July/August 2008

ISSN 1916-3290 Lifelike Dolls $9.95 CAD

July/August 2008 Vol. 1 Issue 3

North America’s Premiere Reborning and Sculpting Magazine

How it’s Made: From Sculpts to Kits

In Living Colour: Using the colour wheel to get the skin tones you want

Featuring the creations of Adora Galeone

Weighted Realism: Techniques for weighting your doll www.lifelikedollsmag.com

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July/August 2008

What’s inside....

OOAK Baby by Christine Shapiro

Features: 4 Amazing Reborn Artist Adora Galeone 10 In Living Colour: Using the colour wheel to get the skin tones and colours you want 18 Sculpting a Miniature Baby: Continuing the sculpting tutorial with Tina Kewy 26 Cloth Sculpting: The next step in creating a cloth doll, a tutorial by Casie Brabham 31 Spotlight Artist Wendy Somerville 32 How it’s Made: A look at how a sculpt becomes a doll kit 36 Weighted Realism: Techniques and tips for weighting your reborn baby 39 Bloomers N Bows Painting Tips In every issue....

8 From the Editors 9 Portrait Dolls 16 Calendar and News 20 Ask the Artist 22 Gallery

24 Collector 28 Sculpting Competition 29 Beautiful Doll Sewing Tips 41 Craft Pattern 42 Fun stuff

Copyright ©2008 Lifelike Dolls. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any forms or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying, recording or by any information or retrieval system without written permission from the publisher. Prices subject to change without notice.

For reproduction information, contact: Lifelike Dolls 169 James St. S., St. Marys, Ontario, Canada, N4X 1B9, editor@lifelikedollsmag.com.

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AdoraGaleone ABOUT ADORA Adora Galeone is the incredibly talented reborn artist behind Bimbi dei Dolci Sogni - Sweetdreams Babies nursery. A native to Italy, Adora is happily married and is a proud mother to two beautiful little girls. Adora is a personal assistant for a law firm, and for the last four and a half years she has been creating exquisite reborn babies in her spare time.

Adora has always loved baby dolls and she continues to be a doll collector as well as a doll artist. Her artistic abilities can be traced right back to her childhood when she used to sew cloth dolls and teddy bears for herself. She studied oil painting and life drawing in school, and most of her experience lies in the fine arts. For many years her main hobby was painting oil on canvas, and more recently she has had the opportunity to combine her artistic talent with her love for babies by creating realistic baby dolls.

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JOURNEY INTO REBORNING I first discovered reborn dolls while surfing Ebay and I was immediately captivated by their realism.

I started looking for information and joined some dolly boards to learn the art directly from the artists whose babies had stolen my heart on Ebay. I wanted to make my own babies so badly and somehow I knew I could, I just needed someone to point me in the right direction. I found all the help and inspiration I was looking for on the boards, I will always be very grateful to those kind and generous artists. Some of them were the first to receive an invitation to the international doll artist guild I founded in 2006. D.A.D.E. (Doll Artist Dedicated to Excellence) has been formed to reunite my fellow doll artists and to promote quality and professionalism in doll making. These days it is an acknowledged guild and I’m very proud and honoured to have the most talented reborners and doll sculptors with me.

CREATING BABY DOLLS I love the art of reborning very much, it is amazing to see play dolls “come to life” after they undergo a time consuming and never easy process. I continually update my methods to move forward as an artist and to offer the highest quality and durable babies possible. I manage every step of the reborn process, from painting and rooting to photo shooting. My babies won’t leave the nursery unless everything is as perfect as possible. Regarding my techniques, I paint my babies with genesis permanent paints and I use premium kid mohair to micro-root the heads. I custom sew their cloth bodies (I modify the pattern for each baby to always have the perfect size cloth body) and fill them with soft polyfill, little polypellets and tiny glass beads.

My favourite part when reborning is painting.

The most challenging task for me is making each

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baby with different and realistic skin tones, from peaches and cream to AA babies. My favourite type of reborn baby to create is a sleepy newborn baby boy with a full head of dark hair.

Adora has created over one hundred reborn dolls and she stays in touch with many of her buyers, and has not only stayed in contact with her very first buyer, but they have also formed a friendship. Adora’s customers seem to demand just born baby girls more than older babies and boys. There’s also high demand for African American babies, and Adora has been told she has the ability to capture the very essence of a dark skin baby. She has created several portrait dolls and she had the unique honour of making a portrait doll of the famous US rocker Jeordie White/Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson bass player) which is well loved at his mother’s house.

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GUILDS AND AWARDS Adora has been invited to some prestigious artist guilds, like GERBA (Guild of Exceptional Reborn Baby Artistry), CRIB (Collectible Reborns Irresistable Babies) and PROUB (Providing Reborns of Unbelievable Distinction). She has also received the STAR Award of Excellence in the Art of Reborning. The most precious feedback/recognition comes from the “adoptive moms” from all over the world. Here is some feedback that she has received from buyers: “I find it hard to explain my feelings towards Elisa just in a few lines. She’s incredibly realistic, she’s even more beautiful in person.

When I first saw her all I could say was: ‘I’m your loving mommy’... I know it may sound weird, I know it’s “only” a doll, but sometimes it’s hard to believe she won’t ask for her bottle and she’ll keep on sleeping peacefully, maybe harder to realize all the joy she can bring. I’ve stared at each detail, my Elisa is gorgeous, so cuddly and baby smelling... I will never stop caring for her.

I really love her very much.”

The following is from a lady who was childless at the time of her “adoption”. She wanted to have a real baby but after some miscarriages she had almost lost hope to have her own child. After she adopted one of Adora’s babies, she became pregnant and had a beautiful baby girl. Later on she told Adora she believed the reborn baby helped her get rid of the stress and have a baby.

“Molly Ann is a part of my family now. She brought us freshly joy and happiness. She’s amazing, you don’t know how to react when you see her: you’d like to kiss and cuddle her and yet you’re afraid to touch her just like you’d never want to ruin a delicate flower... Molly has given me new strength and hope for the future... She’s like a never ending springtime in my heart and in my home!!! Thank you.”

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Some very talented doll artists have emailed Adora to compliment her on the great job she did on their sculpts, including Tinneke Huti, Margaret Mousa, Laura Tuzio-Ross and Petra Seiffert.

Adora’s talent and keen eye for realism in doll art has been gracing the homes of collectors for several years, and her legacy will live on in these dolls for years and years to come. She is a true artist and a truly gracious person who is willing to share her talent with new artists who strive to create beautiful reborn dolls.

“Five years have passed since I fell for the art of reborning, I’m still making reborn babies with the same love and dedication and I still enjoy the dolly boards. This time it’s me offering help to the new artists, it is my chance to give back what I was given when I was a beginner.

I don’t know where the art of reborning will go in the future, yet I can definitely see myself still making baby dolls. Maybe the techniques will change, but my love for dolls will never cease.” Adora

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...from the Editors.

One of the things that I respect most about the art of reborning is the way it is always evolving. New mediums, different tools and various techniques create so many possibilities for each completed doll, that it is practically impossible to end up with two identical dolls. Each creation is an opportunity for learning new skills and surpassing past achievements in realism.

There are also so many different methods used to reborn that there is seemingly no “right way” or “wrong way” to do things. This diversity is one of the reasons I wanted to create Lifelike Dolls magazine. There are so many talented artists out there and I am so excited to be able to share their experiences and techniques with both new and experienced artists around the world. I hope that each and every one of our readers gets something positive from the articles and tutorials and puts down the magazine with a keen desire to create lifelike baby dolls to the best of his/her ability. As an artist myself, I have learned a great deal from our contributors and I am eager to try new techniques and create beautiful dolls.

I just recently attempted my first mini sculpt and I have to say I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a very difficult art and one must have a very keen eye to do it. I was quite taken with the amount of time it takes to get things looking just the way you want them to and the amount of smoothing required ...unbelievable!!

You really must have good attention for detail and an eye for proportion, and lots of pictures to use for reference!

I’ll share a little picture of my first attempt but you have to promise not to laugh!

I have certainly found a new respect for all the sculptors out there creating these beautiful babies and kits for us to reborn!

Until next time!

Cheryl Bage

Happy Reborning!

Sheri McDonald

Do you wonder where we find the artists and collectors to feature in Lifelike Dolls? In our email box! Keep sending those submissions! Include a bio about yourself and how you got involved in the dolly world, your web page (if you have one) and some high quality pictures of your work.

The Sept./Oct. issue of Lifelike Dolls is underway, and we need your submissions. If you have experience, knowledge, tips or even just some comments on any of the following subjects, send them to us: • Creating amazing skin tones and textures • Posing and photographing your baby • Creating dynamic auctions Send all submissions to editor@lifelikedollsmag.com.

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Portrait Dolls Barry Cathers Victoria, BC, Canada

Art in one form or another has always been a very important part of my life. Since childhood I`ve persued drawing and sculpting with the goal to capture lifelike expressions and realism. It was after a family trip to Greece in 2001 that I took up scupting seriously inspired by the wonderful works of art that I saw there. I began sculpting figures in self-hardening clay but had disappointing results. The pieces were very fragile and most broke after a short while. It wasn`t until I discovered polymer clay through a friend that I was able to gain much better results.

