The Ultimate Guide on How to Make a Reborn Baby Doll
CHAPTER 1: GETTING EVERYTHING (and yourself) READY TO CREATE A REBORN DOLL
Reborning is an art. It takes knowledge, skills, talent and looots of patience!
Many of you might be by now professional reborn artists, and, as such, you will remember your beginnings, when you were experimenting, trying out, searching for resources and having those mix feelings between celebrating achievements and learning about mistakes not to make again.
For those of you, reborners, who are starting, All Reborn Babies wants to present a comprehensive guide that will assist you throughout your process.
We have compiled several resources created by professional reborn artists and put them together to help you achieve amazing results from the very first day.
We invite you to follow the several chapters of this guide, and with our instructions step-by-step, we will dramatically reduce the chances for errors and disaster.
Are you ready? Then, let’s get started!
Happy Reborning 🙂
Overview
STEP 1 .Getting your Doll kit
The first step when creating a reborn baby doll is to decide which one will be the base for your reborn baby. Some artists choose to operate on top of fully finished dolls, working on them to enhance them. Popular doll brands for reborning are Berenguer dolls or Ashton Drake. However, the preferred method nowadays is to use a doll kit especially made for the purpose of becoming a reborn doll. Many reborn artists and sculptors design moulds that are then reproduced into limited edition doll kits.
A Reborn kit contains many of the parts and pieces necessary to create a reborn baby. They usually include head, arms and legs, which are made of soft vinyl or a mix of silicone and vinyl to give the doll a soft squeezable touch. Optionally, the kits might include other supplies, such as a cloth body, a belly or rear vinyl plate, and the necessary pieces to assemble the different parts.
STEP 2. Getting the supplies
There are different doll kits and, as said above, you might find that some kits include more supplies than others. Well, it is important you do not forget any of the crucial parts that you will need for your reborn baby.
Click here to access a checklist of all the necessary items you need to create a reborn doll.
As basics, you will need to get:
- Stuffing materials for the cloth body
- Glass or plastic beads for weighting
- Rings, plugs and cable ties for connecting the different body parts.
- Hair: it can be synthetic, alpaca, mohair, or Remy Human hair.
- Plastic or glass Eyes (if the baby is awake)
- Eye-lashes
Your need for supplies will differ depending on how you envision your baby. Whatever you decide, you need to make sure that all the different elements are compatible with each other (for example, the plugs and rings for connecting the limbs to the cloth body need to have the same diameter).
STEP 3. Paints and tools that you need to create a reborn baby
The other supplies that you need in order to create the reborn doll of your dreams are paints and tools.
Paints
For what it refers to paints, there are many things to consider. First of all, what skin tone you want your reborn to be. Darker skin tones will require several more layers of paint. Another aspect you need to decide is if you want to use heat-set paints or air-dry paints.
Heat-set paints are more popular and they require you to bake the doll between each layer. That might seem difficult, but reborners make it work really well, and it is said that the effect is more realistic. Air-dry paints, on the other side, prevent the time-consuming and eventually risky task of baking the doll. It is said that repeatedly baking the vinyl releases toxic chemicals and can also cause damage to the doll in the long term.
There are lots of conversations between reborn artists about which type is best and there is not a single final answer. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference, requirements and resources available. If you are lost in this matter, you can check what experienced artists say about the issue.
For heat-seat paints, the most recommended are GENESIS (Amazon link). You can find specific all-ready sets with all you need for reborning for less than $50.
If you choose to go for air-dry paints, a very good choice is WATREBORNE (Amazon link). Similarly to the heat-set Genesis pack, you can get a whole doll maker set for specifically for reborning under $50.
Tools
Yes, you will need to do a bit of an investment to get started on making your own reborn baby dolls. However, like any other hobby, this is a must that easily pays off when you start seeing the rewards of your work. Usually, the basic tools that a reborner needs are:
- A rooting tool (for rooting or micro-rooting)
- A drill bit
- Glue
- Hobby knife
- Paintbrushes: thin scripting brush, wide mop brush, angle-brush
- A palette to mix the paints
- Paint thinner or acetone
- Cosmetic foam sponges and a sea sponge
- Drying rack
- Oven (it is not advisable to bake the parts indoors or in the oven where you bake your regular food)
When you start from scratch the first purchase might be a bit of a killer (not below $150 without including the oven). However, most of those things will last you for years, so if you re willing to continue with reborning and, maybe, even selling your dolls, it is an investment definitely worthwhile.
STEP 4. A Room of One’s Own
As British modernist author, Virginia Woolf already said almost 100 years ago, “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”. Well, the famous sentence is applicable to any art we can think of and I would basically interpret it as meaning that if you want to be successful and productive when immersed in your passion, you must have a comfortable workspace that contributes to your concentration and helps you put your creative talents to the best use.
Of course, every single artist wants (and should) have her own workshop. However, this is a reality for some but a dream for others, as not everyone might have the resources and space to achieve this. Basically, what you need to keep in mind is that the art of reborning requires talent, but also some physical space, so it is not really recommended that you set up your work station on your living room’s table, especially if it is in constant use and you will need to be setting and un-setting the whole parade quite often.
Find a place where you can work in peace and find your inspiration comfortably.
STEP 5. Washing up!
The very first step is to wash up all the vinyl parts of the doll in order to start working on it. Some artists use warm water and soap and make sure they dry properly. Some other reborners will use alcohol or acetone to have a deep clean and remove any remaining, oil, dust, paint or impurities present on the doll’s skin.
Most people choose dish detergent for the washing, as they are generally very good for removing grease. To make a thoroughly clean-up, it is recommended to use highly-concentrated rubbing alcohol, cotton rounds, a clean sponge and a brand new soft toothbrush.
You will need to separate the limbs and head from the body to proceed for the cleaning. It is a good idea to cover the openings of legs, arms and head with the plugs to prevent the water from getting inside the doll. It is not strictly necessary, but it will make your life easier, as sometimes drying or removing the water from inside the doll can be a tedious task.
You can first use the sponge to clean the vinyl parts with the dish detergent and warm water. The toothbrush will be useful to clean up the creases on the doll. Let it dry and generously apply alcohol on a foam sponge and rub it all over the surface of the limbs, head, and the belly and back plates (if you are using some). Leave all the clean parts drying or put them in your oven if you can’t wait to continue.
I hope this article was useful. Please feel free to comment and leave your thoughts, opinions and insights. We will be happy to hear your point of view and experiences, as for sure they can complement this information.