someone please help. xxx

[angelhrt084]

hi,i have just joined as i need some advice on reborning,i am new to this and haven't started my first kit yet,it's infront of me.....where on earth do i start? i am using bloomers n bows air dry paints,what do i do first?i've read quite alot and have created a file of instructions,i don't need to dye first as vinyl is thin.the problem i have is....do i do veins first,mottling first or create a base flesh colour first? i am using "rachel" kit by cheryl webber,she is 28 week gestation therefore will have reddish skin,prominent veins as they have very thin skin at that age.i'm guessing i would need to give a bluish tint to the skin due to the gestation,so would i be right in thinking i would need to pounce blush on the skin first then do a thickish,not too think veining as they need to be noticeable and not look too much under the skin (if that makes sense) then more mottling in the right areas then over with flesh tone and hi-lite etc etc am i in the right direction? can someone help? oh dear i'm completely baffled....please help xxxx i've read genesis heat set paints work in the same way only air dry paints don't go in the oven (obviously)..("air dry") lol i really haven't got a clue......and if i mess it up,can i take off these paints pretty easily? xxx xxx

[angelhrt084]

alot of people have alot of different opinions on what to do first and i'm guessing that's because they are working on getting the end result to be "life-like" so....going on that would i do veining half way through? as i need them to be quite noticable,how prominent do these paints turn out on vinyl?how many layers etc etc...i'm baffled....maybe i should practice on a cheap doll first lol.....trouble is how do i prep for painting??? lol...i'm useless

[Debs]

hello

I know its hard when u start, you think you've read and studied all you need to know and then you get your kit, and you feel like you know nothing, thats how i felt anyway I think everyone works different and someone with more experience will be along to help soon. Have you read some of the older posts on here, theres some great tips and also stillmomentsnursury have some brilliant tutorials that helped me a lot.

I started using bloomers and bows airdry but couldnt get the hang of them my secrist missy was stripped down soooo many times, I put her away as i got fed up with her, and just finished my first using heat set. I learnt a lot through my mistakes, and everything just came together, my problem was using the paints to thick, so even with the airdry i think they need to be really thin, it looks like nothings going on, but it is. I think if i'd learnt that lesson earlier the airdry would have been fine, so good luck with your first and please show us some pics as you go along.

Debs XXX

[angelhrt084]

thank-you very much for your reply,i haven't got the nerve yet to start but i have taken one of my daughters little dolls and decided to start practicing rooting.......lol...what a mess,first it's hard vinyl and i used 43 gauge needle which to be honest i should've known better but i attempted to put the needle straight in...well obviously it broke lol...so....as this is just a practice run i decided to use without a needle...just the steel bit it's held in and surprisingly...it leaves next to no holes,the down fall is it puts in about 4 or 5 hairs in at a time so i have to take some out....i dont mind it helps me get the hang of it and the shape i'm supposed to go etc...i can't for the life of me get the swirl on the crown right,i've got the hang of putting the hair in different directions but struggle on the swirl
i am going to practice on this doll,it's an assembled doll and i'm just going to keep taking the hair out and keep trying before i start on "rachel" it's taken me about 5 hours to half a head lol...i'm enjoying it though.i read somewhere that it's hard to remove air dry paints from vinyl,could you tell me how you removed yours please? are you new to reborning or have you been doing it a while? thank-you for the much needed advice.....very much appreciated xxx

[angelhrt084]

debs,
as you said when applying air dry paints it looks as though the paint isn't going on but it is,and i read somewhere that the colour deepens when left to dry thoroughly overnight would it then be along the right lines to think that it would be best to dry before the next new coat?it says permenantly dry in 24 hours or touch dry in 2-5 hours,how long do i leave it for between coats do you think?2-5 hrs or 24 hours? xxxxx

[angelhrt084]

debs,
do you bake you kit in the oven you cook in or do you use a seperate oven? i was considering ghsp and i read somewhere that you should use a seperate oven because of the fumes that come off the aint in the oven,so i thought of buting one of the jml halogen ovens but thought that may not work as it used a different heating system than a conventionel oven,that's why i chose to use air dry paints now i'm reading alot of bad write ups on them and i'm thinking it's maybe not such a good idea.then i thought back to ghsp and considered using a heat gun so i went to have a look at the cost compared to the air dry paints and bloomers and bows have discontinued it as there are so many faults with them,so i changed my mind AGAIN!!!! lol
mmmmmmm.......all these decisions...my brain hurts rofl

[Debs]

Wow, so many questions lol...some of the other ladies may be able to give better advice than me and should be along soon to help. I only heard of reborns this August when my daughter wanted one for her birthday, the one we bought her is painted in air dry and is lovely, so you can get good results. I could'nt...like i said i think the paint wasnt thinned enough as it seemed to 'sit on' the vynl rather than in it, if you know what i mean. I left a few hours inbetween coats, the instructions said you could do that, BUT i found bloomers & bows instuctions very messy, sort of all over the place. They also have tutorials on there web site, have you seen them?