This material provided a great deal more creative possibilities.

After seeing the Lord of the Rings movies I knew this was a great resource to draw from to make so many interesting characters. It was also a great opportunity to make lifelike portraits. With each character I wanted to get more then a likeness, I also wanted to show their personality and character.

I set as a goal to sculpt the nine principle characters (of the fellowship of the ring) as a new years project hoping to sculpt them all within a year; I came close. Later I made many more of the secondary characters as well.

In 2005, after seeing my work, internationally renouned doll artist and teacher Jack Johnston invited me to exhibit my work with the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild in Washington D.C. At the time I did not know many of the important names involved in the industry. Through a chance meeting I was introduced to Sonja Hartmann of the company With Heart and Soul based in Berlin, Germany.

After seeing my work she asked if I had ever made children dolls; I said no, her response was “but you can make children can`t you�. I said sure I can make children, not realizing how much work and practice it would take to make something worth while.

This was the beginning of a very fruitful colaboration. I was awarded a contract to produce dolls for her company. I have been developing dolls exclusively for Heart and Soul since then and have made many dolls for doll shops in Europe and the U.S. I have also made many dolls for Home Shopping Europe and more recently for another shopping channel called the RTL Shop. In the Fall of 2006 I was invited to come to Munich by Home Shopping Europe to present my dolls on-air. In January of this year my dolls premeried with Heart and Soul in Orlando and later at the Nuremburg in Febuary.

I enjoy sculpting people of all ages. With adults I try to convey a look that expresses their personality mood and character.

Children are the most difficult to portray; to keep everything in balance and proportion is always a struggle. Their features are rounded and do not have angles to work from like you would with adult faces. The greatest challenge with sculping children is to convey a look of childhood innocence combined with sweetness and expressivness while keeping everything balanced and measured. When it comes to making dolls you should not be afraid to start over again if a piece is not working. You can not rush things, it takes time to develop. Sometimes it`s good to move on to something else and come back to it later. I usually like to have about three or four different works on the go, that way if I`m having difficulty with one I move to the next and when I go back to the first one I am able to work at it with a new direction and perspective.

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To contact me E-mail: pcathers@telus.net To see more of my work check out www.dolltraditions.com and www.artdolls.com

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Using a Colour Wheel There are several dolls on the market, which are being used to create reborn babies. While there are doll kits being produced in a neutral tone (neutral meaning without a predominant colour cast or hue in one direction or another; I have noticed this with some of the German produced vinyl kits). In many cases the vinyl may have a strong orange, pink or yellow cast to it. Here we will discuss how to neutralize these colours, taking into account their opposite colour on the colour wheel. This article is to give you an idea of how to make tonal adjustments using paints to compensate for a strong colour cast.

very strong. Add too much blue or green and you will see how quickly it completely takes over your blend. To fix this problem, just continue adding more of your base colour…flesh tone or blush colour, and continue blending until you see the subtle effect you are after.

Think in terms of light layers, it is better to achieve the effects you are after by applying multiple thin washes of colour, which retains the luminess quality natural to human skin, rather than painting on a thick heavy layer.

The most important thing to note when discussing colours is the fact that while we look at a skin colour and describe it as a single colour, the reality is that it is actually a combination of colours. And the ratios in which those colours are combined are what influence the colour we see. It may sound complicated, but really it is just a question of training our eyes to see the colours within the colours.

Sometimes we know what colour we are trying to achieve, but other times, we may just want to neutralize a colour. Perhaps you have been a little zealous with the red blush on your baby’s face, and the look is resulting in more of sunburn than a natural blushing.

You can always neutralize a red with green, applied in very thin washes (either mixed with thinning/glazing medium or odourless thinner and apply very thinly), this will help to tone down red cheeks.

Keep an eye on the type of red, if it’s a cool red, with some blue/purple tone to it, neutralize it with a green that has some yellow in it or blend green with a bit of yellow ochre. If it’s a warm red, with tones of yellow/orange, neutralize it with a bluish-green or mix in a bit of blue and green with your original blush colour. With that in mind, when applying your blush to begin with, you should always blend in a little green to neutralize it from the start, which will result in a softer more natural effect.

Always bear in mind the strength of these colours. Genesis paints are very heavily pigmented, which means a touch will go a very long way, and certain colours are naturally 10

We will take a look at 3 different brands of doll kits, each having a heavy cast of one colour or another.

I will demonstrate how you can use the colour wheel along with your paints and your trained eye to bring all three heads to a neutral colour. From a neutral base you can then go one to create a variety of skin tones. Another advantage is you will now have the ability to mix and match various body parts from different manufacturers, without the worry of the parts looking like they do not belong.

An example is shown above where the doll head and limbs had a strong peach colour and the tummy plate had a strong pink colour. By applying these techniques and neutralizing the colours, I was able to get all body parts blend with one another. A very handy trick when you have as many bits and pieces of kits lying around as I do!

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Understanding your Colour Wheel Here are examples of simple colour wheels. I recommend using something similar to the ones pictured here, so as not to confuse things. Note how each colour has a colour directly opposite from it on the wheel.

This opposing colour represents its colour opposite, the value needed to neutralize or counter that colour. Even within a single colour there will be other colour influences present. Reds can be orangey, or pinky or peachy; Blues can lean towards green or lean towards red/purples…with many possible option in between. It is helpful to take note of this sometimes, as it helps to recognize these hidden values. Lets begin with 3 different heads, each very heavily cast in a various colour. Look closely to see if you can identify the predominant colour within each.

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Pink (Red/Blue)

Peach (Yellow/Orange)

#1

#2

Ochre (Yellow/Green)

Looking at the colour wheel, we can find the colour that closely matches each vinyl colour.

#1:

#2:

#3:

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#3

Kevin James Reese Member of the LLRG Guild & CRIB Reborn Guild Š Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

To bring each of these vinyl colours to a more neutral skin colour, I need to find the opposite of each colour on the colour wheel.

Vinyl #1 we determined was a cool pink and therefore the opposite on the colour wheel is Bluish Green.

Vinyl #2 is a peach colour and its opposite is Blue.

Vinyl #3 has a yellow colour and it’s opposite is Purple.

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Now that we have all of this information, we are ready to begin blending our paint colours.

Here are several of the colours I use when painting Caucasian skin tones.

What I will demonstrate is how to bring each of these three-vinyl colours to a neutral starting point by adding each vinyl’s opposite colour to my flesh blend.

I begin with Odourless Thinner and Glazing Medium and then add Flesh 07, which is a wonderful starting point because it is a very neutral flesh colour. To this I usually add Flesh 08, Titanium White, and a small amount of Yellow Ochre and Pyrrole Red 05.

For vinyl #1 I’m also going to add a small amount of Phthalo Green, to neutralize the strong pink tone. If you do not have Phthalo just create a blue/green blend yourself and add a tiny amount to your base skin mixture.

I use the same initial colour for vinyl #2 except this time I will add Blue to neutralize the peach tone.

With vinyl #3 I begin with the same initial pain blend as with the previous two and to that I will add Purple, again you could blend a purple yourself, making sure to add a stronger blue value to it.

You can tell how little paint you need in order to tint your base flesh blend. There is just a tiny amount of Green on the tip of my paintbrush.

Hopefully you can see the very subtle different between all three base flesh blends.

Apply your base flesh colour as you normally would, using a brush or sponge technique. The idea is always to apply very thin washes of colour in multiple layers if need be.

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Notice the differences between the left and right side of each head.

This gives you an idea of how the colour has changed.

Having neutralize the strong hues present in each vinyl colour, notice how all three heads are much more similar to one another in their base colour.

Now from this neutral starting point, you can then go on to create whichever skin colouring you desire.

Before After

Article written by Michele Barrow-BĂŠlisle MBB Creative Doll Design www.mbbcreativedolldesign.com sales@mbbcreativedolldesign.com www.lifelikedollsmag.com

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July 5, 2008 10am-5pm Beginner Reborn Doll Making taught by Cheryl Bage MacPherson Arts & Crafts, 91 Queen St E, St Marys, ON Canada 1-800-238-6663, info@macphersoncrafts.com July 16 - 19, 2008 International Doll Makers Association 2008 Convention “A Dolly Christmas in July” Double Tree Hotel Dearborn 5801 Southfield Expressway Detroit, MI 48228 jkeck1@aol.com July 20, 2008 10 am to 4 pm 25th Annual Dolls in Summer Venue Earle Brown Heritage Center 6155 Earle Brown Drive Brooklyn Center, MN 55430 July 26-27, 2008, Sat 10a-8p; Sun 10a-6p America’s #1 Doll Show Venue FLamingo Hotel & Casino - Reno Ballroom 3555 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109

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18 “A Dolly Christmas in July”

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AUG 24, 2008 10am to 3pm NORTHERN OHIO Doll & Bear Show & Sale Holiday Inn, 1-71 & Route 82, Strongsville, Ohio

AUG 8-10, 2008 Doll & Teddy Bear Expo Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC. ShelleyS@jonespublishing.com August 9, 2008 10am-5pm Sculpting OOAK Baby Doll taught by Dawn McLeod MacPherson Arts & Crafts, 91 Queen St E, St Marys, ON Canada 1-800-238-6663, info@macphersoncrafts.com

AUG 31, 2008 10am - 4pm Doll Show & Sale “Let’s Play Dolls!”

