Pictures of custom order baby in progress and Quality Mohair?

The above picture is of the Arianna kit without paint. I have applied the Genesis Matte Varnish to her.

Here she is after day one. She is starting to get some color to her.

In these two pics she shows some pretty coloring. I have one more full day of painting on her until she is done. She needs two more blush colors, blue colors for depth, veins, brows, highlighting and painted hair.

It will be more than a week before I can work on her again. I am bringing two of my nieces home this weekend and I will be teaching them to make a doll.

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Quality Mohair?? How DO you find it?

Those are tough questions to answer!

The most important attributes to good quality mohair are how the goats are raised. The owner of the farm where I purchase my raw mohair from takes the best care of her goats. She takes utmost care in the selection of feed to produce healthy goats which produce healthy, glossy fiber. She does not keep aged animals for fiber but rather keeps a young and fresh heard from high quality fiber producing stock. She never shears bucks beyond the first 2 clippings for fiber as they emit a very strong odor that is hard to remove from the mohair. She shears when the weather turns to cool nights and warm days. Those cool nights and warm days can destroy a healthy pelt of fiber really fast so she keeps a close watch on the weather. Due to the climate here in the West where we have two defined seasons where this change occurs means that the locks usually will never be more than 6 inches. When buying mohair, be wary of long locks of hair. That usually indicates that the animal was not shorn soon enough creating dry and brittle hair OR that it is an aged, adult animal which also throws dry and brittle hair. You see, the hair grows coarser with each and every clipping. You are looking for soft and glossy hair for your dolls.

A kid goat is first shorn at around 6 months old. This would be the first clip kid hair. This hair is usually very very fine and sometimes fly away if it does not have a good amount of lanolin in the hair. Sometimes it is very curly but not always. The straighter kid hair is perfect for newborn babies.

Then the goat is shorn again at one year old. This is the second clip kid hair. The fiber is a little bit thicker and less curly. This hair is good for all ages of babies from newborn to toddler.

When the goat becomes a year and a half old, it is considered a yearling. This third clipping is called yearling hair. Yearling hair is lovely! It has a fiber that is thicker than the kid hair, it usually has a great amount of lanolin on it and usually is wavy to straight. If a yearling clipping is curly, that hair is wonderful for big, springy curls.

The fourth clipping is also yearling hair with many of the same characteristics of the third clipping.

The 5th clipping is now adult hair. Adult hair is usually longer (7" or more) and coarser with less lanolin. . I don't use adult hair very often unless it just happens to be an exceptional clipping. It can be very good for big toddlers where you need a lot of length.

Mohair should be colored with quality acid dyes created just for mohair.

To find quality mohair...wow, that's a tough question! I was lucky enough to come across this goat farm that I buy from from the time I started reborning. I never had to look around for qualtiy mohair. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of dolls rooted with other hair...some was very nice hair and others were horrible. The latter seems to be the case. Really look at the locks of hair you are considering. You CAN see brittle hair if you look close. Pay attention to what clipping the hair is, if it is posted in the hair you are looking at. Ask the seller questions. One final note on purchasing quality mohair~you DO get what you pay for. Processing mohair is a huge operation and takes much time. Quality raw hair costs more to purchase as well do quality mohair dyes. If the price is really really low on the hair, I would be wary however, some nice but not the best hair can be priced at well over $100 an ounce. ~sigh~ It's a really tough question to answer!

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The plumber showed up within 24 hours of my phone call! Huh...guess what he found in clogging my pipes? HAIR! ROFL!!!!

Speaking of hair, the custom color I was working on turned out beautiful with the second try. I am delighted!

Does anybody have any chocolate cake???

So who said the life of the reborn artist is all glamor and fame? After spending hours weeding through weeds, grass and goat poop to find locks of beautiful hair to color for a custom, order not ONLY did the kitchen sink back up so bad that we had to call the plumber (any bets on how long it will take them to arrive this week?), but the mohair did not turn out to be the color that was ordered. Ugh...back to fishing through the weeds, grass and goat poop. The kitchen is now in shambles as we tried ourselves first to unclog the gooey mess in the kitchen pipes.

They say that if your house is a mess that you live a fulfilling life, focusing on the important things. My house is a mess :)

I did not get as far painting the two custom dolls yesterday as I had hoped, but I am thankful that my customers know that the delivery of a "baby" does not always go as planned.

