Special Edition Spring 2009
SPECIAL EDITION
Dolls Around the World
Kimberly Svetovich Babies from Heaven’s Garden
I N D E X Introduction ............................................. page 4 Australia Selena Saxton ............................................. page 5 Brazil Monickie Ürbanjos ................................... page 6 Canada Sherry Rawn ............................................. page 7
South Africa Suzette du Plessis ...................................... page 10 United Kingdom Helen Jalland ............................................. page 11 United States Kimberly Svetovich ................................. page 14 Closing ....................................................... page 15
Wee Wrap Babies
Exquisite Detailing Ultra Micro-Rooted Custom Orders Available
www.WeeWrapBabies.com Cover mosaic is courtesy of AndreaMosaic software. License Information for “AndreaMosaic” Information Appliance. Copyright 1997-2008 Andrea Denzler All Rights Reserved.
3
Reborn Dolls & OOAK Dolls Around the World Courtesy of Helen Jalland The art of reborning is said to have started in the 1990’s and nobody is too sure where it started, but it does seem to have originated in the USA. It is called ‘reborning’ because in the beginning, existing dolls were taken apart and then painstakingly painted, often inside and out as well as rooted and re-assembled with soft bodies and weighting to feel as much like a real baby as possible. In effect the dolls were ‘reborn’ which gave rise to the title. Nowadays, reborning is so popular, not for just the professional reborners, but for many who just want to create these babies for themselves and friends and family, that many doll suppliers now supply specialised reborning ‘kits’ which consist of just the vinyl limbs and head and sometimes a body plate which have been especially created to paint and make up into a beautiful ‘reborn’ baby. The amount of detail in these dolls is incredible, with veining and capillaries and a realistic appearance and depth of real baby skin. Each hair is rooted individually with proper infant hairlines. The nails have half moons and the nail beds painstakingly coloured to look real. It can take many weeks to create a very realistic reborn baby. Reborning satisfies a deep maternal instinct along with a desire to be creative. It touches a lot of different skills with a reborner having to have strong artistic skills plus endless patience (for the rooting!) a strong grasp of how a baby should look and feel, excellent photography skills for the templates to sell the babies on auction (which are very sophisticated and involve a lot of close up photography), fairly high level pc skills plus in many cases, the ability to design and create beautiful baby clothes. For the first time, a beautiful baby doll can be created without a lot of expensive equipment, in an ordinary kitchen and the feeling of joy and satisfaction to create these babies is for many, second to none! I think the passion to create such stunning realism is there in every country in the world. I have had emails from almost every country in the globe from enthusiastic would be reborners about how to go about reborning and what is involved. It crosses all cultures and all ages. The youngest successful reborner I know is only 13 years old and the oldest into her nineties! There are also many male reborners as there are many male doll artists. The love of OOAK and baby dolls has always been deep rooted and part of life for hundreds of years, but the explosion of ‘reborning’ has been unprecedented across the world and has been a very exciting experience for doll collectors and those who love to be creative. We are all striving for perfection in realism and every month sees this becoming more and more a reality with incredible strides taken in perfecting this wonderful art.
4
Australia
Selena Saxton I have a long history of artists in my family, along with my mother being a photographer/artist who also hand painted black and white photos. My father was a architect ... Art has been my life, I have been painting and drawing since a small child ...
the reborning industry by taking the steps to learn reborning, then testing the water by selling their creations through EBay. Flourishing reborning businesses are growing for those who never would have had a business of their own had they not discovered this great art.
I’ve been reborning for about 18 months now, and treat it as artwork too ... Like any facet of art, it comes from within, I don’t believe it is something you can just pick up and excel in ...
Each year, new and wonderful additions are being created to add extra realism to the reborn baby, and I believe that the future will see many more creations in the market place. The reborn baby doll is on an evolutionary path and it has a long way to go yet. With the newer vinyl being so lifelike, soft and wonderful to touch, the reborn babies of the future will be even more realistic. I have watched Australian reborn artists like Selena Saxton expand their skills enormously in the past three years to become world-renowned.