Seneca County Opportunity Center. 780 E. Senaca Co Rd 20. Tiffin, Ohio

Aug. 17, 2008 10am - 4pm Doll Sale Tri-State Dolls, A non-profit organization, UFDC, Antique to Modern, Collectibles, Bears & Supplies Best Western at Hunt’s Landing 120 Route 6 & 209, Matamoras, PA 18336 August 23, 2008 10am-5pm Beginner Reborn Doll Making taught by Cheryl Bage MacPherson Arts & Crafts, 91 Queen St E, St Marys, ON Canada 1-800-238-6663, info@macphersoncrafts.com

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Sculpting 101: From Clay to Creation

By Tina Kewy

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1. Picking up where we left off, we blend in all the pieces we added except the chin.

We will add this again after we blend in the bottom lip.

2. Pieces blended and I am starting to build the eyebrow and making the eye socket smaller so I can build the eyelids.

Remember to save time and printing space I am showing only one side of the face but you should/could do both at the same time. With your cup silicone tool create the nostril as shown here. Just place the cup end, thin end near the nostril and gently push around.

3. I have blended in the eyebrow and added some check mass here. I have also toyed around with the mouth a bit. Remember the lower lip tucks in UNDER the upper lip. This is very important. Babies have small jaws and usually their lower lip is tucked under their upper lip. This gives your baby doll a more baby-ish look still.

4. A side view. We still have to add the forehead for our head to look more human and more correct.

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5. To achieve the most newborn look, remember to build cheek mass and check it from the side as well. The bit the arrow points to should be very puffy when looked at *from the side*.

If it is flat your baby will look like a little old man… unless you are going for a preemie look.

6. The closed eyes are actually an upper and lower eyelid, just like in real life.

Don’t just make a ball and divide it in two, do it like it is in reality.

7. I have now blended in the eyelids. If you are going for a full term baby, the eyelid’s outer corner and the corner of the eyebrow connect (because newborns have puffy eye and that’s where the puffiness is). If you are going for a preemie look, you make the eyelid appear more “sunken” but gently pushing the corner away from the “bone”.

8. The famous “fat pad” newborns have. The chubbier the baby, the bigger this pad is. As the child grows older it recedes to a gentle curve. Make sure yours is prominent if you are going for a newborn look, and when look at from the bottom up (head tilted back, looking from the chin up) it forms a straight slope and not a curve.

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9. The fat pad is blended in and I have played around a bit with the eye.

10. A side view. The nose still looks odd because the forehead is still missing…

11. Here we add the forehead. Roll out a piece of clay about 1/3 of an inch thick and place it on the forehead like a compress.

12. Blend it in carefully. This should obscure the “eyebrow” we did previously. It’s ok. We will re-work it later.

13. The side view. See how the nose came out beautifully without doing anything else!

Look for Part 3 in the Sept/Oct issue... www.lifelikedollsmag.com

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Ask the Jeannine Holper

Ask the Reborner...

Q. I have reborn only a few doll sculpts, I am still learning a lot.. I have had a little trouble getting a correct skin colour when I use the newborn pink flesh toned kits. They come out with a little purple, blue grey undertone, which makes them look like they are dead. How would I achieve a much healthy, natural skin tone?

I did a followup question regarding what colors were used, and what painting medium was selected. Here is the response: I use genesis heat set paints. I use a very slight blue/purple for the eyes, temples, above the lip, but very minimal. I then layer with a pre mix of flesh. I do not use the odorless thinners with my paints...I use the thinning medium mixed with the colour of choice aprox half thinning medium to half colour. I do two to four layers of flesh colour on the pink vinyl.

After this I use the warm brown blush and very lightly with a paint brush pounce this over the doll. Then I do the same with the red. If the doll is the newborn pink vinyl, I use very little red and more warm brown. I use a heat gun to set each layer, and place all the parts the oven at the end of the paint job.

A. Here are two things to think about. On the facial features of the doll sculpt, I would avoid using the blue or purple colors exterior painting work. If you want the bluish undertones on the facial areas, apply that coloring on the inside of the head sculpt. Using blue/purple colors directly on the pink vinyl can result in the wrong color base to create lifelike skin tones on the face. Instead consider to apply those colors to the inside of the head, or consider a lavender or light wine color.

For the remainder of the doll, if the pink vinyl is reacting adversely to the flesh, browns and reds, then I believe you will need to start the process with a different base set of colors.

I use a six step coloring process starting with Titanium White, then Yellow is added, followed by a few layers of Flesh tones (of your choice), then the soft Brown or Reds/Pinks to create a soft Maroon color; and end with additional accents required for the look I wish to create. I also use lots of Mineral Spirits / Odorless Thinning medium. If your doll is especially pink or red, you may wish to start with two or more initial layers of the white/ yellow combination to tone down the original vinyl color.

I prefer the odorless thinners for a doll’s skin tone colors. A translucent color base used with sponges to apply each layer will give you a skin tone which looks natural, and using the odorless thinner will give you a translucent base, so that each sponge applied layer will be allowed to show portions through to the layers beneath.

This Six Step process is outlined in detail in the book Excellence in

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Reborn Artistry™ Case Study #9: Newborn Layering Techniques, and also in Case Study #10: More On Mottling. These techniques can be used with Genesis, Acrylics, Oils and Gouache paints.

Q. I have just painted the twins Ronnie and Milla by Bonnie Brown.

Milla was pinker than her twin Ronnie. It was quiet difficult to get Ronnie and Milla’s skin color to look similar. Is there any secret to doing twins to ensure that they are similar in color?

A. If you are working with dolls that have a different base color, then it will be more difficult to ensure that they are exactly the same.

However many twins have slightly different shading, so I don’t see that as a big issue.

If you wish to have them as close as possible the same skin tones and coloring, here are two suggestions: 1) If the kits or dolls are the same skin tone to begin with, just make sure you reborn them at the same time, meaning that each layer would be done exactly in the same order with the same colors at the same time. To do this, you need to make sure that you mix enough of your paints so that it will cover both doll parts “layers” completely without running out of paint. As soon as you introduce another color in the layering process, even if it is only to add in additional colors when you run out in an attempt to make more of the same color base, you will start to see slightly different shades in your work. This is because you will never be able to mix the exact same amount of thinner with each color in the layering process. Your target amount of paint mixture would be to ensure that you have extra when you are done with that layer; which of course, you can use when mixing any subsequent layers.

2) If you are working with kits or dolls with a different base shade of the vinyl, your best bet is to pick one kit or doll and alter their coloring before you start the reborning painting layering process. You will want to attempt to match the base color before you start, which will give you the best chance of success. Of course, I can’t tell you exactly which one to pick or which shades to add, as I don’t have a picture of what you are working with, however it is the best suggestion that I have for you.

Jeannine Holper is the founder of Excellence in Reborn Artistry™ reborn mentoring club www.rebornartistry.com and is an IDEX Shows Workshop Instructor. She has authored of over 25 books on reborn artistry techniques and soft body patterns for reborns and doll kits. To browse some of her work, please visit www.lulu.com/jeannine Tip: I have a tip that my Mom taught me when I got my first reborn. To make the neckline on a dress or top fit better, take button/carpet thread and cut it longer than the neckline. Knot one end and then with a needle put it through the seam or inside the binding of the neckline and pull it snug to fit the neck of the baby doll then knot the other end. The neckline fits nicely and the cloth body doesn’t show. The button/carpet thread is thicker and less likely to break after time. I do all of my new baby outfits. Linda - BlessedBabyReborns

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Artist...

Tina Kewy

Ask the Sculptor...

Q. What do I paint my sculpture with?

Q. Tina, what do you use inside your dolls’ head?

A. Acrylics suitable for ceramics work well with plastic based polymer clays. However test a small area first or a piece of cured clay and leave it aside for a week or so as some browns, tend to turn orange over time.

You can also use Genesis paints with more forgiving clays like Living Doll because these are harder to overbake/cause c-cracks on.

Lastly chalk works well as long as you seal it afterwards.

A. I use Styrofoam for the bigger babies and aluminum foil armatures for the tiny ones. Be careful when you bake a head with Styrofoam as the base. Do not exceed the curing temperature and do not leave your head in the oven for more than 40 minutes!! Styrofoam is reliable when used under strict guidelines but can cause quite a mess when overbaked because it shrinks into a tiny size leaving the head hollow.

I only use Styrofoam for the heads of my dolls. I use my own made foil armatures regardless of size for the limbs.

Tina Kewy has been sculpting in clay since she was 7 years old. She has tried her hand on all sizes from less than 2 inches to full size 35”toddlers but she is mostly known for her realistic newborns and premature sculptures.

Tina has been teaching sculpting and anatomy for the past 10 years all over Europe and has had her sculptures reproduced in many mediums by many companies worldwide. Her premature sculptures have a prominent home in many hospitals all over the globe through the “Bonding” program. She lives in Greece with her husband and twin boys. www.tinakewy.com

Q. How do I get my doll to be smooth?

A. I wish there was some magic formula or trick for this but there isn’t.

It’s something that comes with time and practice. If every piece you put on your sculpt is smoothed out as you go along, you will end up with a fairly smooth sculpt at the end. Remember to do the work now or it will pile up later.

