The Best Online Reborn Help Forum!

Welcome Sarah. You'll love this forum. I wouldn't have been able to finish my first doll without the help I received here. I'm on my second now - Phoebe, also from Secrist. You picked a great kit. Zoe is beautiful.

I know what you mean Sarah. My Jamie was a lot cuter before I finished with her.  But I'm sure you'll do great with Zoe.

Hi and welcome

I think you will learn alot of neat things here. I am just starting and I enjoy learning so much here with this group.

I have added a picture of my first doll which was Zoe. I turned Zoe into baby Parker after my son. I took his baby picture and went from there.

If you go to the topic of pictures of my dolls you can see them.

The girl doll was a doll that was mine when I was young. I totally redone her...then the last two pictures are of the Zoe kit.

I thought I would never stop "pouncing the paint" Hee Hee Hee
I used a makeup triangel sponge. After pouncing and pouncing I noticed that the paint dots started getting smaller and smaller and making little pores. It was hard for me to go around the ears. I used a paint brush and sponge on that one. Just be careful not to let the paint stay in the creases. If that does happen I used a tooth pick to scrape it out.

I always kept Q-tips paint thinner and Fingernail polish remover right next to me.

Sarah,
Hello and welcome to the fun!!  If you are having trouble finding the right tone or color to use you can always do what I do... although Pat B. worries about me for it... paint, apply the paint to your own skin, or any child that you can get to hold still long enough for you to get a good look.  It wipes off easily, and there is no better place to do a real skin comparison.  I'm not saying to take the heat gun to the real skin, but the colors don't change with drying/heating, so it will give you a really good idea of how your colors will work.  Sorry Pat.    I just had to share that.
Have fun with your first doll... learn a thing or two... and then have tons and tons of fun reborning lots of little babies!!
Pat C.  

zona wrote:

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Sarah, what state do you live in?

I would love to find someone near me to learn and work on dolls together. I have found someone who teaches a class, but she mostly does porceline and all her other ladies stick to that. A few have tried the reborn dolls, but they only made one just to say they did it. Right now I am her only student that does the reborn dolls.

-- Edited by zona at 18:00, 2008-04-26

Hi Zona ..
I live in England .
It would be lovely to work on dolls with someone but i,m presuming with you asking what state i live in you live in America am i right ??.
It is a shame if you do as that would have been great .
I have started the painting and it,s not looking too bad , i did get one hand slightly chalky to start with but i think i have managed to get it ok now .

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Hey there Pat B.!  Grandkids have managed to stay clear of the heatgun, but they do allow me to do "test colors" when I need to.  With 10 of the little monsters I have a good variety to work from. 

Sarah, glad to be of help.  Unfortunately I'm on the same side of the pond as Zona so this is the best I can do.... but happy to do it!!  We were all beginners at one time.  You'll get the hang of it quickly, I'm sure.

Pat C.    

Thank you Zona and Pat C , i,m sure i,m going to have loads of fun here even though we are miles apart .
I,m nearing to the end of painting now and i,m quite proud of myself as she,s coming on pretty nicely . On the first skin layer you don,t see much at all do you but when you add the veins and the blushing you can see how it transforms from a doll to something so lifelike it,s unreal .
Hope to post pics very soon , i think i,ll do it before the rooting and then if you think i should change anything i can do .
Hugs Sarah ..

Hi Everyone,
  My name is Tami K and I am new to the reborning craft.  My husband and two cats (my original babies!!), live in PA, although I am originally from MI and he is from NJ (born in Canada). 
  I first saw the reborning dolls on Ebay.  I had only wanted to purchase a doll and then my hubby suggested that I try reborning my own dolls.  That is how I started.  I haven't yet done a doll, although I have been practicing on the trial part purchased through Secrist.  I am very excited to try a doll and have decided to try one out tomorrow.
  Anyway, I thought it would be nice to introduce myself and I hope to get to know all of you.  I have asked for advise and am impressed with the response so far.  Thank you so much!!!!

