Information on Reborning
Hi. So now that you have had a chance to visit with my babies and I'm sure you have looked at other Artists babies on the internet and eBay. You are thinking to yourself that you would like to try this or that you can do this. Great. Welcome Aboard. Now you are thinking well how do I get started. This section is dedicated to all the new Artist out there that would love to try their hand at Reborn Babies but just don't know where or how to get started.
Getting Started
The first thing that I would like to tell you is this... The initial start up costs to purchase your supplies is somewhat expensive. The picture to the left is one of the Starter Kits that Bountiful Babies offers. It retails at 159.95. Now I know this seems to be a lot of money. But take it from me. I went with what I thought was the cheaper route and bought supplies a little at a time from different people. It ended up costing me twice as much as if I would have just bought this kit. Bountiful Babies offers many Starter Kits to choose from. You can find them at: http://bountifulbaby.com/seaside/index/home?_s=uJXwLGprNEOZIeql&_k=aIfCjkcd I was quite surprised that my oven did not run at the temp that it was programed at. In order for me to have 265 degrees I have to put my oven on 295 degrees. This makes a big difference when reborning. If the oven is not the right temp 2 things will happen and neither one is good. To low of a temp your paint won't cure and it will come off. To high of a temp and you will melt the vinyl and have a huge mess to clean up. So spend the money on both a starter kit and an oven thermometer! You won't regret it.
Why use Genesis Heat Set Paints.
Genesis Heat Set Paints are paints that have been used and have proven themselves to stand the test of time on reborn dolls. Yes you can use other paints and there are many different sellers on eBay and on the internet that offer different paints to paint vinyl dolls with. However, most of these paints are new to the market. While they may be wonderful to paint with they haven't passed the most important test...the test of time. Only after they have been on the market and have been in use for years will we know whether or not they will pass this test or not. I don't want to have to worry that one of my customers will call me a year from now and say that one of my babies are changing color, fading, chipping etc. this is why I personally use Genesis Heat Set Paints. I know that they will last. Genesis Heat Set Paints are easy to work with and they LAST a long time if used correctly. When they say a dab will do ya they really really mean it. Now there is also a thinning medium made by Genesis. I do not use this. Yes it is great and there are no problems with it however, I get the same effect and more product by buying Mona Lisa Paint thinner/brush cleaner. To thin the paint. I have tried other brands of thinner and I keep coming back to the Mona Lisa brand. You can purchase this thinner at Hobby Lobby and other Arts and Crafts Stores. Some Wal-Marts carry it also. Onto brushes. When you purchase the beginners kit from Secrist you will get sponges, brushes etc to get you started. You will find over time that you are going to need more. I buy my pouncing sponges from Bloomers n Bows. (picture below) ( www.bloomersnbows.com ) I love them! They force you to use the correct method of pouncing. I only use these pouncers to do my babies. I use regular cosmetic sponges that you purchase at Wal-Mart or drug stores to do my blending. Once you get used to reborning you may choose to use something else. You can use just the cosmetic sponges, sea sponges, household sponges etc. It is really up to you. For new artists though I recommend these pouncers. You will also need a couple of mop brushes and some fan brushes Some artist use Berry Maker brushes which can be found at Bloomers n Bows or your local arts and crafts store. I personally do not like the Berry Maker Brushes. I also recommend purchasing Puppy training pads. They work great to protect your work space, to wipe your brushes on and they are very easy to clean up. When you are done working simply roll up and throw away. Because you have to bake the parts between each layer of paint I recommend going to Home Depot or Lowes or even asking your husband to build a stand to place in the oven. I purchased mine from Home Depot. Its actual purpose was a wall hanging but it works great for my reborning. (see pic below) A lot of Artist simply lay a white towel on a cookie sheet. My towels unfortunately all have lint that would come off of the towel and stick to the parts. I have tried paper towels, napkins, cloth towels etc. The best thing is my little stand. It is simply a wood base with wooden pegs in it to hold the parts. I can fit a complete baby (heads, legs, arms) on it at one time and it will hold 2 14 inch vinyl bodies. Now you should have everything that you need to paint with. We will now discuss Mohair.
MOHAIR.
I have tried mohair from many different sources. I have purchased it raw, skirted and non skirted, completed, dyed and undyed. The best mohair that I have ever used has come from a lady named Debbie. She owns Mohair by Debbie which can be visited at www.mohairbydebbie.com. All you have to do is ask her to send you a sample and she will gladly send out each color that she has on a card so you can feel and see it for yourself! This is the only place that I have found that does this and it makes a world of difference. I just rooted my Emily baby (see pics on adopted baby page) with her mohair and I loved it! I won't purchase from anyone else. Believe me you want the highest quality mohair that you can get. Not all mohair is the same. The lower quality mohair can ruin an entire baby and all of your hard work. So again Spend the money on quality mohair. To root mohair you will need felting needles. I purchased a kit from Bloomers n bows. It contains 30 needles. Sounds like a lot but trust me if you are new to rooting you will find that you break a lot of needles. This is a great set as it has all the needles divided into labled slots. Which is great until you drop the kit like I did. So try not to drop it. I simply use the needle. I find I have more control over it this way. You will also need to have a clean white sock (tube sock) and raw uncooked rice. NOT MINUTE RICE. A bowl for water, microwave oven, combs, hair cutting scissors, E6000 or another kind of waterproof sealant, paint brush (cheap throw away kind) to spread the sealant and a lint brush or roll of masking tape to clean the hair off of you!