You must also learn not to touch your sculpt. Ok this sounds a little odd, right? What I mean is, your fingers will eventually adjust to the pressure it takes to work the sculpt without making indentations to already sculpted and smoothed parts.

Lastly before you bake don’t forget to take your sculpture around the house and look at it under different lights so spot any little bumps you might have missed.

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The G 22

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Gallery www.lifelikedollsmag.com

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Collecting is Like a Box of Chocolates...

“You can’t have just one!”

My Box of Chocolates!

Hello to all you wonderful collectors out there that have that Box of Collectors Chocolates in front of you. My name is Jan Dawson and I live in beautiful Southern Ontario, Canada where the best fruit belt around is located and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Niagara Falls, is just a sweet distance away. My husband of 36 years and four grown children (who have left the nest) have enjoyed my love of collecting Reborns and Sculpts. I am an accountant for 3 busineses which sure keeps me quite busy. The OOAK Reborning and Sculpts sure is great therapy for that ever so often OOAK day you had.

I think the first taste of collecting came to me when I was around four years old where I started digging to collect insects and bugs. I sure took great care of my little six or eight legged friends in mason jars.

I collected anything that crawled and even created OOAK carriers for the crawlies. I kept my parents soft on their toes for sure. They would sneak under my bed and release them and tell me the fairies came and let them out to play… so off I’d go again digging and making better carriers. That is when I think the first chocolate started in the “Collecting Box of Chocolates”. I have always enjoyed the Art World and have done my share of knitting, sewing and smocking when the children were small.

I started reborning four years ago when I came across a reborn that looked so lifelike on Ebay. I am sure some of us thank Ebay for this wonderful art that got us started.

Then, as the last child left, the reborning and collecting took hold fast. I had used my daughter’s room to store my reborns and one day I took her up there to see my collection of babies. As soon as she saw them, she turned around and said “Mom, I think I just started to ovulate” and walked out of the room smiling.....”See the first layer of the box of chocolates is full now!” is what I said to her.

One day, I just happened to check on ebay and saw some OOAK sculpts and guess what? I was hooked! Words cannot express how wonderfully enchanting these small wonderful pieces of artwork are. The expressions on these babies are endless. Happy, pouty, sleepy, cranky and they come in all shapes and sizes. And don’t forget those outfits! They sure needed loving by me...I had to get to my second layer of chocolates started for sure, since my first was already done with reborns. I got my beautiful new cabinet that no dishes were ever going to see the light of day in. Only my Sculpts would put there wee bottoms on this layer of glass. The UPS driver soon got to know me by name and, needless to say, parcels from the Post Office started to pile at my front door. They knew that if my car was not in the driveway, I was not available for greetings. Neighbours thought I had a store in my basement. Nope, I just had to know my second layer of chocolates was almost finished. Just a few more and that would be enough! I could maybe squeeze the babies together for hugs and that would give me more room. After all, chocolates do come in all different shapes and sizes, right? It sure worked, as I got a few more sweetie pies in, and now the box of chocolates is filled to

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the brim. Then I started to think “I should be able to do this....after all, I sure have enough babies to study from”. Maybe other new collectors out there in the OOAK world just might have a box of chocolates that need filling and my Sculpt could be one who would find that sweet space.

I am now planning to give this wonderful artwork a good honest try. I have many friends who will be there along side of me for help if need be. There is nothing like collecting and each and every one of my OOAK Sculpts and Reborns have a wonderful story behind them. If they could only talk, I know they would be telling me “Our Box of chocolates is now complete!”

Jan Dawson Reborn Artist Butterfly Kisses Nursery www.butterflykissesnursery.net

Gallery Credits

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1. Mel`s Reborn Angels 2. Adora Galeone - Bimbi dei Dolci Sogni - Sweetdreams Babies 3. Stacey Haskins - Haskins Heavenly Babies 4. Sharon Ogle - Aquarius Angels 5. Claudia Maheux - Flutterbies & Scutterbotch Nursery 6. Lynda Sprake - Bellers Babies 4 U 7. Christine Shapiro 8. Gail Carey - New Dawn Nursery 9. Barry Cathers 10. Marylin Howard - Little Seahorse Nursery 11. Lynda Sprake - Bellers Babies 4 U 12. Rene Schwarz - The Stork Bite Nursery 13. Lillb’ees Reborn Baby Nursery 14. Dee Stastny - Dimples *N* Dewdrops www.lifelikedollsmag.com

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Soft Sculpture:

Baby Arm & Hand Shapings

By Casie Brabham When I began making cloth babies the arm style of my dolls was very simple. As I evolved and improved my skills the arm styles of my dolls changed. I now do the arms and hands several different ways. On some dolls I only soft sculpt the fingers, while other dolls I sew each individual one. To vary the look of the dolls hands I will sometimes leave the hand open or make it a fist. Below I will show you the varying styles and also how to sew each.

The simplest way to make cloth baby hands is to soft sculpt them. Close the opening of the arm with a ladder stitch. I use a disappearing ink fabric marker to draw the fingers onto the hand.

Use your long doll needle to push through the last ladder stitch and down to the first finger line.

Stitch along the finger line about 3-4 times. When you reach the end of the finger wrap the thread around the end and push the needle through the fabric up to the next finger line.

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Continue until you finish the last finger and then push the needle into the fabric and out at the wrist. Make approximately a 2 inch stitch on both sides of the wrist and pull tight to create shape.

Push the needle through the last wrist stitch and up to the inside elbow. Make another approximate 2 inch stitch pushing the needle out the other side of the arm. Make a knot and trim the thread.

To sew individual fingers there are a few things you must do. First make sure that the fingers on your pattern are about a half an inch wide. If you draw the fingers too skinny it will be hard to turn and stuff them. Also as you sew around the fingers whether you hand sew them or use a machine, make sure to sew 2-3 stitches between each finger base. Make sure that if you sew your piece before cutting it out that you trim between the fingers close to the base.

If you don’t do this your fingers will not turn and stuff smoothly.

Once your arm and fingers are sewn turn the piece right side out.

Make sure to use a tool so that you can get stuffing into the very tips of the fingers. I use a clay sculpting tool but you can buy tools made for this specific purpose or find something around the house that will work.

After stuffing the arm to your satisfaction close the opening with a ladder stitch. Use the long doll needle to push through the last ladder stitch and down to the wrist. Make the same stitches at the wrist as explained before to give the hand definition. www.lifelikedollsmag.com

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If you want the fingers to be closed against the hand you can make a small stitch through the tip of the finger and stitch it down to the hand. When you are done sculpting the hand and wrist push the needle up to the inside elbow and make a stitch. Push the needle out the other side and knot.

I encourage you to draw your own patterns and experiment with hand styles. It can be a lot of fun!

Sculpting Competition GET YOUR SCULPT PRODUCED INTO A KIT! Elly Knoops, Reva Shick, Tasha Edenholm and Denise Farmer.

Do these names sound familiar? Thats right! They are all well known, world renowned sculptors who have produced some of the most popular and famous kits in the world. They are known to both reborn artists and doll collectors for their amazing ability to create beautiful lifelike polymer clay sculpts. Now Lifelike Dolls Magazine and Reborn Australia have teamed up to hold a sculpting competition and give one lucky reader the opportunity to become known worldwide. Reborn Australia started out as an online store that stocked reborn supplies and they have now branched off into the production side to bring you Reborn Australia Kits. Reborn Australia takes orders for kits when they are ready to ship so there are no long waiting periods and no upset customers. Their goal is to be the production company of choice. They do not tie artists down with restricting contracts since they believe that the artists will have such a positive experience that they will always return to them as the first choice anyway. The contest winner will not be obligated to create any additional sculpts for Reborn Australia.

The lucky winner will get his/her sculpt produced into vinyl kit form and he/she will receive $500 AU cash upfront, royalties plus get a prototype to reborn!

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...Join the fun!

The rules are simple: You must not be under contract with any other company, and the sculpt that you submit must stay in your possession until the competition is finished. Full size sculpts only please. Once the winner has been announced, the runners up are free to do what they wish with their sculpts. The winner will be required to send his/her sculpt to Reborn Australia to be put in line for production.

To enter, please send five pictures to sculpting@rebornaustralia. com with the subject line “Sculpting Entry�. Pictures must include one of the face directly front on, one of the face from directly side on, one of the limbs and two of the baby painted and put together. Entries may appear in issues of Lifelike Dolls magazine and on the Lifelike Dolls website at www. lifelikedollsmag.com.

Entries will be accepted until midnight EST on July 11, 2008.

The finalists will appear in the September/October 2008 issue of Lifelike Dolls and readers will be invited to vote for their favourite sculpt (artists remain anonymous). Polls will be open until midnight EST on September 20th, 2008 and the winner will be announced in the November/December 2008 issue of Lifelike Dolls.

This is a wonderful opportunity to get your sculpt produced and to get your name out there for the world to see!

www.lifelikedollsmag.com

Oh You Beautiful Doll!

“Oh, you beautiful doll, you great big beautiful doll.

Let me put my arms about you, I don’t want to live without you.”

