That's right, if you follow these 5 simple rules, you will never fail as a reborn artist. Rule #5: Expect to FailWait! This fifth "Never Fail Rule" is to Fail?? That's right! Unlike other skills that you learn - like computer programming, math or baking - most of us approach reborning a little overconfident. We see a doll we love on the internet and expect to be able to reproduce that same level of quality in the first shot with just a starter kit and a DVD. My first two reborn dolls were not hideous, but not great. Nothing I'd want to put on eBay, anyway. Yet like any proud new mom, I was always shoving pictures of them in people's faces, like they were the best thing ever made. That eventually wore off and I realized I still had a lot to learn. Yet, I still love and cherish my first dolls. They remind me of why I got into this business and show me just how much I've grown since I started. If your goal is perfection out of the gate, you're probably en route to frustration and disappointment. Some folks are naturals, but most of us go through a several iterations to learn - even if we already have art training. If you're just starting out, buy the cheapest doll kit you can find - even one that is defective - and expect to mess it up. Not only is this a normal part of learning anything, but the tutorial you're using is also working against you...which brings me to Rule Number 4. Rule #4: Burn the TutorialsWhile you might not be ready to throw that $50 DVD into the fireplace and dance around the ashes, bring a critical mind to every tutorial you get - including the ones I write. I started with the Bountiful Baby Paint by Numbers. I did paint by numbers as a kid. Surely I could master this thing as an adult, right? I watched the DVD several times before even attempting to paint my doll. But no matter how diligently I reproduced every detail in the tutorial - even down to painting the nails with a toothpick (?!) - I was not getting the results I wanted. Why? Most beginner tutorials over-simplify the reborning process. Especially tutorials created by doll kit or paint manufacturers. They want you to feel like creating a doll is fast and easy so you'll make a lot of them and buy more doll kits. We've all got to start somewhere and the beginner tutorials are great for orienting you to the many different steps in reborning. But don't get too attached to doing things exactly the way they specify in the tutorial. When I finally gave up on painting by numbers, I saw a remarkable improvement in the quality of my dolls. When I create a doll today, there are very few steps that I continue to do the way I learned from that first tutorial. I've also over time eliminated from my pallet a lot of the paints that have body parts in the name (lip, nail, blush...). If your blush doesn't look right no matter what you do, it just may be a problem with the paint. When I buy a new tutorial from another artist or take a live class, I'm always bringing a test kit - not something I would have otherwise sold. I fully expect that I'm not going to adopt everything in the tutorial and I don't subject my good doll kits to that experimentation process. But experimentation takes a lot of time and money, which brings me to Rule Number 3... Rule # 3: Waste Time and MoneyThe felt need to stick to a budget holds many of us back in the art. When I first started, I bought the cheapest convection oven I could find on eBay to cure my Genesis Heat Set paints. That cheap oven melted several of my dolls. I also tried to resist buying more paints and tools when I first started. "Well, this looks close enough," I'd reassure myself before completely messing up the veins on an otherwise good doll. Reborn dolls are expensive and so are the materials and equipment. You've got to be ready to invest in the good stuff so you can see your dolls flourish. Here are two quotes I like to share with beginners on wasting money: Businesses optimize profits, while families optimize utility." We threw away about $10,000 in materials during our learning process..." If you need to drop another $150 to make your dolls more beautiful and make your craft more fulfilling, just do it and don't look back. You deserve the best! Rule # 2: Remain TeachableOkay, so after telling you to burn your tutorials, I'm now telling you to remain teachable? Yes! Even though my customers are happy with how my dolls look, I'm always on the lookout for learning something new. My goal is that each doll I create be even more lifelike than the one that came before it. And you can't reach a goal like that doing the same thing over and over again. In order to grow, you have to remain teachable.