Tami K

Tami K wrote:

Hi Everyone,
  My name is Tami K and I am new to the reborning craft.  My husband and two cats (my original babies!!), live in PA, although I am originally from MI and he is from NJ (born in Canada). 
  I first saw the reborning dolls on Ebay.  I had only wanted to purchase a doll and then my hubby suggested that I try reborning my own dolls.  That is how I started.  I haven't yet done a doll, although I have been practicing on the trial part purchased through Secrist.  I am very excited to try a doll and have decided to try one out tomorrow.
  Anyway, I thought it would be nice to introduce myself and I hope to get to know all of you.  I have asked for advise and am impressed with the response so far.  Thank you so much!!!!

Tami K

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Hi Tami!  My name is Meghan and I am also new to reborning/newborning.  What part of PA do you live in?  I am in the Northeast, near the Pocono's.  Have fun and talk to you soon!

Hi All,
  I live in Shohola, PA.  Near Milford,PA and Port Jervis, NY.  Does any of this ring a bell  We are just inside PA from the NY side.  An hour from Poughkeepsie.  Anyway, just our whole in the wall.

Tami K

Bet you ladies could meet somewhere for a doll painting session too!!!! :)

Tami, I was realy happy alot of years ago, when my husband  suggested I buy a kiln to do porcelain dolls, now I have 4. They Haven,t been used for awhile because we shifed and nothing is set up to do them untill the house and show room is compleated. But by the time I,d made about six or so in class, made Shay by Donna Rubert and finished her dressed her in red instead of black like everyone else, I went and bought a childs rocking horse, when he came home from work ,I said" Dad, look what Mum got me for my birthday , he,s Irish, and said oh thats nice kiddo, We think we,re mad but we talk to them all the time and I,ll bet your husband will play a big part in your reborning, and give yoou heaps of compleaments and encouragement. Mine could be a judge, but I think he would be a bit hard on some of the painting in the comps here.June M from Oz

 Thanks June... it is not just a name... it is also a description.  My hands have been shaky for years and only seem to get worse with the parade of years  Many people are surprised that I continue to paint, draw, crochet, and do other crafts with these silly hands.  The secret is that I have always had a shake in my hands and have just learned to adapt.  I am seldom aware of the fact that I'm shaking unless it is a very bad day.  I just put away the rooting needles on bad days...    they hurt!!
Have a good day.

Pat C. 

Hey Tami and Pat C, it does not sound like we are all that far apart We should get together sometime. I don't really have anyone else around me that makes dolls so it would be fun to "talk shop" sometime with you girls. Just let me kniow.

I am new to this art as well so maybe we would both learn something. I am a teacher so I am off for the summer so I am usually available, except I don't drive so it would need to be during a time when my hubby or a friend could bring me. Just let me know!

Pat C, my hands don,t shake yet , but I guess time will eventually catch up, but It,s what you can do with your hands that I think about. I know a lady with shaky hands and head but she makes some beautifull dolls. I think it all comes from the heart, don,t you.June M from Oz

June, you're right... the heart matters the most!!  I'm not as bothered by the shaking as the people who watch me work are.  My "original" shaking comes from a neurological problem and like Pat B. there is a strong suspicion of Parkensons as well as it has run in the family for many, many, many years.  However, the neurological problem makes definitive diagnosis difficult... so, as long as I can function to drive, walk (don't ask), cook and keep myself functioning I'm not worried about it and told the doctors to (deleted because this is a family site).    
And Pat, you're right too..... it makes the paintbrush do just the perfect thing when painting in those little blue veins....  
I WANT SPELLCHECK!!  
  And the same has also held true for drawing, needlefelting, and most crafts... but you wouldn't believe some of the places the glue ends up when I'm scrapbooking!!  I love glue dots. 

Pat C.

Yes, Francisca - you are so right. I used to play mondolin - but it damaged nerve endings in the second fingertip of my left hand, making it far too painful to play mandolin any more. So then I took up the fiddle - Irish fiddle. I really got addicted to it, and still love it. I always loved dolls too and now, although very new at it, I'm addicted to newborning also.