My beautiful baby doll, Taylor Raine did not sell on ebay yesterday either. Oh well. I will tuck her away for the big show called IDEX (International Doll Expo) in Orlando in January. Florida in January is glamor~I look forward to that!

So, this artist is going to go to the hairdressers for a couple of hours and get her hair done~ahhhhhh! MORE GLAMOR! Okay, so maybe things really are not as bad as they seem. :)

The days are warming up! Reborn hair of 2009 part one

Matthew was in the nursery yesterday afternoon happily chewing on his horsie rattle.....
When he realized just how warm it gets in this room that is in the western part of the house!
So he just rolled over and decided to "chill". He is such a wonderful baby to have in my collection! You will soon learn that this little man is cowboy through and through. He only let me put this summer outfit on because it has a western theme!

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The hair of the reborn doll~2009

I mentioned the other day that reborns of 2009 are a lot different than the original reborn dolls. It used to be that the doll was given a more realistic wig~back in the day. And then, someone, who was very brave, wondered what it would be like if hair could be poked into the head of the doll. Felting needles were used.....well, maybe some other items were used as well~I am not sure. OH my! The trials that must have come from those experiments! I would love to know who first rooted a reborn dolls head and how they did it!

In order to root a head back then, one had to first sand the moulded lines from the head. Various methods were used to do this. Today, when I sand a dolls head, I use a dremmel tool first to remove the big grooves, then I use a 3-D sander to smooth the head from the dremmel marks and then I go over the head again with a salon nail polishing block.

I still sand heads on dolls that I desire to reborn but most of my reborns now a days start out as reborn kits that do not have moulded hair.

But the most important aspect of rooting doll heads is the selection of quality hair. Angora mohair (hair from Angora goats) is the most popular and most realistic hair to use on dolls, however, Alpacca hair, human hair and synthetic hair is used as well.

Tomorrow I will tell you educate you about quality angora mohair.

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Nursery Notes:

The painting is going very well on the big Arianna baby, custom order, that I am working on. I sent preview pictures to her "mommy" yesterday~she is trilled! I will work on her paint for two more days~if all goes well. One cannot rush the birth of a baby. They just kindof come in their own time! LOL

Regarding angora mohair, I have been so blessed to have found the most amazing raw mohair when I first started reborning. I had to learn how to process it which took about 2 years. Now I do a bang up job and offer it for sale on occassions. Before I go to the nursery to paint, I am headed to the kitchen to finish up a custom order of auburn hair that can be shipped tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday!

The reborn doll of 2009 part 2 Painting

When first selecting the base color for my reborn, I evaluate the color of the vinyl. Some vinyls are very pink/red, some are tan, some are a wonderful cream color, some are orange and some are a little gray. I need to choose a color that will compliment the color of the cream color vinyl or a color that will neutralize the other colors of vinyl. A color wheel is very helpful in choosing neutralizing colors. I use the "complimentary" option to help me choose the color needed.

If I am neutralizing the color of the vinyl, I choose a small poured (porous) damp sponge in order to fully coat the vinyl to change the color. (Sponges are fabulous for applying paint to reborn dolls) If I am using a complimentary color to add depth to the vinyl, I choose a large poured damp sponge or one that has "bumps" on it. This step is very important in beginning to create depth to the vinyl. If I have neutralized the vinyl, then I would choose a large poured sponge and a complimenting color to begin creating the depth I speak of. After the application of paint with the sponge, I use a dry make up wedge or a dry paint brush to balance out the color and removing excess.

I work on the lips and nails throughout the entire painting process building layers of different colors to add realism. I also work on other details, such as tear ducts, milk bumps, eye brows, details to the ears (they have veins and life like details too!) and I color the ends of the fingers and toes red during the entire process.

I would now add 1-2 more layers of tones choosing different colors and sponges for application. I am building multi-dimensional depth. This sounds like a fast process, but in reality, it takes quite a long time per layer as I am careful to apply the paint to all the area's of the vinyl such as in between the fingers and toes. Those area's need extra attention with a dry brush to smooth to assure that there are no globs of paints left.

Then the creases and fold are painted using a paint application brush, a dry make up wedge and dry brushes.