Eyes and Eyelashes.
I purchase my eyes from many different people. I get my eyelashes from Bountiful Baby. (www.bountifulbaby.com) they have wonderful baby size eyelashes so I don't have to fool with cutting them. They come in a wide range of colors. Each kit has different size eyes. So make sure that you write down what size your kit needs this way you will purchase the right size. Again. Spend the money and get good eyes. The eyes are what really brings these babies to life. I recommend Glass eyes and silicone eyes. They are costly but they are well worth it.
Weight and Fill
To weight my babies I use a combination of Fine Glass Beads, Poly-Fill, and Poly -Pellets. The fine glass beads resemble white sand. The ones I use are used for sandblasting. I purchase them at a local hardware store in 50 pound boxes. You can purchase smaller amounts on eBay and the websites that I mentioned. A 50 pound box fills a 5 gallon bucket. Poly-Fill can be purchased at Wal-Mart, and arts and crafts stores as well as on the internet. I personally purchase a New HypoAllergenic Pillow at Wal-Mart or another department store for my polyfill. It is the same exact thing that you are buying in the plastic bag but inside a cloth pillow sack. The cloth pillow sack is easier to keep the poly-fill in for storage then the plastic bag poly-fill comes in and it is a lot cheaper also. Poly-pellets can be purchased at the websites I have listed as well as Wal-Mart and Arts and Crafts stores in your town. You can also use breast enhancers (better known as chicken cutlets) sold at Wal-Mart and on the internet. These work wonderful in the tush and tummys. They are costly though about $15.00 to $25.00 per set. You can NEVER use ROCKS, SAND, GRAVEL, FOOD PRODUCTS, METAL, MARBLES, BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS. Only use the above mentioned items to weight your babies.
Magnets. Magnets can be found on eBay. You want to purchase earth magnets. These are super strong magnets. Im not kidding here. I have had them fly across the room literally. So make sure you keep them away from computers and other electronic devices. If you have a pace maker DO NOT USE MAGNETS. It can cause serious health problems for you.
Doll Kits
Doll kits can be purchased from all of the above mentioned websites (except mohairbydebbie). I personally purchase my doll kits from Grandmother's Attic http://grandmothersattic.net/index.html Carol Green is the owner of this wonderful site and she will answer any questions you may have about any of her kits. She also sells many manufactured dolls such as Ashton Drake, Middleton, Adora and Berenguer. Another great supplier of kits is Stephanie Sullivan at http://hunnybunsrebornsupply.com/home . Stephanie Sullivan is a reknown Reborn Artist that teaches classes, makes the Pat Secrist Tutorial Videos and she recently published a book The Art and Magic of Reborning. I highly recommend her new book. It is filled with tons of information and colored photos to help you get started. I also purchase from Suzette du Plessis at http://www.petitcherie.webs.com/. Suzette, is also a reknown Reborn Artist she does incredible breathtaking babies. I have learned so much from these three ladies and I am eternally gratefull for all that they have been willing to share.
So now that you have your supplies together you still are not ready to start reborning. I know I know you want to start already. Reborning takes a lot of patience so please have a little more. Before you begin I highly recommend doing the following things:
1.) Join some Reborn Chat rooms found on yahoo. I am a proud member of International Reborn Doll Artists (IRDA) there is an $18.00 membership fee with this group, however the online classes that are made available by some of the best reknown artist is well worth the $18.00. The three ladies above are all members. I also belong to Reborn Doll Chatters, and Reborn Doll Lovers Central. These groups will give you unlimited information about reborning, selling, picture taking, marketing etc.
2.) Buy Stephanie's Book. It has everything that you need to get started. She walks you thru the entire reborning process with color photos, examples and all. I personally have purchased her book and I highly recommend it to all new artists.
3.) Look at tons of baby pictures of real babies and reborn babies. Really study them. The hair patterns, skin tones, facial expressions etc. The more knowledge that you have going in the better the baby will turn out.
Finally, you are ready to begin. The most important thing to remember is to take your time. Your baby is not going to be like the thousand dollar babies you've been looking at on eBay. These artists have been doing this for years. With practice you will someday get there! Enjoy it. Don't turn it into a job. If you do your baby won't turn out the way you were hoping. If you have questions ask. Reborn Artist are the most wonderful people you can meet. Sure we have bad apples here and there but for the most part they are all willing to help and share their knowledge. Again Take your time! If you make a mistake don't freak out! The best part of reborning is all you have to do is remove the paint and start again! Last but not least. HAVE FUN AND WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF REBORNING!
Oven Thermometer
This is the oven thermometer that I use. It works great!
Bloomers n Bows Pouncers
These are the pouncers that I use. They retail for $3.95 plus shipping. They force you to use the correct method to pounce. They can be purchased at www.bloomersnbows.com
Stand that I use to bake the parts
As you can see I can fit an entire baby on this stand. It is simply a wood base with wooden pegs