-- Written in 1911 by Nat D. Ayer (music) & Seymour Brown (lyrics) “Seek and Ye Shall Find” … Woo Hoo!!! The elusive tap shoes have surfaced and herewith is a photo of my now-antique 50’s footwear… gosh, I wish I still had my black leotard… forget it girl… that’s loooong gone - forever etched in my memory along with my beautiful chestnut brown ringlets, my chubby cheeks and my flat-as-a-pancake tummy! However, I do have a picture from one of my tap classes in that old Sunday School basement. I’ll have it scanned for the next issue…. I was just toooo cute!!! Now, on to more important things!

I’ve had many requests for the pattern for my beautiful bunting bag that swaddles my Baby Bella (Sarah Lyn) for her flight to her new mommy in England. I thought I’d share the pattern with everyone since it’s the perfect solution to transport baby to her new mommy, while keeping her cozy and protected during her journey. It’s very easy for anyone that can thread a bobbin!! Please read through ALL steps prior to beginning this pattern and with the pictures, you’ll be able to visualize the method.

Reborn Bunting Bag (fits up to 20” baby) Materials Required: 2 pieces 22” long X 19” wide Outer Fabric (heavier fabric: fuzzy, fake fur, velour, chenille, fleece) 2 pieces 22” long X 19” wide Inside Fabric (matching lighter fabric: 100% cotton, flannel, cotton/polyester blend) 1 piece of Inside Fabric 36” long X 1-1/2” wide 3-inch wide gathered lace: 1 metre long (for around the top edge - eyelet is recommended) 1/2 “ wide flat Beading Lace to insert ribbon: 1-1/2 metres long (used up the front & around the top edge) 1-inch wide gathered lace for the bottom: 20 inches long (to match 3” wide gathered lace is recommended but not necessary) 1/4 “ coordinating colour ribbon to insert through Beading Lace: 3 metres long 1/2” white elastic: approximately 22 inches in length 1. Outer Fabric: With right sides facing and 3/8” seam, sew sides and bottom, leaving the top open. i.e. looks like a pillowcase.

Turn right side out.

2. Lining Fabric: Repeat as for Outer Fabric but turn wrongside-out.

3. Turn top on both outer & lining fabrics under 1/2” to wrong side and iron.

4. Place Lining Fabric ‘pillowcase’ inside Outer Fabric ‘pillowcase’, i.e. wrong sides facing each other.

You’ll see the inside looks as beautiful as the outside & you should be very happy with your progress so far! Now, isn’t this easy??

5. With your 3” gathered lace, choose a starting spot at the back, top edge, and baste the lace onto your 1/2” turned in edge on the Outer Fabric with the bound edge of the lace placed just below the folded over edge, i.e. your lace extends above the edge.

6. Sew the two raw end edges of the lace together to give it a nice finish, with the seam facing out at the back at your starting spot.

Place the Lining Fabric ironed edge over the bound edge of the lace and matching up with the Outer Fabric edge. Sew the top edges together close to the edge, enclosing the bound edge of the lace.

7. Sew the 1/2” wide flat Beading Lace around the top edge, (both edges of the lace, securing the lace).

8. With the 36” X 1-1/2” long piece of Inside Fabric, iron under

1/4” on each of the long edges and 1/4” under each little side.

This is your casing for the elastic.

9. Turn your bag inside-out and on the inside of the bag, measure down 8” from the top of the Beading Lace and mark all the way around. Choose a starting spot near the side seam and place and pin the casing edge on this mark. Sew both edges of casing through the two layers around the inside of your bunting bag, leaving ends open to insert elastic. Do not insert elastic at this point.

10. Turn your bag right-side-out.

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11. Beginning at the bottom edge of the casing seam line, on the outside -- front & middle, place and sew a piece of Beading Lace through both layers of front side only, ending at the bottom (with top and bottom edges folded over for neatness). Sewing through all layers of front will keep the lining stable inside the bag and also allow you to “gather” up the front for cuteness!!

12. To further stabilize the inside lining, ensure the lining is right down at the bottom on the inside and pin through all layers (front and back) from side to side on the outside.

13. Now that you’re confident the lining is in place at the bottom, sew the 1-inch wide gathered lace along the bottom edge,

through all layers, folding over end edges for neatness.

14. Thread a piece of 1/4” coordinating ribbon through the Beaded Lace around the circumference of the top edge, long enough to tie in a bow. The top edge can now be slightly gathered if you wish, but not necessary.

15. Fold a piece of 1/4” coordinating ribbon in half and thread the doubled ribbon from bottom to top of the Beaded Lace on the front. (you will have two ‘tails’ at the top of the lace) Secure at the bottom of the bag by sewing a few stitches of the folded edge of the ribbon at the bottom. Tie the two ‘tails’ in a bow. If you wish, you can form slight gathers up the front with these ribbons, however, it’s not necessary.

Note: In place of the 1/4” coordinating colour ribbon, I crochet-chained the ties and made pom-poms.

16. Insert the 1/2” elastic in the casing, sew it securely and sew casing ends closed.

As always, I’m available by email if you have any questions at all regarding the above pattern and am usually readily available during the day: fairydust@cogeco.ca Don’t hesitate to ask the ‘silliest’ question if it’s important to you. I can’t wait to see your creations!!!

Happy Sewing!!!

Jan Czuba, Reborn Artist & Seamstress Fairy Dust Nursery – Home of Zooby Designs--Haute Couture For The Discerning Reborn Baby Doll www.itsmysite.com/fairiesdust

Ad creation services are also available for both print and web ads. All ads appearing here are sample ads (smaller than actual size) that were created by Lifelike Dolls.

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Spotlight Artist Wendy Somerville Earthfairies/Somerville Designs Studio Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, I can truly say I have been an artist all of my life.

From early childhood I dabbled in some sort of art form, from oils on canvas, to water colours, ceramics to porcelain figures and dolls. For the past 29 years I was an avid China Painter. Hand painting on porcelain plates and China different designs of flowers, fruits, canine and bird portraits.

I owned a Flower Shop about twelve years ago and my passion for the floral industry has also led me down the path to create and incorporate this medium in with my sculptures.

I put my China brushes away, for the most part, about five years ago when I discovered the truly fascinating medium of Polymer Clay. It has allowed me to create unique little fairy dolls from my heart and imagination. More in keeping with the human form, I try to create the realism, as opposed to the fantasy or caricature figure. It did not take me long to discover that I had a bit of a knack for sculpting, something I had never done before. I must admit, that at first this clay was a little foreign to me and sometimes very tedious. With very little outside help, I began the task of teaching myself how to work with it and to sculpt. Taking little lumps of clay to my outside job at the time, and trying to perfect little hands and feet during any moment I had to spare. Very long and arduous hours have been spent in the manipulation of this clay into my imaginative little fae’s, mermaids, and maquette creature sculpts; including dragons, which I simply adore.

About 3 years ago, I decided to quit my outside job to work on my sculptures on a full time basis at home. This has given me the time I so desired to try and perfect them. I truly believe in going that extra mile so giving my sculptures that extra care is very important to me, not only in the sculpting, but in their costuming and adornments as well. For the most part all my sculptures come with bases. These bases are an intricate extension of the Fairy or Mermaid sculpture itself and themed to always tell a story, which not only makes them unique and a true oneof-a-kind, but a beautiful piece to display.

Most of my sculptures are sold through Ebay under my name of “earthfairies”; and have all come to rest in new homes from the US, Australia, the UK and Canada as well.

What is my main goal in all of this? Well, it is my desire to leave a small legacy of myself behind, bringing a little joy and happiness into other people’s lives through my sculptures and works of art. All this, brings me great satisfaction and joy, to let one my fae’s, mermaids or creature sculptures, come to rest in the homes of others; where they can be enjoyed for years to come.

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HOW IT’S MADE:

FROM SCULPT TO KIT

By Sheri McDonald with special thanks to Jamie Reischauer and Pat Secrist Aside from artistic talent, a doll kit is the most important tool that a reborn artist has. Often considered the canvas for these works of art, the doll kit provides a foundation for the artist to build on. The sculpt from which the kit was created is the first part of this artistic process and in this article we will explore the different methods of creating a doll kit from a OOAK sculpt. ϰ

• • •

Many artists are choosing to create doll sculpts for the purpose of having them turned into limited edition doll kits that they can sell on their own websites or on other reborning supply sites. Jamie Lynn of www.blessedbeginningsartdolls.com is a sculptor who has developed her own doll kits, and is now producing doll kits for other artists through her boutique at www.jamiesbabyboutique.com.

Jamie has four doll kits with BloomersNBows and she sells miniature babies on ebay with the ebay ID jamies*baby*boutique.

Jamie’s sculpt Maddison was sculpted with the inspiration of her youngest son who was born fifteen weeks prematurely, weighing 1lb 12.8oz. and just 12” long. A lot of Maddison’s details come from pictures of Jamie’s son when he was in the NICU. Maddison is a Limited Edition of 250 and is currently still available, although selling out quickly.

Jamie is also producing doll kits for Dawn McLeod and Melody Hess.

Dawn sells OOAK minis on ebay and has a series of mini babies coming out this spring through Ashton Drake Galleries.

Dawn’s Rhea kit will soon be available, and she is working on a big baby boy as well.