As an artist, I have my own style and ideas, I don’t use a lot of the techniques typically used by other reborners, I simply hand paint the whole baby as if I were painting a portrait of a baby, making each one a unique and individual piece of art ... I have created many different ways and ideas in the reborning world and have started numerous trends ... And will continue do so, as I have the need to be
individual and unique, and always come up with a new ‘my way’ of doing things ... Being an Australian artist, I also find the Aboriginal art to be fascinating ... It too is very unique and all on it’s own in originality and detail, the way they created color and displayed it was brilliant - every painting has a story to tell ... And I think that’s what art is all about - expression and meaning ! www.srealbabiesnursery.com.au REBORNING IN AUSTRALIA by Lyn Conlon Australia tends to follow the lead of Europe and the USA, and in reborning we are no different. Although reborning has been popular for years, it did not really take off in Australia until about two years ago, and new people are discovering it each day. Around Australia, thousands of people are entering
brazil
Monickie Ürbanjos My passion for the reborn art was born in 2005 when I discovered it through the internet. Indeed, I did not think I would learn to create a reborn baby; I just wanted to have one to own. But, at that time I couldn’t afford one due to my financial condition, so I decided to read more and learn about this art and then try to create my own almost real baby. I did some babies and created a website where I could show them for my friends. Until that moment Brazil and Latin America still didn’t know about the Reborn Art. It was when a famous TV program asked me to introduce my babies and the incredible realistic work that they started to become known in my country. The most difficult decision I had to make was to choose to continue working or give up everything and dedicate myself to what I really loved to do, reborn babies. I didn’t think twice and today I’m recognized personally and professionally. What I most like when I’m creating a baby is to be able to transmit the true essence of a baby on his most rich details like the veins, skin texture, nails and eyes, in a single and exclusive art. During my five years of reborning, many things have changed, not only for me, but also for the art. The techniques have changed and new supplies and artists have appeared. I thank the Secrist Doll Company for the invitation on taking part in creating a reborning training DVD in Portuguese and Spanish, and also to be able to divulge this magician art around Brazil and all the Latin America. I just have to thank God for the talent He has given me and which makes possible to transmit my essence trough my creations. I thank my family for believing and supporting my dream and everyone that admires my work for the affection and recognition. www.monickieurbanjos.com
6
canada Sherry Rawn has always been associated with many forms of art from sketching, o i l painting, wooden art to
Sherry Rawn
sculpting through the years of raising her family. She creates many beautiful pieces of art that express her creativity and personality through their many lovable expressions. She started to teach herself how to sculpt dolls out of pottery clay in 1993. Her first attempt was sculpting dolls of her parents from a portrait which seemed like a huge challenge for her first attempt. With the process being very time consuming, along with trial and error and very little resources to work with, Sherry put sculpting aside for awhile . She went out of the home to work full-time in a factory, but still in her heart she always held her dream. In 2004, Sherry stumbled upon an area within ebay that sold “one of a kind babies” (OOAK) made from polymer clay. This was the beginning of Sherry’s new career and the realization of her dream as a doll sculptor. She was so determined to create beautiful and lovable babies that would be displayed and loved by people all around the world . Her determination brought success in the way of
selling OOAK babies on ebay for almost 2 years as she strives to improve with each and every creation. Sherry decided she wanted to sculpt fulltime and put all her
energy into creating, so she left her job at the factory, now doing what she ‘absolutely’ loves. Sherry is currently sculpting dolls for ashton drake galleries and has sculpted different mini doll series since february 2007. Many thanks to all the doll collectors from all around the world that not only bought my creations but also for everyone that sent words of encouragement with each and every doll I created. To be able to touch peoples hearts through my work is a real sense of satisfaction and most rewarding with my creations. Also to my family for all the love, support and patience they have given me to be able to focus on my dream, my wonderful husband mike, sons rob and dave, and adorable grandson Quinn. Thank you guys so much !!!! Sherry www.sherryrawn.com
7
In Every Issue of Lifelike Dolls...
Featured Artists & Collections
North America’s Premiere Reb
Accessorizing your doll
www.LifelikeD
Artist Tutorials
Interesting & Informative Articles ISSN 1916-3290 Lifelike Dolls $9.95 CAD March/April 2009 Vol. 2 Issue 7
borning & Sculpting Magazine
ls
Tutorial: Painting a Silicone Doll Mini Tutorial: Painting Eyebrows
Featuring Award Winning Artist
Angela Mueller TERRIFIC TODDLERS
DollsMag.com
PLUS... Portrait dolls, fun stuff, sewing tips, shopping directory, free patterns, contests, event calendars and so much more!