Of course, in addition to the free stuff mentioned above, you can always buy the DVDs and attend the live classes. But remember for any tutorial you encounter: Get It > Learn It > Burn It! Adopt what's useful and throw away the rest. Rule # 1: Never Give Up!So by now, your floor is covered with: - several ruined doll kits - shredded pieces of tutorials - a credit card bill you're afraid to look at - and a few nasty and/or super critical e-mails from artists you once idolized You're starting to think this reborn gig is not all its cracked up to be. But Rule #1 will keep you in it: Don't Quit! Its really that simple. But I didn't say don't cry or don't take a break from it. Learning is painful and stressful. You've got to productively manage that stress. But don't let it pull you out of the game. Call and vent on a friend. Find other folks online struggling with the same issues as you. Let whatever motivated you to buy that starter doll kit in the first place - loss of a loved one, desire to try something new, plans to become a tycoon on eBay - carry you through the tough times. When you finally hold that baby you dreamed of in your arms, you'll know it was worth what it took to get you there. And if you're like me, you'll put that baby in a box, ship it to someone else, feel depressed for about a day then grab a new doll kit and start the process all over again! Update 10/26/2015... Rule #6: Don't Cure Until You're Sure!This rule is so important that it's worth adding a 6th rule to the 5 Never Fail Rules! Always thoroughly inspect your pieces before you cure the paint. That tiny crease you forgot to buff out will you haunt you forever. Some of the worst boo boos on my dolls have been things I could have prevented had I seen it. Once you see it, fix it! This may sound obvious, but its very temping in reborning to assume that something wrong can be painted over later. But we work in transparent layers. That thing you could have fixed will only get darker as you go. So never put anything in the oven that you don't like, or put differently, don't cure until you're sure! What Are Your Never Fail Rules?So you probably figured out by now that my 5 (or 6) Never Fail Rules are all things that I totally failed at but overcame. What have you learned that has become a Never Fail Rule for you?
29 Comments
I am new to reborning & I am half way through my first doll, which is beginning to look like "Chucky". I have watched a few different artists on YouTube, telling how to paint from scratch, but I'm not understanding the paints? I'm using a heat gun as I'm a bit wary of using an oven.. What's the extender gel for? Also once you have cured the Matt varnish can you paint over it if you think the mottling isn't that good? Also why does it look chalky? I have bought 2 reborn a which haven't been painted, so I have no way of knowing if my "Chucky" baby feels right.. I'm not happy with the mottling & would be greatful if you could email me explaining how to mottle a white baby.. I look forward to hearing from you & hope you don't mind my questions.. From a mixed up, but very trying Reborner, Janet
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Joanna McClelland
12/14/2019 03:33:02 pm
Hi i want to report some thing ok about 5 other companies true me about free give away reborn baby doll there any thing i can do about it because it wasn't nice i did what they wanted to i give they my name and my address and they said there's wasn't no free give away reborn baby that really hurt my feelings are you giving afree reborn baby away i, m not saying it was YOU ok from joanną McClelland
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Hi Janet!
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Debbie
1/26/2016 03:20:17 pm
I have been watching your mottling video and when your camera ran out of memory you were telling how to mix the dirty purple paint. What colors make this up, you never finished with the mix even though you said you could say since it was your own recipe and not someone else's....I have enjoyed watching your videos they seem as though they will be very helpful when actually starting to paint... Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge you are right not all want to. Same way in the primitive world.
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1/26/2016 04:27:31 pm
Hi Debbie!
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Mary
3/15/2016 01:22:16 am
First and foremost I want to take the time to "Thank You So Much", all of your tutorials have been a huge huge help. I am currently working on my first reborn the Kimi sculpt from Bountiful I know it's not perfect but I'm not feeling to bad about it. I did buy some practice limbs from Sandies the only problem I'm running into consistently is my baby feels rough, I'm using Miracle Blend Air Dry and I'm ready for the Matte Varnish not for sure if this is going to tone that down or not? Any suggestions? Or helpful hints? Any knowledge you share would be truly appreciated. You truly are great at what you do and maybe if I can make some extra money at this one day I'll be able to have you make me one of your beautiful babies.
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3/16/2016 10:01:06 am
Hi Mary,
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Cricket
7/24/2016 05:24:08 am
Rule #5: Expect to fail. The one rule I got right! I Just stripped 4 doll kits. All my work for last 3 months! I wish I could send pictures. I piled all the limbs in a single pile, took a picture, and started erasing everything.! The picture revealed a common denominator, My pieces were too red. All of them except for Lulu' face and plates. Even though she was coming out cute, I erased her because her limbs didn't match.
