Polar Bear- Process

I began this task by buying several shower curtains and making a pattern out of the small brown bear rug to use as a proportion reference. I then purchased a large amount of polar bear fleece from Joann’s, which I sewed into a large rectangle which would fit into the basic dimensions of the polar bear without the arms and legs. Using the juvenile brown bear pattern (dubbed “baby bear”), I drew the size and proportion of the polar bear I would be constructing on another set of shower curtains. I showed this to the director for approval so he had an accurate idea of how the bear would look on stage. Before cutting out the fabric, I began work on the head, because I thought I could modify the fabric if the head was inadvertently larger or smaller than anticipated. I began by making a chicken wire frame, which I could build up bit by bit to insure structural stability. Once the frame was constructed, I sealed the bottom and sides with plaster strips. I used spray foam on the top of the head (which was open) to insure that the structure I created was light weight but sturdy. I then used Plaster of Paris to begin roughly shaping the more intricate details, such as the hollows of the eyes and the bridge of the nose. Once the plaster was dry, I continued to layer and add detail with cheap modeling clay and finally a thin layer of stone clay for additional strength. For the tongue, I took a sheet of wire mesh, shaped it into the contours I wanted, and covered it in clay. I then attached it into the mouth. I worried the actors would inadvertently kick the teeth out of the bear’s mouth, so I made them out of a solid chunk of Ladoll stone clay. It was very labor-intensive, but by the time the teeth had cured, you could kick the bear in the mouth without damaging the teeth. Once the head was done, I proceeded to paint the details that would be showing under the fur, as well as modge podge the entire bear’s head in hard coat to provide further strength. I cut out the fur using my pattern as well as referencing the size of the head and hot glued the fur to the head. As the polar bear fleece was very thin, I plushed it up with a thick gauze fleece as a lining. For the polar bear’s claws, I used mold clay to form flexible, curved claws that the actors could step on without breaking.