The Rhea kit is a dedication to Dawn’s baby sister, Rhea.

Melody Hayes creates OOAK minis and she also has dolls produced by Masterpiece Dolls. She has a set of babies that Jamie’s company is producing and is expected in the fall of 2008.

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Jamie described for us the journey of a doll kit from start to finish, starting with creating the clay doll.

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•

Start with making an aluminum foil base armature with masking tape.

Place about ¼ “ of clay as a base and then start building.

For kit babies I add a lot of detail because they can lose detail in the molding process.

I like to put a matte varnish finish on my baby before shipping out, just to protect the raw clay from cracking. I use Genesis Matte Varnish.

Once the baby is finished, I wrap it very carefully and it’s shipped off to Joyce Chou of Joydolls in China.

• The mold is usually completed in about ten days.

• Thirty days - prototypes are completed and shipped out for inspection.

• Another thirty days – kits are run and shipped out to be sold.

• The total time frame is usually around three months from the time the OOAK is received in China to the delivery of the kit. Pre-orders are usually being taken after the prototypes are received and reborned for the premier of the kit on eBay.

CREATING THE VINYL KIT IN CHINA Initially, the dolls are molded as a wax mold. These molds are sent for approval prior to making the master mold and the prototypes are run. Some shrinkage does occur of the cast of prototypes because of the wax. Expect around up to 25% shrinkage of the final kit product from the original OOAK clay sculpture. The vinyl used

by Joydolls is a very soft translucent vinyl/silicone mix that is very easy to root. The artist can choose the color of vinyl that he/she wants, and Joyce Chou’s company will match the colour.

The artist receives three prototypes of his/her doll.

Jamie is always looking for new talent. You can visit her website www.jamiesbabyboutique.com for more information on having your doll turned into a kit.

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Secrist Doll Company is a well known manufacturer of vinyl doll kits, sculpting supplies and reobrning supplies. Many reborn artists have created reborns by starting with a Secrist doll kit. Pat Secrist has provided a comprehensive description of the process used to create these kits in their U.S. based plant.

HISTORY There was a time more than 50 years ago when America was a leader in the manufacturing of dolls. The greatest hub of activity was New York City where one company made all the wigs, another made the eyes, and a third made the vinyl parts. Today virtually all doll manufacturing is done in China.

Secrist Doll Company is one of the last to still be located in the United States. We are located in the Saginaw Valley of Midland Michigan in the middle of a 19th century farm field surrounded by apple orchards and corn crops. We have been making our own vinyl dolls since 1988 when we bought the old school building that I attended as a child.

From there we learned the secret of making vinyl dolls for ourselves. In later years we bought out a company that had the technology for making metal molds for the production of vinyl dolls. Today we are the only American doll company that makes its own production metal molds for the manufacture of vinyl dolls.

THE PROCESS OF CREATING VINYL DOLL KITS

Original Sculpt

The process begins with the doll sculpture. The medium can be any kind of clay or other sculpable material. We first make a rubber mold of the sculpt. Then we cast that rubber mold in an engineering grade wax. This is not candle wax but a special custom formulation that will make it possible to hold all of the detail during the plating process.

Next we begin the actual engineering process where by the wax is adjusted and polished. This is the only stage where changes can be made to the sculpt. Imperfections in the sculpt can be corrected and eye sockets can be installed. When the wax step is completed the head or limb will look like marble all shiny and smooth.

Wax Mold Now the wax is ready to go into the plating tank where we will grow a metal mold around it.

Have you ever grown crystals as a kid in those tiny little clear aquarium-like containers full of blue water? Well, growing molds is much the same. The only difference is that the cost of the blue water for growing crystals is around $5 while the cost for the blue water for growing metal molds is over $14,000.

Don’t try this at home.

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Metal Mold

When the machining is done the mold is mounted into a frame so that it can be rotated inside the oven.

It takes about six days to grow a metal mold. The last step is to take the mold out of the tank and machine it so that it can be mounted in a rotational molding oven. The machining process requires many metal working power tools. Some of them are so tiny that you could use them for surgery in a hospital.

Others are so large that you would need a garage to fit them all in.

Ready to mold

The rotational molding technology has been around for over 100 years. It was used in the 19th century for making hollow chocolate bunny rabbits and other confections. By 1948 it was used for molding plastics as well. This oven is Molding oven special because it can rotate the mold in two different directions at the same time, which results in an even wall

thickness in the vinyl A doll mold being filled by our part. It also makes technician with liquid vinyl. it possible to have a hollow part with no seams in it. You need the part to be hollow so that it can be pulled out of the mold through the neck opening. The molding process takes about eleven minutes in all.

Our particular machine is a high tech model that is computer regulated for the highest possible quality.

You can buy one of these machines for around $165,000 plus shipping and Computerized molding oven setup.

People ask if they could mold vinyl dolls at home and the answer is no. This is a technology based process that requires specific machinery.

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Q&A with Pat Secrist

5. Could you give us an idea of the cost involved?

1. What do you look for when choosing a sculpt to reproduce?

It costs several thousand dollars to have a doll made in vinyl.

Choosing a sculpt to reproduce involves several factors. The first is realism. The second is a pleasing expression. The third is the quality of the sculpt in symmetry and physiological accuracy. The last is the degree of completeness of the work.

I have seen sculpts that were very real looking but the baby was not very appealing so realism has to be balanced with a pleasing expression. Many sculpts have problems such as eye alignment, ears of different sizes, nose and mouth off center and more. This lack of accuracy detracts from an otherwise attractive work. The last and one of the most important factors is originality. Too many sculpts today look alike. This is not the fault of the armature but rather one artist being heavily influenced by another. As artists study each others work they unintentionally begin to move together in a common look.

Reborners are demanding something new to work with so originality is very important.

6. How close to the original does the reproduction come out? Is much detail lost in the process?

2. Does it matter if the sculpt has been painted or has hair applied?

Paint on a sculpt is not a big issue when being prepared for reproduction. Hair on the other hand is a nuisance and must carefully be removed without damaging the scalp of the sculpt.

We tell our artists not to bother with paint or hair as it only hinders the vinyl process. We like our sculpts to be completely unpainted and bald.

The vinyl rotational molding process allows for a very high degree of detail. Little if any detail is lost in the process.

Changes are also made to correct sculptural problems like flat areas on the head or eyes that are misaligned.

7. How long does the complete process take? (not including the actual sculpting) You should expect at least four months. Ď° It seems that creating beautiful and realistic baby dolls is a painstaking process that begins long before the kit is in the hands of the reborn artist. While reborning is often considered an art form with two distinct components; the sculptor and the reborn artist, perhaps it is more appropriate to view the three creative works involved: the sculpt, the reborning and the mold.

3. Is the original sculpt still intact once the reproduction process has occurred?

The original sculpt often times is ruined in the process. It’s not something that can usually be sold because certain coatings are applied to the sculpt for the mold making process.

4. Can changes be made to the sculpt once the process has begun?

Changes can be made to the sculpt in the wax engineering stage of production. Once a metal mold is in process no more changes can be made.

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Weighted Realism

by Cheryl Bage Reborn Artist and Teacher Perfectly painted, hair all in place, and now all that’s left to do is put all your hard work together. I think how your baby feels is as important as how it looks. It adds that last peice of ultrarealism that we work so hard to achieve to bring our reborns to “life”.

I’ve learned in the few short years I’ve been reborning that there are many right ways to do things and fewer wrong ways. It is the same with weighting your dolls for that super cuddly realistic feel. I will take you through how I do simple weighting, as I teach in my beginner reborn class. I will also share a few different techniques submitted by our readers that you can use to take the realism one step further.

Some things to remember when adding weight, dead weight feels much heavier that live weight. You never want to weight your doll to the actual weight of a real baby. A 9lb reborn will feel as heavy in your arms as that of a 20lb child! Depending on the size of reborn you are creating, you want to try and keep it somewhere between 4 and 6 lbs. Also, the more evenly you spread the weight throughout the doll, the more realistic it will feel.

There are a few different mediums you can use to add weight.

The most commonly used items are poly pellets, glass bead, squishy fat pellets, and baby fat pads.

A word of caution, please don’t use anything “rubbery” such as the fat pellets or baby fat pads inside your vinyl doll parts as they may cause a chemical reaction and ruin the vinyl. These materials are nice for adding softness for a more realistic feel inside the body.

Here I am adding glass bead to the limbs. These are 1/4 length limbs and I will fill them about an inch from the top. Then I will top them with poly-fil. Next I glue a piece of felt to the top rim making sure to get the glue evenly spread so there are no leaks. After repeating this step on all 4 limbs I set them aside for the glue to dry.

Next, I make a pouch of glass bead using a new knee high stocking. I add about a baseball size of bead and then knot the stocking about half way up and then turn the stocking back on itself over the ball to double the thickness of the stocking around the beads.

Once the ball is made I will place a handful of poly-fil in the bottom of the body to create a “nest” for the ball of bead to sit in. Now you can lightly fill your body with soft poly-fil.

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Lastly you want to add just enough weight to the head so that it will gently fall like a real baby’s would. I use a stocking again filling it will about an egg size of bead. Tie a knot then drop the ball down into the head. The amount of bead you need will vary depending on the size of doll you are making. You don’t want it to be too heavy as it will cause damage to the body over time. Fill the head completely with stuffing making sure the ball of bead sits toward the back of the head.

