For the Buddy Bear outline and guidelines, please download
Design our Buddy Bear!
The German Consulate presents an extraordinary opportunity to showcase your talent and promote peace and understanding through art. We invite you to participate in designing a life-sized Buddy Bear sculpture, an international symbol of peace and tolerance.
Calling all artists and creative minds!
The German Consulate in Bangalore is excited to organise a contest that allows you to showcase your artistic talents as we celebrate the cultural connections between Karnataka, Kerala, and Germany. The Buddy Bears, renowned symbols of peace and tolerance, will serve as the canvas for your creative expressions.
About Buddy Bears:
Buddy Bears are vibrant, life-sized sculptures that have become an iconic part of Berlin’s cityscape, symbolising tolerance and cosmopolitanism. Originally, a temporary art initiative in 2002, the Buddy Bears quickly became a permanent fixture in Berlin and an unofficial symbol of the city. See details here
How to Participate:
Eligibility: The competition is open to all Indian citizens and residents.
Design Concept: Create a design that reflects some connection between Karnataka and/or Kerala, and Germany. Consider elements such as heritage, landmarks, traditions, or any other aspects that showcase the cultural fusion. Feel free to explore various artistic representations and styles, such as graphic, structural, painting, abstract, or photorealistic. For inspiration, you can explore country-specific designs from the United Buddy Bears exhibition
Submission Process: Complete the online registration form Upload your design concept along with a brief description highlighting its significance and symbolism.
Selection Process: A jury of experts will review the entries and select the winning design that best represents the cultural harmony between the regions.
Production Process: The selected artist will be provided with a blank white bear sculpture as their canvas. Before the assignment begins, the final design must be agreed upon by the Consulate and the artist. A contour drawing of a bear is provided here to assist in the drafting process.
Presentation and Placement: The prize-winning Buddy Bear will be unveiled in Bengaluru, and it will find its permanent home at the German Consulate General in Bengaluru.
Competition Guidelines:
Originality: Designs must be original and specifically created for this competition.
Collaboration: The final design will be agreed upon by the Consulate and the selected artist before the assignment begins.
Medium: Artists may explore various artistic representations and styles, such as graphic, structural, painting, abstract, or photorealistic.
Deadline: Entries must be submitted by 30 June 2023.
Prizes and Recognition: The winning design will be painted/designed onto the life-sized Buddy Bear sculpture by the artist, which will be displayed prominently at a prestigious location. The artist will also receive INR 1,00,000 as prize money. Additionally, selected designs may be featured in promotional materials and media coverage, providing artists with an opportunity to showcase their talent and creativity.
Kindly note that the prize money is all-inclusive. The artist will be required to purchase the materials for designing the bear on their own; no extra funds will be granted for the same. If necessary, once the design is finalised with the artist, the Consulate can provide an advance payment to be used to purchase paints and other materials. However, that amount will then be deducted from the prize money, which will be paid out after completion of the work.
Some Dos and Don’ts:
Paint Quality: Use high-quality acrylic paints to create a multi-coloured, brilliant finish. Ensure the paints have lightfastness properties to maintain their vibrant colours over time.
Colour Stability: To ensure the longevity of your artwork, use UV-resistant paints that can withstand exposure to sunlight and maintain colour stability.
Mediums to Avoid: Please refrain from using oil paints, coloured pencils, or fibre pens, as they may not be entirely durable.
Avoid Paper or Foil Covering: Do not cover the bear sculpture with paper or foil, as these materials are not suitable for permanent outdoor installation. Maintain the integrity of the sculpture’s surface.
Finishing Touches: After completing the painting, the Buddy Bear must be given a 2-Component clear coat, consisting of varnish and hardener. This clear coat will protect the artwork and provide a glossy or semi-matte finish.
Copyright: With the selected artist, a transfer of copyright, unrestricted, and exclusive rights of use and exploitation covering the artistic design/painting of the sculpture will be agreed upon. This is to avoid later conflicts regarding the subsequent use of the design or to avoid publication.
Content: Political, racist or offensive motives on the bear as well as advertising texts or representations (e.g. brand logos) are prohibited.
Joint Entries: Joint entries are allowed. More than 1 artist may work on the design, but the prize money will not change. Please fill in the names of all the artists in one form.
About the canvas:
Material and Dimensions: Buddy Bear sculptures are meticulously handcrafted using GFK (Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic/Polyester). The dimensions of the bear are as follows: Height: 200cm, Width: 120cm, Depth: 80cm, Weight: 50kg.
These guidelines are intended to ensure the quality, longevity, and preservation of your artwork on the Buddy Bear sculpture and to help you come up with a sustainable design.
Let your artistic skills and imagination soar as you create a design that beautifully represents the connections between Karnataka and/or Kerala, and Germany. We eagerly await your submissions and look forward to showcasing your masterpiece!
European Brown Bear | Original Painting | Robert E Fuller
Brown Bear: I travelled to Finland in 2008 to photograph European Brown Bears. Bearwatching happens at night, when the bears come out of the forest into clearings to forage on berries and on other food. But, as they were only just south of the Arctic circle, it was light for much of the night.
Further Details
Delivery & Returns
About the art process A Robert E Fuller painting can take months, and sometimes even years, to realise. Each composition begins with a backdrop; designed and built in the wild to attract the wild subject he plans to paint. Much like film sets, these include props such as miniature drystone walls, reflection ponds, and even bird boxes fashioned from old tree stumps, all handmade by Robert.
“I’ve been known to nail autumn leaves to the entrance of a hollow log to ensure that when an animal looks through it the leaves are arranged ‘just so’,” Robert explains.
When he is happy with his backdrop, Robert retreats to his hide to wait for his wild subject – fox, badger, owl, weasel or stoat – to wander on ‘set’ and pose for its photograph. Back in his studio he starts work on his composition ideas, cutting up the photographs he has taken and re-arranging different animal poses against his backdrop.
“Sometimes I will add the head of a one stoat, for instance, to the body of another,” says Robert.
Once satisfied with the composition, Robert is ready to paint. Robert favours oil or acrylic paints, but also sometimes creates artworks in pencil. Among his ‘go to’ brands are Windsor Newton oils, Liquitex acrylics and Derwent Pencils.
Robert starts by blocking in the main colours of his backdrop, using a mini roller or large brushes. He then adds larger swathes of colour as required: grey for a stone wall or deep green for a wooded hillside, working from dark to light as he goes along. Next, he adds texture with a dry brush, using sweeping strokes for fur or feathers, or sometimes slicing into the paint with the wooden end of his brush to create bumpy effects for rocks or tree trunks. Robert then leaves his backdrop to dry, often for several weeks, before returning to sketch the main outline of his wildlife subject.
Working from his photographs, he draws in important features or markings with a pencil. Robert calls this the ‘ugly’ stage of his painting! He then returns to finish his backdrop, adding further detail, until, finally , he returns to his animal subject, building up the finer details like feathers or hairs with a fine brush.
“This helps the subject sits in its landscape more naturally,” says Robert.
The iris of an eye, or long whiskers of a fox are the very last details to go on.
