Painting your Reborn with different types of Heat Set paints

Many different mediums may be used to paint your doll. The three that I use are all heat set paints. Heat set paints requires each layer of paint to be baked at 265 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes to cure the paint on to the vinyl before going to the next layer. Some dolls could have as many as 8 or 9 layer or as few as 3 or 4 layers.  The paints I use are Authentic Reborn pre-mixed colors by Secrist Doll Co.; Genesis custom pre-mixed paints by Bountiful Baby; and Genesis heat set colors that need to be mixed to create the proper color.

Authentic Reborn pre-mixed are heat set paints and come in pre-mixed complexions of Peaches and Cream, Strawberry, Vintage Rose.   They require no thinning with Mineral Spirits and are designed to be transparent creams.  These are very good paints for beginners taking the guess work out of how much thinner to use. The Paint is spread as a very thin layer on glass pallet and the flesh and blush is applied with various sponges.  For veins and creases a brush is used. These paints were designed for the Secrist vinyl doll parts, which is a darker Peach color.  This is the only paint I used when I first started adding additional enhancements to Secrist Apple Valley Dolls that are pre-painted at their factory in Michigan. This paint is easy to use, but the flesh tones do not give the best flesh effect in my opinion. But I feel the two colors in the picture to the left:, eye lid purple and vein blue work best around the eyes and to give dept in the shadows, so I use these on all the dolls.

Bountiful Baby pre-mixed paints are heat set paints that shades of Genesis paints have been blended to achieve the color tones that BB feels best suits Bountiful Baby vinyl. Mixes include flesh, blush, a darker blush also used for lips and nails, and creases.  These paints do need to be mixed with an odorless thinner such as Turpenoid. Each paint application  is thinned to various degrees of thinness depending on the layer and effect you are to achieve. ( I will have more about layers and thinning in an up coming blog on Painting).  This is the medium I use most often for the Bountiful Parts and for the Lee Middleton doll parts. Although I do also use the Authentic Reborn paints around the eyes and their cream blush as my last blush on the Bountiful and Middleton dolls. The BB blush is actually a blood color and dries slightly brownish like real blood does. In my opinion that leaves the baby looking too brown so I add the last layer of blush from the AR blush to give a rosier complexion and brighten, making the baby look more alive.

Genesis heat set paints come in standard colors that you mix together to create the shade and the effect you want to achieve. That mixed base is then thinned with an orderless paint thinner. I use Odorless Turpenoid that I get from my local art supply store. Mixing the colors and knowing how much thinner to use becomes a challenge but with practice it can be mastered.

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On the road to Reborn Baby Dolls

My Love for baby dolls that really resemble children started with the Lee Middleton Dolls in 2009. They captured my heart as their little personalities were shown in each ASC sculpt. I became a successful retailer offering the full line of Lee Middleton dolls.   My first introduction to Reborn babies was when Lee Middleton came out with their first kits to reborn.  I was fascinated by the idea of painting my own baby. But before starting, Lee Middleton Dolls sold out to Madam Alexander Dolls and my business went in a different direction. In 2012 Madam Alexander Doll sold out to  KLL Dolls (Kahn Kucas) and they changed the whole concept of the Middleton Dolls then basically dropping the line.  At that point I started putting together my own dolls offering custom orders using the Apple Valley Dolls. AVDolls offer pre-painted (air brushed) vinyl doll parts for making your own dolls. They come in many different expressions. AVD  owned by Secrist Doll company that specializes in providing soft vinyl Baby sculpts for reborn artist along with their own painting supplies.  Secrist paints are pre-mixed and pre-thinned, no guess work.  Wonderful for beginners. Starting with these and began adding more detail to the AVDolls and painting some of the un painted ones. Their paints I found  easy to work with and instead of baking the vinyl parts,  Instead of baking I used a heating tool.  Purchased very good quality wigs from Monique and provided some very cute dolls.
 Then I found Bountiful Babies and fell in love with the realism of their sculpts. They do a wonderful job of providing pictures of the finished dolls, reborn to perfection by reborn artist.  Bountiful Baby  has their own brand of paints which are also pre-mixed Genesis  heat set paints and they also sell the standard Genesis Paint for mixing your own shades.  Thinner is required for both. These are a little harder to work with because you need to thin to the right consistency.
  By now I'm hooked, buying glass beads for weighting instead of poly pellets, premium poly fill for stuffing, investing in oven for baking (3 to be exact until I found the best one), spending hours viewing how too videos, Practicing, Practicing, and Practicing- now comes the art of rooting hair- harder than painting.  Oh, forgot to mention before Lee Middleton closed their doors I bought up lots of their reborn kits and tucked them away in storage.  Smart move on my part. Thank you God for the insight.
My next post will be on the differences in painting with Secrist Reborn Paints and Bountiful Reborn Paints.