south africa
Suzette du Plessis For Suzette, stumbling across the art of reborn at the beginning of 2007 brought on mixed emotions from stunned to being completely blown away, and eventually to a gripping passion to create her own dolls. September of that year saw the birth of her first reborn. “I felt like a brand new mommy again. It was totally unbelievable... The feeling of pride because of what I had created, was so overwhelming”, Suzette recalls. It’s not all plain sailing though. She unabashedly admits that rooting, all be it so important to her, is her least favourite part – not that one would notice, as each of the masterpieces does those tiny little heads justice in every sense of the word. She sold her first reborn on the local South African auction site in December 2007 and four more soon afterwards, followed by various custom orders. In June 2008, she signed a 12 month contract with RDK, Inc. to reborn all of their future no.1 prototypes. “Even though I have been reborning for a very short time, I know that I have grown so much in this art form. And every day you learn something new and improve on your technique and your work.” South Africa is truly alive with diversity and Suzette embraces this rich heritage in her work, as she strives to depict those unique characteristics that come with each specific order. Petit Cherie Nursery www.petitcherie.com The History of reborning in South Africa: This art form is still in it’s infancy. There has been limited media exposure for reborn artists and their work, but with the launch of SARA (South African Reborn Artists) Guild this year, the appreciation for this most incredible art form will hopefully grow. Suzette hopes to expose the South African artists to the international standards and techniques of working as there is still much to learn in this young trade. SARA Guild already has a few international members too, so watch this space as South Africa moves into the international arena. Courtesy of Melany Kuhn
10
United Kingdom
Helen Jalland
Dolls have always been a lifelong passion. My twin sister and I were smitten with them from our first day at nursery school when we fell in love with two baby d o l l s , one dressed completely in pink and the other in blue. We were only four years old and had not really noticed dolls much before this day, when we saw them snuggled together in a pram. Going to school every day then was heaven! That was it! Our love of dolls and doll making was born and we have both spent most of our lives so far, involved in doll making in some shape or form. We were making full wardrobes of dolls clothes from the age of seven. Our very talented mother taught us
every craft she knew and all of them have become a part of the skills we have used. My twin sister Linda Murray, went on to become a famous OOAK sculptor and after helping her making outfits for her beautiful creations for years, I found reborning and my ‘niche’!! I first saw a reborn in the USA over 6 years ago and the realism totally overawed me and I was determined to have a go and began to create these amazingly realistic babies. There was little known about reborning then, especially in Europe where I was
among the first and I jumped in the deep end armed with oil paints and a box full of discarded vinyl dolls. It was a great way to learn, and there were no preconceptions about the ‘best’ way, so I experimented away and after eight ‘babies’ went in the bin, I decided I had created one that could be sold. I started my reborn ‘nursery’ on Ebay and sold my first baby to a lovely American lady and haven’t looked back since!
It is an amazingly rewarding thing to do. My babies are now finding homes worldwide and the way I have met so many like minded people around the world
through my reborning, has been a wonderful part of the reborning experience. I learn that bit more with each baby and every time I start a new baby, I feel more enthusiastic than ever. The UK has now become one of the most enthusiastic reborning nations
in the world along with the rest of Europe and of course the USA. A desire to create a baby that is indistinguishable from a real baby both in looks and feel, is a strong driving force a n d n o w some o f these dolls are used in filming where realism is paramount without scheduling filming around a baby’s needs. They are also used in psychiatric hospitals and schools and are considered to be very therapeutic in some circumstances. Tinkerbell Nursery www. tinkerbellnursery.com
11
International Reborn Doll Artists (IRDA) is a group of reborn artists (and doll dealers, reborn suppliers, collectors and sculptors) who believe that continuing education is one of the keys to improvement in this field. True professionals continue developing and upgrading their skills throughout their careers. Because reborning is such a quickly changing and evolving art form, we believe it’s important to provide a venue for those who wish to stay on top of the newest techniques, and share their love and knowledge of reborn artistry. www.internationalreborndollartists.com
IRDA was the pioneer organization for the Reborn Convention with Reborning workshops. We’ve continued to work closely with the staff of IDEX to ensure the success of future reborn conventions. We developed professional working relationships with doll companies such as Secrist Doll Co., Dolls by Berenguer, and Ashton Drake Galleries, which have benefited the ENTIRE reborning community. We also realized that it would be a lot of fun to actually get together in person, sharing ideas and talents. Although we now offer online classes, our emphasis will always be on teaching live classes and attending an actual Conference, because it’s just more fun to hang out together! We offer membership to any reborn artist who wishes to join IRDA. We are NOT a guild. We believe in high ethical & moral standards and professionalism, and expect our members to hold themselves to those standards.
