I just got a new shipment of rooting needles from Bountiful Baby. Oooh Baby! I got a tinier needle with lower barbs. Now the hair goes in smooth and I'm rooting even faster than before. Baby's First Curl is about to become a few curls!
0 Comments
Now that I've finally achieved the skin complexion I need and the depth of shading required to make Zoey look just like a real baby, I'm now ready to do some detailing. The first detail is adding a fleshy color to the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Wondering how I paint the complexion layers of my hands & feet? Check out my Painting Hands and Feet Tutorial! Every good process starts with a plan. So that my hair follows a natural hair growth pattern, I like to paint my growth pattern before I start rooting. I don't typically cure this painting. Its just a reference that washes off when I'm done. (Artist Note: if you warm your head, not all of the paint will wash off, so don't leave any lines you'll regret later! Keep them as hair-looking as possible.) I found a really cool picture of a baby on the internet that I'm using as a reference for Britany's hair pattern. Britany is a Masterpiece Collection doll, after all. She's been an incredible opportunity for me to push the boundaries of my painting technique and I'm very pleased with the results. Why not also go all out on the rooting? So excited! Time to lay down some hairs! At this point in the process, I typically do a small photo shoot that I call the Interim Review. This allows me to inspect the painting before I start rooting.
But Britney, in spite of being premature, is running late on her delivery date. So in the interest of time, we did a brief cuddle inspection in the sunlight from my window. All but her head has been weighted and assembled. Everything about her is perfect. I just love the way she looks up at me. Its heart-melting. I hereby declare this little one ready for rooting! If you're in love too, order your beautiful newborn today! We're in the painting home stretch! All that lovable little face needed this weekend was wet, rosy lips and a lifelike tongue. I also painted her nail tips and half-moons (called lunulas.) And topped off all that wonderful painting with a matte varnish layer. The matte varnish helps protect her from stains and damage while adding very light texture to the skin. After over 100 hours of rooting one little hair at a time, Cadyn is finally sporting a full head of luscious human hair. At its natural curl, it falls down her shoulders. At full stretch, its down to her belly button. My stars, that's ALOTTA Hair!! How it All HappenedClick on the images below to get caught up about a month's worth of progress photos :)
I am falling in love with this face! Once I applied the first few blushing layers and tried on the eyes, Britany's sweet personality really showed up. Something about her gives you that feeling you get when a newborn baby looks at you for the first time. Its wonderful! Anyway, blushing. I work my blushing in several layers and in different degrees of pigmentation. I like to mix reds, blues and brown until I have something that looks very much like blood on my palette. Then I'll apply that full-concentration to areas like the tips of the fingers and toes, elbows, knees, heels, cheeks, etc... I can actually pounce on a few layers of color before I have to cure it. Then I'll dilute my blood-mixture and pattern over her whole body to warm her complexion. And I'll keep alternating between the concentrated and diluted colors until everything is just right. What a sweetie! Creasing is one step in reborning that will make you crazy if you're not careful. The goal of creasing is to create the illusion of depth by appropriately darkening the creases. The deeper the crease the darker the paint. Some are so shallow, like the little wrinkles on the feet, that they don't need painting at all. Its a teeny tiny detail that takes a lot of time. I needed 3 full days to properly crease all the tiny details in this LeLou kit. The key to not going nuts?
|
Reborn Doll Babies
All
Reborn Doll ArtistHi! My name is Kim. I am a reborn artist based in NC. I have been creating dolls since I was a child. I discovered the art of life-like baby dolls in 2011 and have been reborning ever since. Archives
December 2016
|