Submitted by Pedro Gonzalez on 4/17/99. ( )
Hi, well i am about to get a 12´foot polar bear and i need to buy a
very good form the problem is that the forms i have seen are paper made
which i dont like ,i dont know the position 2 or 4 feet.
If anyone knows of a good form ,please let me know.PEDRO
This response submitted by John C on 4/18/99. ( )
pedro; sounds like your about to bite off a bit more project than you have done before.
The real detail will not show anywhere but on the face, and paws.
If you go with paper foam in from the inside. Next seal it with fiberglass resin on the outside. Mark all hip and joints, for alterations.
I would use New Method Fur Dressing to tan this one.
I think you will be doing a lot of modifications to the form just to get it to fit correctly.
John C
This response submitted by Carl on 4/18/99. ( carl@argyle.ednet.ns.ca )
Peter Knapton in Ontario has polar bear mannikins
1 800 565 5394
This response submitted by John Bellucci on 4/19/99. ( ArtistExpr@aol.com )
Hey there, Pedro,
Whether or not you like working with paper forms or not is a moot point. You might not have a choice... besides ther is NOTHING wrong with a paper mannikin.
You can make the job more enjoyable, by doing a little Dr. Frankenstein creativity... that would be using one of the new "Ray Line" Polar Bear changeout heads, sculpted by Tommy Ray -- formerly of Anchorage Alaska. He knows a thing or two about these great white bears!
You could use the highly detailed foam headform on the paper form. It will help if you first fill either the whole mannikin or just the upper portion with expandable two-part urethane foam. It will make changing-out the head a lot easier.
Give it a try, and don't give up! Good luck to you... John B.
This response submitted by George Roof on 4/21/99. ( georoof@aol.com )
Pedro,
John B. gave you the best answer you'll ever get. Tom Ray of Rayline is the undisputed master of big bears in my book. Call him. They have a form for you. If it doesn't fit like a glove, they will mark your form for you and their catalog give explicit details on how to make the form grow to fit the size you want. I've used most of the other forms for bears on the market, but I learned quickly. Rayline forms have an "attitude" the others haven't mastered yet. And so you don't think I'm getting a kickback, their forms are more expensive than most others, but they work better than all the others..