MEMBERS Stephanie Sullivan www.hunnybunsnursery.com
Dee Stastny www.dimplesndewdrops.com
Jana Passe cernovice1@aol.com
Julie Lambert eBay Name: jewelbabiesnursery
Arzu Dixon www.peaseblossom.co.uk
Karen Smith Twice Blessed Reborn Dolls
Carol Carlile www.freewebs.com/crochethavenpresents/
Jo Munro www.freewebs.com/everlastingrebornbabies
Diane Waters dollsbydiane48@yahoo.com
Anne Marie Izzi Mamizzi99@aol.com
Nancy Baisinger www.yakimite.com
Katheran Willoughby dollmaven@omineca.com
Jenn Holcomb www.captured- moments-nursery.com
Carol Green www.grandmothersattic.net
Jan Tucker www.dzynerdolls.com
Kathy Levigne www.romanticsilk.com
Dalia Silva www.foreverlovenursery.com
Marianne Mellado http://mathianne.canalblog.com/
Kay Melvin www.babiesbygammy.com
Jennifer Fuller www.freewebs.com/jfuller/
Jade Warner www.aweebitofheaven.com.au
Wanda Harper hoppies@comcast.net
Toni Mackie benton12@bigpond.net.au
Kristina Reid www.solnapugs.com/solnaoriginals/
Sharon Azzinnaro www.angelsamongus2u.com
Diane Sparks Baby Face Nursery
Laurie Sanchez www.fruitofthewombnursery.com
Diana Mosquera www.freewebs.com/birthingroom
Virginie DuBois
www.freewebs.com/the-red-nosed-reindeer-nursery
Marie-Claude Morin http://www.mespetitssoleils.com
Betty Barrett www.preciousimitation.com
Cathy Rowland Website: www.cathysbabies.com
Patty Jarrard www.myheartchild.com
Rhonda Arnold
geocities.com/justayla77/BellaBambinoIntro.html
Cheryl Bage www.adrianneinspiredcreations.com/
Nan Stegall www.cradleofangels.com
Linda and Michele www.rebornsbysecondchildhoodnursery.com/
Ronda Scott rondascott13@hotmail.com
Angela Mayer www.freewebs.com/lifelikelittleloves/
Kristy Walker www.reborndollsbykristy.com
Carmen Stone www.freewebs.com/stonehillnursery
Trish Harrington-Tolf www.yesterdaysdreamsnursery.com
12
Annie Goupil www.maplanete.blog4ever.com
Mary G. Richard www.little-orphans-nursery@yahoo.com
Lara Antonucci www.freewebs.com/angelsinwaitingnursery
Rebecca Washington todd110@aol.com
Tamara Smith www.angelscrossingnursery.com
Barbara Giannelli www.ilboschettodeifolletti.it
Delphine Thommerel www.freewebs.com/thelittledolphinsnursery
Margherita De Giorgi www.pupapupae.it/
Sharon Burgess www.cherishedangelsnursery.net
Dennise Fields www.nieceesnewborns.com
Linda Dreyer www.playdaysdolls.com
JoAnn Reyna www.freewebs.com/cuddlebuggbabies/
Joyce Kovar www.zoeangelbaby.com
Suzette du Plessis www.petitcherie.com
Debra Jadick www.lastingmemoriesnursery.com
Marina Martinaitene www.marinablue.se
Ana Luisa Viana www.babiesyoulove.com
Melinda Steagall www.blessedbeginningsstudio.com
Sandra Wilson jwilsonfamily@juno.com
Jan M. Gordon RASbabies@comcast.net
Patti Doey Tiny Toes Nursery
Sherry Guldager dober4me2@yahoo.com
Jan Czuba www.itsmysite.com/fairiesdust
Shelley Marie McGrath Everything Shines Nursery
Chrissie McKechnie foreverangelscreations@yahoo.com
Sonia Laine www.reborningfleur.canalblog.com/
Juana www.rebornsbyjuana.com
Tracey Hoyer www.strawberrykissnursery.com
Rhonda Halverson Hatbox@xtra.co.nz
Rosemarie Winkler rosew112@aol.com
Nona DeSoysa nonadesoysa2000@yahoo.com
Linda K. Smith www.nearlyangels.com
Daphne Jo Hardy www.babieseverafter.com
Brenda Haydel-Lacoste brenda3755@cox.net
Linda S White www.paintanycanvas.ecrater.com/
Sherrie Brown sweetmoo112@gmail.com
Tracy Howard www.freewebs.com/heavenstinyangels
Joanne Donovan jnnpytt@aol.com
Stephanie LeFebvre http://rebornarstist.canalblog.com/
Willow Dawn Chase www.heavenlybundlesnursery.com
Sheri McDonald www.weewrapbabies.com
Kimberly A. Reichner www.willowsmanor.net
Penny Norman www.Grandmascradle.com
Connie W. Prince www.connjean1958.webs.com
Gail Carey www.freewebs.com/newdawnnursery/
Susan and Sara Toye http://toyestinytreasures.bravehost.com
Ruth Seyffert www.blessedbabycreations.com
Sandrine Lecerf http://nurseriecomeflo.canalblog.com/
Rosie Scott www.angelwingnursery.com/
Joan Risley www.clayandplayartguild.com
Miranda Loy www.newborneverafter.com
Debbi Luby www.dreamtimenursery.com
Carol Lyons www.annrichcollectibles.com
Michele Morris www.ourangelicbundles.com
Brenda Thomason www.cherishedangelsnursery.com
Arantxa Vierna Arrullos Nursery
Isabelle Bilard plumetguimauve.canalblog.com
Donna Davidson http://www.reborndollsbydonna.com