Now you can trim the felt pieces on your limbs and assemble your doll. As you get more comfortable with the feel of the doll you can experiment and add weight to other areas to even it out over the body. I will sometimes use two smaller balls inside the body instead, one in the bottom and another a bit smaller higher up.

Here are a few more weighting ideas from some of our readers: I have come to prefer the tiny glass beads to weight almost all my dolls. I actually use two different sizes. The smaller ones are almost as fine as sand, and those I use to weight limbs and head. The larger ones are poppyseed size (approx. 1.5 - 2 mm) and I use them inside the doll’s body. They are clean, easy to use and will not be quarantined by any country that I know of.

To give natural feeling weight to the limbs: my procedure is to fill the feet and hands with fresh polyfill then fill the limb to within about an inch or so of the top. I press a tight plug of polyfil down onto that making sure it’s flush with the top of the limb opening. I then seal each limb using E6000 glue and a cardboard disk that I cut to fit each opening.

To weight the heads, I fill a small snack or sandwich ziplock with approximately 1/2 to 1 lb. (depending on the size/age of the doll) of the smaller beads and then double bag it inside another ziplock. I put a fistful of polyfil inside the head and nestle the weight baggie into

it and fill the head up the rest of the way with polyfil and seal with another fitted cardboard disk. (If I magnetized the doll for a pacifier, then I wait til the doll is sold, so I can see if the buyer wants the magnet removed).

To weight the body, I fill a new lady’s kneehigh stocking with about 2 lbs of the larger glass pellets, and tie a knot about 2 inches above the level of the beads. I then double the kneehigh back over the filled part and tie another knot. This creates a flexible, soft and heavy “beanbag” type of weight. I put a fistful of polyfill down into the tushy area of the cloth slip and nestle this filled kneehigh into that and surround it completely with small flat sections of polyfil until the body is full.

I then assemble my doll. I’m never quite certain how much the doll will weigh (I’m not that exact!) but my dolls average between 3.5 and 5 lbs depending on size.

Stephanie Sullivan For now as I am new to the reborning doll world so to keep my cost low (meaning I’m not going out right now and getting a baby scale) I have a high end kitchen scale for weighing my food, so as I fill my limbs, head, and body and I weigh the parts individually then I total them up...lol it makes for a funny picture, but it is very entertaining. My husband and I laugh the whole time while doing this but it is very accurate.

Sophia Llewellyn Here are my ideas about weighting...

I like to use a combination of polly pellets, super fine glass granuels, and polly fill.

First I fill the limbs with the glass granules.

I top them off with poly-fil, and felt. Then for the body I put the poly pellets in to a little over 3/4 of the way up. I top it off with the super soft premium poly fill. This way my babies have the weight of a real newborn, and are semi squishy but not floppy.

Stacey Haskins

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Tips For Posing & Photographing Your Dolls

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• Featuring Doll Artist Jennifer Timberlin • Creating Amazing Skin Tones & Texture: Tools & Tricks of the Trade • Tips for Posing & Photographing Your Dolls • Creating Dynamic Auctions • Sculpting a miniature baby: Continuing the sculpting tutorial with Tina Kewy • Cloth Sculpting: The next step in creating a cloth doll, a tutorial by Casie Brabham

Creating Amazing Skin Tones & Textures: Tools & Tricks of the Trade

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Series of Tips and Techniques for Bloomin’ Baby Tones Air-Dry Reborn Painting…

Part One: Bloomin’ Baby Tones Air-Dry vs. Genesis Heat-Set Reborn Paints

By Elena Goodson BloomersnBows.com Since the introduction of our new line of air-dry Baby Tones reborning paints, I have had the opportunity to gather and share numerous reborning experiences with our customers. We offer both the Genesis heat-set and the Baby Tones air-dry reborning paints. I find that I am frequently asked which paint, in my opinion, is truly the best to use and produces the most lifelike results. I have witnessed beautiful and truly lifelike babies produced with both paint genres. Reborns made with either medium using effective techniques can offer stunning results.

Techniques specific to each paint style definitely play a very essential role in producing beautiful results.

If you are new to reborning and do not have much experience with painting, I suggest a pre-mixed set of either Genesis or Baby Tones to give you the targeted life-like color tones for your reborning. Another factor is the specific technique you use to create your foundation skin tone layer washes. Paint application to the doll should be controllable to allow the right dilution of pigment to be applied exactly where you want it. If you think about it, vinyl is moisture-resistant and certainly not absorbent like canvas, so success with either paint depends a lot on learning and using techniques that address the issues of effectively applying liquid mediums on moisture resistant vinyl.

Variables in your painting technique can range from the dryness or dampness of your paintbrushes, the style of brushes you use to the amount you dilute your particular colors for the purpose each will be used. Successful results will depend greatly on: how you apply the paints; how you ‘blot’ the paints in place; the use of pouncers, texture sponges, cosmetic wedges, berry makers, style stix; and the list goes on…

Some quick comparisons to mention here…

Genesis paints allow you to re-apply paint and correct the color until you are happy and then you heat-seal your results for each layer. If you have zero painting skills, and have never tried this before and want to start from scratch then Genesis is really nice because it is so forgiving. The fact that you can completely seal a good layer with heat is very important if you are a new painter because it allows you to focus on detail work separately from foundation/skin tone work and not worry about lower layers being affected by an upper-layer mistake… for example you are done with baby and then go to put eyebrows on and oops! You don’t like the way they turned out… that

is easy to fix with genesis, clean it off and it won’t affect your already dried beautiful lower layers.

The drawbacks for heat-setting paints are obvious though, as I have had many customers tragically disfigure their expensive reborn kits due to the common interruptions and distractions of daily life, needy little ones, the telephone, oven thermostats can be inaccurate, or their family’s oven is heated using expensive propane. We have also had to discontinue the heat gun appliance from our product line due to the unreliable operation of a significant number of units.

In contrast, the Baby Tones Air-Dry paints do not require any heat application or energy-powered appliances and thus cost much less to purchase and use in the long run. Our ‘My First Reborn Baby Tones Paint Set’ retails for as low as 19.95 including paints, brushes, instructions, palette, and tools.

With Baby Tones Air-Dry Paint Sets, we have included instructions and mediums that allow the paints to be applied in a very effective manner to the reborn doll kits. Place a dab of the desired color of paint on your palette. Add the Air-Dry Thinner directly to your paint dab and blend with a clean damp brush so you get a slightly diluted mixture, apply with a sponge, brush tip, or cosmetic wedge to baby... be careful not to use too damp or saturated of a brush or sponge... I will dab my brush on a paper towel first sometimes and then apply to baby so you don’t get drips on your baby.

Our Baby Tones Air-Dry Thinner is ideal for blending with and applying the paint to the babies, it has special non-toxic emollient mediums to help it spread the pigments evenly on your doll. I primarily use the Thinner and Reborner’s Real Results Gel in many, many of the steps when I paint my reborns with Baby Tones.

Our Reborner’s Real Results Gel has an extending medium in it that retards the drying of the paints and allows them to be a bit more ‘goof proof’ for you. This makes it a very handy item when you are painting!

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Use this Gel directly on your clean damp paintbrushes, mixed with a paint color, or used alone as a blending wash.

For broad even skin tone coverage I may follow each completed layer with a cosmetic wedge dipped in gel to even out my overall color tones. I find this step especially useful for evening out my ethnic reborn skin tones.

For detail work I begin by applying the gel directly to my paintbrush and working it into the brush on my palette. This measure really helps the paint to be clump free and blend nicely onto the vinyl or silicon. I also mix a little Reborner’s Real Results Gel and Extender with the eyebrow, veining, eyelid capillary, or nail tip detail colors so that correcting as I go is easy to do. I use a small dab on a Q-Tip to correct little areas that have too much paint pigment. Keep in mind that the Gel retards the drying of the paint so it is easier to fix mistakes. Be sure to allow a little extra drying time for the detail color work.

My typical work area for skin tone layers and blushing has several styles of brushes, pouncers, style stix tools, cosmetic wedges, and chunks of texture sponges of varying degrees of dampness all handy for me to grab and use depending on the particular feature I am working on. For detail work, I rely on three basic short brush shapes: the size #0 and #1 small round brushes for work around eyes, nostrils and ears, a very thin liner brush for veins, capillaries, eyebrows, and fingernail tips, and a small #2 flat or filbert brush for lips and nail beds.

In general, with air dry paints you can focus on different areas of the baby while others dry so that you can create a finished reborn in a reasonably short amount of time. We have developed some products to help with particular reborning issues such as paint not adhering to certain types of reborn vinyl. There are several reasons the paint may not adhere to the vinyl well. One possibility occurs when the doll being re-painted was originally a factory production line painted doll. Mass-produced babies are sprayed at the factory with a sealer that actually seeps deep into the vinyl and can be very stubborn to remove and remnants of this still in the vinyl will resist any new paint.

Another culprit for paint not adhering well is too weak a dilution of your color wash. This can actually inhibit the paint’s ability to stick to the vinyl. We do offer a pre-paint sealer that prepares the surface to better receive the new paint.