The first layer of blush is applied with a sponge and a single color. The second is applied with a mop brush and a second color. The third layer is applied with a different poured sponge and a third color. When I blush a doll, I do not just blush the cheeks and nose. I spend hours building my my blush colors applying them in all the area's that the doll should be blushed. This process also builds on my multi-dimensional tone as well. By now, the "skin" is looking amazing!

With the blush colors and some purple, I am also working on painting little capillaries, stork bites and milk spots.

I tip the nails when I am happy with the nail color.

But the doll needs some life and depth. This is created by using blue and purple undertones but I apply them close to the last layers of paints. I get amazing results this way. I use very thin blue and purple colors and a mop brush to apply and a make up sponge to blend in. I use these colors in what we call the "thin" area's of skin and also over many of the creases and folds, on the fingers and toes and along all the area's that I will add veining.

I apply my veins using a brush and blending in with a make up wedge and a dry brush. Veins are applied all over the doll and sometimes I use a natural sea sponge to add many many little veins in the tops of the legs and arms and on the tops or the hands and feet. My veins are never a solid line, as real veins usually aren't and they appear to be under the skin as they should be even though they are painted so close to the end of the painting process.

I check all details at this time which I have been working on throughout the process and fine tune any that need it.

Then I highlight all the colors I have applied using a light ivory color. This step creates amazing results and glow to the doll. Ivory is great for toning down anything that might be too vivid but in the same sense, it highlights area's such as veins and other small details.

If I want painted hair, I will paint it now using a paint brush. I usually paint hair on most of my dolls heads and then root over that painted hair. I select 3-5 different colors of paint to create a realistic head of painted hair.

Well, whew! Days and hours later, I have a beautiful, realistic painted doll! Her tone is matte and her colors subtle yet created in depth for true skin tone.

Next time, I will share the next steps in the reborn process......the hair!

Have a glorious day!

A picture from my collection

Today I will share just a single picture from my collection. We had a wonderful weekend in our little city's annual celebration and my mind has not re-engaged as of yet.

This is sweet little Laurel. I purchased her from Rita Rich in Texas in May of 2009. She is 16 inches and made of solid silicone. The other day, I changed her outfit and snapped a picture. I love this little dolly!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Friday Funnies! And The Reborn Doll of 2009 part 1

~Friday Funnies!

This is the first picture story I wrote back in the spring of 2006. I have built most of my stories upon this story but don't worry, they are not all about bunnies :)

*A day with Baby the Bunny....a bad ending for Giovanni*

Michael says: Hay...lookie wat we dots...cawwots!!! Do we thinks there is any bunnies out here???

Giovanni is so excited because he found a bunny! "Wook"! "Weet Pikles, see if you tan git da bunny to eat a tarrot!"

"We dont tink dis bunny tan eat tarrots. Bwut wets all get close two swee if we tan tuddle it!"

Michael exclaims: "Oh my dosh! WOOK wat dis comin our way!"

"Yippeeeee! A weel bunny!!!!!"

"WWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! "wat happen Giovanni???"

"Dat bad bunny he eat mi finder!. Sissy wiwl u tiss mwe bwetter?????"

Yes, it it true. The sweet bunny by the name of Baby really did chomp into Giovanni's finger. Mind you it is solid silicone, er, it was. I will be sending an email to Laura Tuzio Ross, Giovanni's creator, to see if she can create a new arm for poor G. Poor baby will be on R&R until then.

~cry~

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The Reborn Doll of 2009:

Yesterday, I failed to comment that back in the days of the first reborns, reborners made it a common practice to paint the inside of the vinyl parts purple. This was a great idea allowing depth to the tone of the doll, however, over time, the purple paint would seep through to the front of the vinyl creating a badly bruised baby doll. Then blush was added on the outside along with veins applied in a variety of ways, including ball point pens! The lips were tinted as well as the nails. Today's reborn is painted quite a bit differently.

So today, I will discuss a little bit of MY painting process as I cannot speak for all reborn artists.

Like other artists, I have tried several different paints trying to create the best tone and use the best product for the vinyl as well as for the durability of the doll over time. I started with oil paints made by Scuola. I found these paints to be VERY good and steadfast but they took a lot of time to cure. Then I moved onto a heat set paint called Genesis Heat Set Paints which are artist oils as well and because they are cured in the oven, the drying time is much less as compared to the other oils. They are great paints however, studies show that baking vinyl is hazardous to me and my family's health as well as damaging to the vinyl itself. Currently, I am using an air dry paint put out by the Little Dreams Collection from DollDreams.net. They are called Little Dreams Collection paints and we refer to them as LDC paints. They are not to be confused with other air dry paints as they are unique in their application and are created specifically for vinyl dolls. I wrote a FREE tutorial on the Doll Dreams site on painting a doll with the LDC paints.

