The Exciting Realistic Bear

by Pam North

Bear artists express themselves in many ways when it comes to their creations, and whether their bears are whimsical or classic in style, there is a slice of the collector market who will embrace it. One trend that has emerged is that of the realistic bear, one that closely duplicates those that live in the wild rather than in a toy shop. 

One of the talented artists who is highly skilled at reproducing that naturalistic look is Daria Pogorelaya, who lives in the Ukraine, and who has generously allowed a peek into her masterful and specialized techniques as she created her polar bear, Norman. Norman is a 21½ inch (55cm) sitting height bear made of high-quality artificial fur, with five disc-mount joints. He is firmly stuffed with fiberfill. He comes with a soft pillow, knitted scarf, a handmade leather passport, and a handmade leather backpack made by Daria’s husband, Sergey. 

Basic supplies needed to achieve the natural-looking bear are: tools for modeling, pliers, wire, dry pastel pencils, oil or acrylic paints, varnish in matte and shiny finishes. Two types of craft clay are used: polymer clay (Cernit, Sculpey, Super Sculpey, Fimo, Premo), which requires baking to make it hard; and air-dry clay (Activa La Doll Premier, Luna Clay Super, Jovi Clay. Das Clay, Japanese Craft Clay), which will dry in room temperature without baking. Polymer clay is a modeling clay with a polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) base; uncured it will stay soft in room temperature, hardening only when baked in the oven at a temperature recommended by the manufacturer. Air-dry clay will dry out in room temperature within 24 hours or a few days, depending on weather, and thickness of the model. 

Daria  has broken down the process of creating each of the several primary elements that contribute so importantly to the naturalistic bear: jaws/tongue/teeth, eyes, nose, and paw pads/claws.

Mouth: The mouth is composed of the jaws (movable or fixed in position), teeth, and tongue. While there is the option of obtaining a reproduction jaw set from a taxidermy supply (the badger set is small enough for a larger bear, and is similar in anatomy to that of a bear), most artists prefer to make their own components. The proportions for the jaw sculpting can be found in photos on the Internet of the teeth and jaws of a bear. Cernit polymer clay, in pink and white shades, is used for the mouth elements; pink for the jaws and tongue, and white for the teeth. Cernit is easy to model, and after heating the modeled piece according to package instructions, a hard, durable material is achieved. It then may be painted with oil paints, shaded with dry pastels, then finished with a varnish coat. The teeth are formed individually. A wire framework is created for each jaw; the upper jaw should be slightly wider than the lower jaw. The clay is formed over the wire framework. Marks are made for the locations of teeth, then a small amount of clay removed from each location to accommodate the insertion of each tooth. After all modeling and smoothing are completed, dry pastel shading is applied before baking, during which the dry pastels combine with the clay to obtain a very beautiful lifelike tone. The jaws are finished with a few layers of matte varnish, and on the tongue and teeth a coat of shiny lacquer is applied for a realistic effect. The upper and lower jaws may be connected with a rubber band at the back, using elastic through holes, if mobility is desired. The tongue is glued at the rear of the lower jaw, and for movable jaws, the tongue hides the attachment lines. The fastening of the jaw for a small bear is easy, but for a large bear there likely is a need for a flexible plastic, segmented skeleton, which allows the mouth to operate smoothly and be fixed in any position.

Eyes: Materials needed are glass eyes (obtainable from any taxidermy shop), Luna Clay Super (resin polymer cold porcelain clay) for the white eyeball area, air-hardening clay for the eyelids, oil paints in black and brown colors. Using the Luna Clay Super, make two identically-sized pieces (for accuracy, electronic scales may be used); form into two balls. Push glass eyes into the clay. To add realism to the eyes, tubular pieces of the air-drying clay are formed as eyelids. Surround the glass eyes with the eyelid pieces; mold to fit. After the clay dries, a coat of shiny clear lacquer may be applied to the corners of the eyes, creating the effect of moist eyes. 

Nose: The nose is made of polymer clay, Begin by forming the nose, balancing the proportions equally, and smoothing the surface to prepare it for texturizing. In order to simulate the texture of a real  bear’s nose, look around for items that could be used to impart that appearance. Useful items might be a needle, a stiff brush, a fine-grained sponge, a piece of material, or even a length of thread. Time, patience, and attention to detail will bring the desired result, after which the nose is baked to cure it. Tip: To save time and effort, when a perfect nose has been created and has been baked hard, a silicone mold may be formed to create duplicate noses for future bears of that size. The nose is painted black. If oil paint is used, it gives a completely different effect of the nose, but sufficient drying time must be allowed. In the crevices and around the edges, brown paint may be added, and for further shading of the nose, dry pastels may be used. Seal with a matte varnish, then add touches of shiny varnish around the nostrils. 
Paws: Materials needed are: wool, felting needles, felt, marker, glue, and oil paints. To make realistic bear paws, photographs may be found for reference on the Internet. Draw paw pad outlines for front and rear paws on felt, and cut out each shape, Using a needle for felting, begin working wool to form the padding for the paw pads. Cut out additional pad patterns in leather, this time leaving extra margin around edges so that the leather can round over the needle-felted base and then be secured beneath. Cover each wool base with its leather pad, sewing through the edges of the leather to bring them together underneath. After trimming any excess fur from the areas beneath where the pads will be placed, attach the completed pads to the bottom of each foot in the desired placement, with glue and stitching to secure. Oil paints may be used to shade the leather pads for a more realistic appearance. The surrounding fur around the pads also may be tinted with dry pastels for shading and dimension. The claws, made of polymer clay in the desired color and baked hard, are inserted at intervals at the front of each paw pad. A hole is made with an awl, and each claw inserted and glued. Bears have five claws on each of their four feet. 
Shading is a real plus for adding realism to the bear’s face, and the dry pastels may be used on the fur around the eyes, nose, and mouth areas to bring out more expression.

Real bears are very human-like in many ways in their skeletons and body shapes, and jointing the stuffed bears properly is important, resulting in pleasing posing and a realistic appearance. Again, the Internet can be useful in providing photographs and drawings for reference.   
The skilled artistry of craftsmen like Daria has contributed an exciting dimension to bear collecting, making it a true art form. Anyone who has grown tired of “teddies” can find new delight in these bears that look real.