Lastly, you may wish to seal your baby’s beautiful finish. We have had mixed opinions on the best final sealing coat for a completed reborn.

When in doubt, and especially with certain brands of doll kits, you will want to seal the baby… the most effective sealer is a nice Pure Matte Top Coat Sealer… We do offer this product as well for protecting your beautiful creations for years to come.

In summary, both paint lines are easy to use, produce gorgeous babies and are correctable. As for my own personal preference… I am a busy mom with four lively children and a full-time business to run so I find the air-dry paints suit me to a ‘T’. I am able to keep several reborn baby creations drying in different stages of progress until I can sneak a chance to work on them. Like many other reborn artists, I learned to paint dolls using the Genesis paints first. However after several episodes of forgetting and leaving both the oven and the air conditioner on all day last summer, or accidentally staining my expensive reborn head green from an oven mitt, or watching in horror as my last prototype melted before my eyes… I realized the air dry paints suited my busy lifestyle best. The best paint for you then, in my opinion, is the one that fits the way you live.

Also, with any air-dry paint… when you apply a new layer of paint, thinner, and gel, you can actually ‘wake up’ the layer of paint beneath the new one. We offer a Crystal Clear Lite Layer Sealer for new artists who want to put a protective barrier between their foundation and blushing layers before they add detail work like eyebrows, etc.

Never use ‘goof off’ or acetone to make a spot or color correction on an painted reborn if you can help it. You can spot correct gently with a little of the Reborner’s Gel.

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Ribbons-a-Plenty!

By Carol Carlile Crochet Haven Presents Finished Size: 0-3 Months Materials for entire set: (continued from last issue) 7 oz Pink Bernat Baby yarn 1 oz White Bernat Baby yarn 1 strips of ¼” elastic 15 inches long 2 white clover flowers with pink roses in center. ¼” white ribbon – 2 strips 20” for pantaloon legs Hook: Size 2 (2.75 mm) steel crochet hook or size to meet gauge Gauge: 3 dc rows = 1” 6 dc = 1”

Pantaloons With pink, Ch 120, join to form circle, ch 3.

Row 1: Work dc in each ch around, join, ch 3, turn Rows 2–4: Work dc in each dc around, ch 1, turn. (120 dc) Row 5: Fold down first two rows, lay ring of elastic in the fold and sc around joining row 1 to row 5, join, ch 3, turn.

Row 6: *Work dc in each of next 39 dc, work 2 dc in next dc, (increase made). Rep from * around row. ch 3, turn. (123 dc) Rows 7–14: Work dc in each of next 123 dc, join, ch 3 turn.

Row 15: Dc in top of ch 3, work dc in each of next 60 dc, work 2 dc in each of next 2 dc [increase made] work dc in each of next 60 dc, work 2 dc in each of next 2 dc, [increase made] join, turn.

Row 16: Sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same dc, work dc in each of next 62 dc, work 2 dc in each of next 2 dc ( increases made), work dc in each of next 62 dc, work 2 dc in next dc, (increase made) join, turn.

Row 17: Sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same dc, work dc in each of next 64 dc, 2 dc in each of next 2 dc (increases made), work dc in each of next 64 dc, end with last two dc being dc together (decrease made.) Join, turn.

Row 18: Sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same dc, work dc in each of next 66 dc, 2 dc in each of next 2 dc, (increases made), work dc in each of next 66 dc, work 2 dc in each of next 2 dc, (increases made) join, turn.

Row 19: Sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same dc, work dc in each of next 68 dc, work 2 dc in each of next 2 dc (increases made), work dc in each of next 68 dc, work 2 dc in next dc (increase made) join, turn.

Row 20: Sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same dc, work dc in each of next 70 dc, work 2 dc in

each of next 2 dc (increase made), work dc in each of next 70 dc, work 2 dc in next dc, join, turn.

Row 21: Sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same dc, work dc in each of next 72 dc, work 2 dc in each of next 2 dc (increase made), work dc in each of next 72 dc, work 2 dc in next dc, join, turn.

Row 22: Sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same dc, work dc in each of next 74 dc, work 2 dc in each of next 2 dc (increases made), work dc in each of next 74 dc, work 2 dc in next dc (increase made), join, turn.

Legs

Row 23: Sl st in next dc, ch 2, work dc in each of next 75 dc, dc next 2 dc together (decrease made) join to first dc, turn.

Row 24: Sl st in next dc, ch 2, work dc in each of next 73 dc, dc next 2 dc together (decrease made), join to first dc, turn.

Rows 25–28: Rep as for previous 2 rows twice more, decreasing at the beginning and end of each row.

Row 29–35: Sl st to next dc, ch 3, dc in each dc across row, join, ch 3, turn. At end of Row 35, join, ch 4, turn.

Ribbon Row Row 36: *Sk 1 dc, dc in next dc, ch 1, rep from * across row. Join, do not turn.

Rows 37 & 38: Work as for the last 2 rows on the sleeves of the dress.

Ruffles for the Back (Optional)

1st Ruffle Lay pantaloons flat and find the sides Row 1: With the waistband facing towards you, attach yarn with a sc around the post of the side st on row 12 of the pantaloons, *ch

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3, sk next 2 dc, sc around the post of the next dc, rep from * across to the other side of the pantaloons, ch 1, turn.

Row 2: Sl st to loop, ch 4 [counts as tr], work 9 tr in same loop, *sc in next loop, work 10 tr in next loop, rep from * across, ch 1 turn.

Row 3: Sl st to first tr, ch 1, sc in same tr, * (ch 2, sc in next tr) 9 times, sk next sc, sc in next tr, Rep from * around, end off, weave in end.

2nd and 3rd Ruffle Attach yarn in the 15th (18th) row of pantaloons and Rep as for first ruffle.

Ribbon Row Row 36: * Sk 1 st, dc in next st, ch 1, rep from * across. join, do not turn.

Rows 37-38: Work as for the last 2 rows on the sleeves of the dress.

Bottom Ruffles

First Ruffle Lay pantaloons flat and find the sides.

Row 1: With the waistband facing towards you, attach white with an sc around the post of the side st on row 12 of the pantaloons. *Ch 3, sk 2 dc, sc around the post of the next st, rep from * across to the other side of the pantaloons. (21 ch-3 loops.) Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: Sl st to loop, ch 4 [counts as tr], 9 tr in same loop, *sc in next loop, 10 tr in next loop, rep from * across, ch 1 turn.

Row 3: Sl st to 1st tr, ch 1, sc in same st, * (ch 2, sc in next tr) 9 times, sk next sc, sc in next tr, rep from * around, end off, weave in end.

Second and Third Ruffles Attach white in the 15th (18th) row of pantaloons and rep as for first ruffle.

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July/August 2008 Issue Just For Fun! Sheri McDonald Canadian spelling is used.

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Across Used for weighting dolls Reborn hair type Elly ________ Used for paint removal The reborner's canvas Used to do colour corrections Body fabric type Brand of heat set paint starting point for sculpting a doll Large doll show mineral ________ Used in sculpting and cooking Tina _____ _________ ties Artist group method used for applying hair

1 2 4 5 8 11 13 14 16 18 22 24 25 28

Down One of a kind Featured reborn artist Holds pacifier or bow _____ Treasures Doll Show Alternate term for reborning German __________ Sculpting tool Doll kit manufacturer Super __________ Holds paint Used in paint applications __________ clay common sales venue Opens doll nostrils

may june Answer to Sheri May/June’s Puzzle McDonald

i o o o o t c o r m t e p b f

m o h a i r o o t i n g g l k

g c p o l y m e r f a i r y e

e o r h c o y p r e e m i e w

n l e c l o t h g r e e c e y

c l b r a b h a m r h c a o t

a e o o y d o l l e l f t r i

p c r s c u l p t i n g u g d

e t n p a p o r t r a i t e a

w i o t n w g a o a r o o n r

h o o b a b y c o u t u r e t

i n a r d m e r m a i d i s e

l i k b a f a n t a s y a i g

l p g s s a p a i n t o l s r

l o e a a e w i n g s l o l a 6 - /Ê1-Ê"

artists 42 clay

baby cloth

brabham collection

canada couture

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Ê / Ê 7 7 7° * " - * ,

/

° " Ê

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Free Tutorial Catalog - $7.95 Value!

Get a FREE 2008 Tutorial Catalog with your next online order over $25.00! Just enter “LifeLike Dolls - Free Catalog” in the comments section during the check out process at www.secristdolls.com.

Lil’ Zoe

Lil’ Taffy

Romper and hat color may vary from those pictured. Acrylic eyes are included and preinstalled in the baby with open eyes. Only 1,000 sets are available!

Lil’ Missy (includes pre-inserted acrylic eyes!)

New Lil’ Babies!

6” Tiny Triplets

These adorable triplets are only a handful each at just 6” (15cm) from head to toes. Each baby in the triplet set comes with a cloth body and a FREE romper and hat. They are the only mini reborn kit available to reborners and only from Secrist Doll Company. Just $62.99 for ALL THREE babies! Less then the cost of one reborn doll kit from most companies.

Don’t forget our new Special Reborning Techniques Part 1, perfect to go with your triplets - just $19.95.

www.SecristDolls.com - check out our

upcoming classes, new forum, and more online!

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