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Fell in Love with Reborn Babies

The first time I saw a picture of a beautiful reborn baby I fell in love  .........The artist sculpts can be just amazing, as they have those unique qualities of real babies. The qualities that make you want to hold one and cuddle.  I knew I could not sculpt a baby, but I asked myself "could I paint one"? So I set on a venture of watching videos and decided, "yes I could".  If you have the same desire you could probably paint reborn babies too.  But I will say it takes a self-critical eye and lots of practice to get the right technique. Truthfully I'm still working on mine and probably always will be.  The videos out there are good, but I have found leave a lot untold for they give the basics or one point of view.  In this blog I hope to take you on my journey and share tid-bits of what I have learned. Since I started over 2 years ago, I will start this section - back tracking until I bring you up to date with my progress.
I hope you will join me for I hope to add a new entry at least weekly. Would be happy to answer and questions you might have, and of course suggestions.

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Middleton Doll Newborn Cuddle Babies Review

Middleton Doll (now owned by Madame Alexander Doll Company) introduced a new line of dolls in 2011- The Cuddle Babies.  They arrived late Fall just in time for Christmas shoppers.  The 12 new dolls -dressed as 7 girls and 5 boy dolls came in 5 different Reva Schick face sculpts. Girls Babies are dressed in a very cute pink cotton gown, and the boys are in teal cotton rompers.(pictures below) Both styles come with matching hats and wear diapers under their outfits.  They are boxed in their own special gift box.

Cuddle Babies size and body style is the same as the original Middleton 19" Newborn baby used as: Middleton  NOW dolls, My Own Baby (MOB), and the famous Newborn Nursery Babies. The body slip has jointed disk at the shoulders and hips for easy movement of arms and legs.  The body slip is stuffed with fiber-fill and weighted with poly-beads to the over all weight of 3 lbs. Bodies are attached to the head and vinyl limbs with zip lock straps. The weight gives the doll a life-like feel when holding and the flexibility to sit with natural realism as show in this picture.

Cuddle Babies are a very popular doll with both children and adults. There quality construction provides years of play and a doll to cherish for a life-time.  2011  Alexander Doll suggested retail price was $100.00. In 2012 the price has been raised to $110.  We at Quality Dolls will continue to offer the dolls at our price of $99.00 throughout the Spring and maybe longer.  We not only offer the Cuddly Babies at a lower price, but we also include our own 'Certificate of Adoption' and periodically a gift of a bottle or pacifier.  Stop by our Website and adopt a Cuddle Baby for your special 'little one'.

 Below are the description on the Cuddle Babies now available.

Mommy's Delight; come as boy or girl dolls with blonde or brown hair and blue eyes. As you can see by the picture they have an open mouth that is large enough to fit a (real baby) size bottle or pacifier.  (Pacifier needs to be the straight nipple style)
Angle Love; African American Cuddle Baby also come boy or girl dolls with open mouths large enough to fit a full size bottle or pacifier. They both have big brown eyes and tight curly dark brown/black hair.
Mother's Joy: comes only as a girl doll with a big smile on her face. Her mouth is open enough to play pretend bottle and pacifier.(by pretend I mean a regular size pacifier including the Middleton doll pacifier is too large to be inserted in the mouth- but could be held up to the mouth for pretend)  Mother's Joy may  be purchased as either a brunette with brown eyes or blonde hair and blue eyes.
Baby Face: comes as girls only either with brown hair and brown eyes or as a strawberry blonde hair with blue eyes. Baby Face has big wide open eyes and a somewhat of a surprise look on her face. Her mouth size is also good for pretend bottle and pacifier.
Lil' Peanut; comes as boy dolls only with blonde hair and blue eyes or brown hair and brown eyes.  He has a very lovable face with a look of wonderment. Lil' Peanut face is my favorite. His mouth is also a pretend bottle and pacifier.

Alexander Dolls also provides some adorable additional outfits and shoes to dress and re- dress your Cuddle Babies Dolls. And for hours of play we have the perfect doll furniture and accessories.

Stop by for a visit real soon - Quality Dolls at www.lee-middleton-dolls.com to adopt your Cuddle Baby