I used nail varnish remover at first, but you have to be carefull and wash regular in water, i found nitromores paint stripper better and quicker, use gloves to protect your hands and apply with a regular paint brush into all the creases, the paint just comes away and then wash thouroughly in warm soapy water.

I was scared of using an oven too, fumes and melting my baba, thats why i started with airdry, so when i went to heat set paints i bought a heat gun to use instead, but it takes an age and i wasnt sure the paint was cured all over, so resorted to using my own oven and its brill. I am going to buy a table top one soon, but using my own oven for now and the heat gun just for small areas.

Can't help with the hair, i'm affraid....except heat the head a little to make it softer i used my hairdryer, but the vynl was fairly soft to start with so you will find it easier when you do your proper baby.

Sorry i can't help more, all i've told you i learnt from here anyway lol and everyone does things different, the only thing to do is GO FOR IT, don't be scared and enjoy, i love my first attempt, she not anywhere near perfect and i'm straight onto my next one. Have a look in Showcase - My First Baby - Lily and let me know what you think.

Good luck, Debs XXX

[angelhrt084]

hi again debs xx
first best of luck on your own babies,and thank-you very much on the advice you have given me. i have taken another of my daughters unused dolls and decided to try again as i made a complete mess of the other one rofl xxxx i decided to heat the needle in the end and guess wot i did hahaha....burnt the vinyl lol,i didn't know what was hair and what was melted vinyl lol.....anyway,i can now get the needle in this doll without breaking the needle or having to heat the only trouble is...i can't get the hair to go in now lol...i'm not having much luck am i lol
this is just practice but i dread to think how the real doll will end up lol....
i hope you are having much more luck than me xxxxxxxxxxxx

[angelhrt084]

i've just had a look at "lily" and very well done hunnie xxx i think she's gorgeous!!! and for a first attemp.....i hope i do as good well done and congraulations xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[maureen-b]

hi,
you can "warm up" the head by this method...
take a sock, place rice grains (uncooked!) inside the sock (half fill sock)& then tie a knot to keep rice in,
place in microwave with a cup of water(otherwise rice will burn!)& heat for two minutes,
take sock out,be carefull it"s hot!,& place sock inside the head &this will soften the vinyl To enable you to root more easily.
just repeat the process above when sock needs reheating(always with cup of water!)
hope this helps it can re-used over & over!
maureenxxx

[treaclepudding]

i was exactly the same as you,but over time everyone develops there own unique way of doing things ,watch as many tutorials as you can there free. and the best thing i bought was the dvd by pat secrist thats brill easy to follow.it takes time and practise to get it right, but dont give up,you will get there. always remember little is best ,you can always add more to get the right effect.remember utube tutorials they are good. good luck treacle pudding x x

[angelhrt084]

thanks treacle hun xxx and great tip maureen i haven't heard of that...no more burt vinyl!!! thank you xxx i've been quite busy and haven't been online so i'm sorry i haven't replied to you xx thank-you for your tips though. do either of you use baby tones air dry paints? i don't know whether to thin them with water or thinners,i got an instruction manual with the paints but it's confusing,"debs" said there was a sticker on the instruction covering how to use them but i don't have that on the ones i received. one page says to use thinners-this is what it says in the book-"BABY TONES PAINT THINNER-use the paint thinner directly in the paints to help thin them and make them last a long time.i add thinner to my paints as i use them to keep the jars full" then another page says "COLOUR WASHES FOR SKIN TONES-these are made by mixing a small dab of paint with about 4oz water to pounce on baby's skin in layers.Remember to use one drop of baby tones water drops per 1 oz of water in your colour wash.Use the base flesh tone first and dilute it to a milky looking light liquid." so,water or thinners?i'm confused

[treaclepudding]

sorry i cant help you on this one chick. ive stuck with the heat set paints from the beginning and havnt needed or wanted to try any thing else. ill enquire though , someone else might be along to help. with love treacle pudding x x

[treaclepudding]

ive just called a friend she says that most companies which supply a type of paint usually also provide a thinner to go with it. the secrist authentic reborn air dry paints by pat secrist have a thinner which comes with them. is there an email address or a tel no you could ring. can you find out if theyre water based then you would thin them with water. hope this helps a bit, with love treacle pudding ps if theyre oil based thin with oil and so on .x x

[treaclepudding]

it all seems very confusing but take a breath and have a minuite. it is very exciting. do as much research as you can ,there is a brill shop at the heritage centre at elsecar barnsley with professional artist helen riley she is fandabedosey ...... just brill for any advise x x with love treacle pudding. tel 01226 805 099 tel her lady from worksop recommended her love treacle x x x