Before painting is begun, the vinyl kit must be cleaned in order to remove any manufacturing debris. This is done by giving the vinyl a good bath in hot soapy water using sponges and toothbrushes to assure it is really scrubbed. Of course, if a manufactured doll is being reborn, it must be taken apart, stripped of it's factory coloring and molded hair or wigs and eyes removed. During the prep time, I aslo open the nostrils of the doll with a dremmel tool and aslo open the back of the eye socket if the doll is an open eyed doll. This step will help later when I insert new, real looking eyes.

The key to a multi-dimensional detailed skin tone is the application of many thin layers, many colors of paints and applied with different sponges to create varied textures. Currently, it takes me roughly 20 hours per doll to create skin tones and details. I am always looking for ways to make my dolls more and more real and lately, I have began my painting process with a layer of Genesis Matte Varnish over all of the vinyl parts. This is baked (Yes, I know, I am taking a bit of a risk by baking but the results have been so amazing! Plus, I am only baking the doll twice instead of the 14 times I used to) and then I do some advance work with the Genesis Matte Varnish by building up little milk bumps in 3-D as well as 3-D hair and eye brow strokes.

Okay, my doll is ready for color! We will talk about that on Sunday if I have time. I will not be posting tomorrow, Saturday, as we have family coming in later today for a weekend city celebration.

~Nursery Notes~

This is what is currently happening in the nursery. I am working on a custom big baby doll. She is not a toddler really but more like a 9-12 month old baby. Her name is Arianna by Reva Schick. Yesterday, I went shopping for clothes for her. I took her with me...I have not even started the paint on her yet however, I put her parts on her body and took her to the store to try clothes on. Many people already thought she looked real! LOL It was great fun as I lay her on the floor to try on outfits. (reborn artists and collectors waiting for Arianna, she wears 9-12 month size clothes and a size 3 shoe) I got the strangest looks from people! I would ask them...."What, have you never seen a grown woman take her dolly to the store for shopping before???" They would laugh and I would then be able to tell them what I did for a living. I have such a fun job! :)

I have this darling little baby on ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=330344715823

And three babies up for immediate adoption here:

http://www.artfire.com/users/TheyNeverGrowUpNursery | http://TheyNeverGrowUpNursery.artfire.com

Have a fabulous Friday!

So what IS a reborn doll anyway????

I am so glad that you asked! Oh long about 9 years or so ago, some ladies wanted to make regular baby dolls look and feel more real. Why you ask? Well, because for centuries little girls desired that their baby dolls looked and felt more real. These little girls grew up and became creative women not straying far from that little girl wish. With creativity and resources available to them, they began taking standard play dolls and collector dolls apart, stripping off the original coloring, removing the original body and either sanding grooved hair off the head or removing unrealistic wigs. They then used all kinds of different paints and pigments to create a more life like tone and color, added a new body with weight and a new more babyish wig. This was the reborn doll back in the day~hence the title "reborn doll". It's not a Christian doll as some would believe the title to mean, rather it is a doll that was redone/reborn. Today, the reborn doll is an amazing piece of artwork! Over the years, the art has refined and continues to refine with more and more women, and some men, going beyond the standard practices to reach a level of ultimate realism. Reborn doll artists are blessed to have had the sculpting artists and manufactures paying attention to the art and they began to create vinyl pieces for the artists to use as the reborn doll canvas. Now artists can purchase these unpainted kits of a vinyl head, limbs and sometimes a torso or belly plate and begin creating sooner than they did in the past. Dolls are still taken apart and reborn by many artists, myself included, but with so many beautifully sculpted kits available that tedious task is becoming less and less. Today's reborn dolls are simply amazing! Tomorrow I will touch a little bit about the process of today's life-like reborn baby doll.

Ahhhh...and tomorrow is Friday! On Fridays I will post "Friday Funnies"~funny pictures or picture stories using my personal dolls as the stars in the stories.

Have a great day everyone!