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Janet
7/25/2016 12:11:26 pm
I too babe lots of bags of "need to remove paint" kits. I've been painting for nearly a year & still keep getting the blush too red! I'm hoping in time to have a less heavy hand as I'm slowly running out of 5 litres of acetone to clean the kits!!!
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9/26/2016 01:06:49 pm
5 liters of acetone! Wow! I'm glad you keep pushing forward! 9/26/2016 01:01:42 pm
Hi Cricket,
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Cristal
10/16/2016 12:32:06 pm
Hi,im just starting out and i got the the mottling stage,after i put the blue layer and purple layer it alwsys come out looking like its green and dirty.any suggestions?
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10/20/2016 08:15:23 am
Hi Cristal,
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Nancy
11/1/2016 09:00:27 pm
I just got done doing the mottling layers...cooked the doll and now she looks muddy and chalky... Help
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11/2/2016 01:46:30 pm
Hi Nancy,
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Paula
3/30/2017 05:48:53 am
Hello,
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Emily
9/21/2017 03:03:28 pm
I've completed two doll kits and one's too pale , while the other's too red. Both have terrible hair and too heavy in the head... I am going to redo most parts of them and two things I've learned so far are: keep trying and you'll get better every time and take your time!😉
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Teresa R Holliday
12/18/2017 06:04:12 am
Can color be corrected after baking a reborn doll.
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Beth
9/6/2018 01:43:28 pm
I'm new to reborning I've made 2 babies the first one wasn't weighted but I wanted a doll to practice on so I try rooting the hair and it doesn't look too bad and it's not painted but the second one has no hair magnetic dummy weighted and looks much better but the paint has cracked a little on the middle if the nose and the legs and arms I don't know what I'm doing wrong? I've tried to acetone the doll and start again it does look better but no where near the quality I want I've ordered another kit to go to the next level but I don't know what that is? Im self taught i watched videos on YouTube but that was it any help? Thank you in advance
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Christi Y
9/7/2018 10:02:55 pm
Hi, I need help! Just started my first doll. Have been handpainting for years but this is my first go with a reborn. I have watched MANY tutorials and believe I’ve done all the correct steps. Washed doll, added 4 basecoats to get the tone I wanted, and now started mottling. I used the blue tone I watched you make in the tutorial and for some reason I can’t see it on the doll anywhere. I can see it as I am applying it, but only the shine from the thinner...cannot see any blue. Afraid to go darker and apply again. Have not cured this step yet. Thought I would ask for advice before I set it and can’t go backwards without starting all over.
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Shirleyatkins
10/22/2018 07:05:55 am
Why does the head always crack when l bake it and how can I fix it
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Katie
7/10/2019 04:27:43 pm
I'm having a very difficult time finding a baby boy doll that is not anatomically correct and that does not have a cloth body. My granddaughter (7 yrs) is so maternal and really wants a doll that doesn't seem to exist. She is adamant about no cloth on the body, but must also be squeezable. I can find dolls with a full body soft, squeezable vinyl (can't afford the silicone), sweet newborn face and boy-like hair, but they always have the anatomy of a boy. It seems the only two choices are neutering the doll (yikes!) or paying $$$ to have a custom one, neither of which I can do. Any suggestions?
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Jessica
8/20/2021 08:51:18 am
Why do you not want anatomically correct? Studies show it to be healthier and reduces the risk of sexual abuse.
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Fran Sullivan
4/7/2020 09:48:45 am
Kim, could you please tell me what size is the Artist's Loft long bristle mop brush? I am following your tutorial and it is wonderful. I would like to purchase the brush but would like to know which one use use in your video.
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Michelle Larden
9/14/2020 11:09:19 pm
Priming vinyl is a must otherwise you will always have painting problems.
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Debbie M.
9/18/2020 08:36:06 am
Hi Kim. I love your site. Dolls By Sandie sells practice heads and limbs to practice painting techniques on.
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Briana
9/20/2023 02:02:36 pm
Hello! I love your site and all the info you share! Thank you!
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AuthorHi! I am Kim. I've been creating dolls all my life. I started stuffing cotton balls into my mom's pantyhose when I was a little girl. Now I hand-craft dolls that look and feel like real babies. Archives
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