list of British bear artists.
Free patterns
Everyone loves something for free, and what's more fun than a free, downloadable pattern? Teddy Bear Times' pattern parade has many brilliant and varied patterns, complete with full make-up instructions and list of materials needed. bbpatterns have free patterns for miniature bears. And, unsurprisingly, the Teddy Bear Search Engine also has free patterns.
Patterns to buy
Of course there are always more patterns to buy than free ones, but one must remember that bear artists make their living from their bears, so you can't expect them to give everything away for free. The Canadian Bears & Bedtime has a good on-line, photo catalogue of patterns and kits (no online ordering).
Somewhere to buy supplies
One of the great advantages of on-line catalogues is that you no longer need to live near, or make a journey to, a supplies shop, but can browse at home. Christie Bears is a British site, UK on-line catalogue supplying everything from sounds to joints to fillings to patterns. As does Spare Bear as the name suggests.
What makes a collectable bear?
This article by a collector explains what makes a bear collectable and what standards a professional bear artist aims at, from the tip of a bear's nose to it's paw pads.
Spread the word
Electronic postcards abound, but what better than a bear card to shares ideas with a fellow bear lover:
Bear World and Teddies Trader postcards. Or if you'd like to find a beary penpal, Bearly International Pen-Pals will find you one in your age group.
Writing about bears
If you're an experienced bear maker wanting to share your knowledge with others, the British magazine Teddy Bears Times has on-line guidelines for prospective writers and welcome submissions.
Can't get enough?
There's even a search engine dedicated to bears Teddy Bear Search Engine which can be searched in English or French by site title, artist or brand name or by selecting criterions in the list-boxes such as nationality, kind of site, materials used to make the bears.
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