Louie
Angie Ferrara www.freewebs.com/angiesfosterhome/
Cynthia Dollard www.auntiecynsnursery.com
Jeannie Holz JHolzrn93@aol.com
Norma Sobal http://cherishedlittlelambs.com/
Gai Cooper www.heirloomsmockingboutique.com
Theresa Kearney Coll theresakrny@yahoo.com
Tammy Green www.freewebs.com/barefoot-babies/
www.freewebs.com/treasures-of-the-heart-nursery
IRDA 13
united states
Kimberly Svetovich My name is Kimberly Svetovich and I am the artist behind Babies from Heaven’s Garden. I am a mother of three wonderful children and am happily married to my best friend for 20 years. My profession is a pediatric nurse and it is both rewarding and fulfilling to me. I cannot imagine doing anything else. I have always loved dolls since I was a little girl and still have my most cherished baby doll, a Madame Alexander Dion quintuplet, that was given to me by my grandmother. She was my aunt’s when she was a little girl and it was passed on to me and she will always be a treasure to me. I happened by chance upon reborn dolls six years ago this month, and have been creating these treasures almost ever since. I browsed the internet to find whatever I possibly could regarding this art and found other artists to be so very helpful. My very first doll that I ever reborned was a Berenguer play doll that I found in my daughter’s toy box. Once I started working on her, I became quite taken by the art and the rest is history. I have babies adopted out all over the world with many very delighted collectors. Much has changed in the past six years in this ever evolving art and I believe it will continue to develop to create even more realistic “babies” over time. I welcome the challenges and I am always striving to produce the highest quality, most realistic babies possible. A few of my accomplishments that I am proud of have included being featured in DollCrafter magazine, creating a baby for a well known medical supply company to model in photo shoots of NICU equiptment so they would not have to use real life premature infants, being part of the team of SimplyReborn and assisting in teaching a class at IDEX in Orlando
in 2007, and having one of my babies featured in a doll museum in Palm Beach, California. One of the benefits of being a doll artist in the USA is that supplies are more readily available to us and there are quite a few major doll shows here. Over the years I have met so many wonderful ladies, both artists and collectors alike, from all over the world and have been blessed with a few life long friendships. Babies from Heaven’s Garden
14
Over the last decade, reborning has become a worldwide phenomenon that is gaining media attention, quality artists, faithful collectors and an abundance of resources for new and experienced artists in the field. OOAK baby sculpts also continue to gain popularity, and the two arts are intertwined as reborn artists rely on the doll kits produced in the likeness of clay baby sculptures. In every issue of Lifelike Dolls, LifelikeNSWAdQtrPgPort.qxd 8:04 AMbehind Page 1 them. we celebrate these two arts04-Dec-08 and the artists
Australia’s Favourite Doll Fair
including Toys,
Bears & Collectables in Sydney at
The Whitlam Centre, Liverpool Cnr Hume Hwy & Memorial Ave
Saturday 25 July 10am - 4pm Sunday 26 July 10am - 3pm 180+ Trader stalls -
BE AMAZED AT THE VARIETY
SPEAKERS, DEMONSTRATIONS, DOLL IDENTIFICATIONS, RAFFLES, DOLL & BEAR ARTISTS, DOLL PARTS, SUPPLIES, KITS & COLLECTABLES, NEWBORNS & REBORNS, LEATHER DOLL BODIES, MINIATURES, PORCELAIN GREENWARE, WIGS, EYES, SHOES, BEAR FABRICS, PRAMS, BOOKS & MUCH MORE
** Dress Up as Barbie Fashion Parade** on
Sunday
12.30pm
(5-10 year olds accompanied by an adult )
Bring a group we’ll make you welcome! The Doll Collectors Club of NSW Inc
Fair Enquiries: Jan 0409 345 556 See website for full program dollfairnsw@gmail.com ww.dollclubnsw.com.au
Blessed Baby Creations
Australia’s largest online store for all Reborn supplies, Kits, Collector Dolls & Finished Reborns. New items added continuously. www.beeanns.com.au
www.BlessedBabyCreations.com Copyright © 2008-2009 Lifelike Dolls. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form 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
15