Painting and Painting A Baby

Hi Reborn Lovers and Reborners,

I have been very busy painting and exploring options for shading, blushing and more.  I have spent over 6 hours trying to get the lips right on my first reborn baby doll.  Lots of attempts to get the lips similar to some other artists's reborn lips that I admire.  It has been a bit frustrating and I have redone them several times.  I am not sure if I am even happy with them now.  I wish I could find a good tutorial on lips that has a result I like. 

Perhaps it's just the difficulty of the baby I chose to paint.  Her mouth is open, tongue out slightly, and her lips are pursed creating a weird set of lips.  I also noticed they are not symmetrical so that too posed an issue for my first baby.

Nose looked a bit wet but I cleaned that up.

I tried to make her look as real as I could, giving her lots of shading, blushing and a newborn color scheme.  So far I think she has been baked at least 12 or more times.  Wow.  She is about to get her final matting layer before I start putting her hair in.  I have ordered her neck and arm/leg rings and I am ready to hurry up and get this girl together so I can give her a cuddle myself!  I can't wait to dress her all up!

Well compared to her starting look what do you all think? I think she has a very real look.

Celeste is halfway finished.  I still need to root her eyelashes and hair.  Not sure what you are thinking, but my kids all say it's creepy because she looks so real, lol.  I have redone her over and over with layers of Genesis Heat Set paint.  She is really looking pretty life-like.

I'm missing a few of her pieces so I had to order her plugs and neck ring today.  Hoping it will be here by Monday.  I am planning on starting to root her hair this weekend.  She will have light brown hair and light brown eyelashes.   I need to bake her and then paint some more gloss on her lips and other details.

Light Brown Mohair from Bountiful Baby

Celeste Natalia will have light brown hair, lashes and eyebrows.  I hope to create a soft newborn fluff of hair that can be brushed up into a curl or brushed into various baby styles.  I will keep you aprised of the hair situation but I can't do it while toddlers are crawling all over me and demanding things.

Two pairs of Pabol eyes I ordered have arrived.  They are really beautiful and much tinier than I could imagine!  I can't wait to try them in my next Reborn baby.  The Pabol eyes are so nice and lifelike.  I am thinking of ordering more.  I am considering selling the Pabol Eyes if you all are interested let me know.  They are so affordable compared to some other eyes.

I have been caring for two toddlers today (my grand babies) and I am pooped.  Plus my daughter's car has a cracked head gasket so I am sure we will be spending countless hours at a Car Dealership tomorrow trying to get her a new car.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Lots Of Love,

Kimberly
Snuggle Babies Nursery

Base Coat and Mottling Layers For Celeste

 

So my day started out with me supporting my daughter who had to get to work early.  So I got to get sleepy head "Fia" up (Sophia calls herself this...lol), feed her and run her to daycare.  She did not want to wake up at first so I let her sleep a bit longer.   But just in case you needed to see a cute baby sleeping.  There you go.

My Nu Wave oven came so I cleaned it out and practiced setting it up.  Ran it a few times to make sure it worked well and then I got my first coat of paint on little Celeste.  She did very well and was super patient through it all.  She will be a Caucasian baby but I hope in the future to do some ethnic versions of her too.  So please be patient.  I don't have those paints yet but in March I am going to buy a set.  So I will then do my first ethnic baby.

I got my first large set of Genesis Heat Set Paints.  I am excited to have a larger supply.  It was painful to buy but I decided that most of the heat set painted dolls look very life-like and I was afraid of all the horror stories I heard about Acrylics.  However that being said, later I will try that too just to see if I can and to see what the differences are.

Luckily I had some Odorless Paint Thinner already. I had gotten various brushes from my oil painting too.  But I did pick up a cheap detail set at Walmart when I was there getting my glasses fixed.  I would say it's quite a few hundred dollars to get set up.  And I know I am no where near prepared like I have no eyes stocked up or any of that stuff.  I am still debating on Glass vs. Acrylic eyes.  Glass Eyes are pretty darn expensive.  I am still looking around for good German glass eye vendors but I may have to use Acrylic eyes until I find some glass ones I can afford.  Bountiful baby seems to have nice Acrylic eyes that look really good.  But then again I saw a bunch of gorgeous eyes at McPherson Crafts. 

I am doing tutorials and got my first base skin layer on.  I feel it is all going very smoothly.  Probably because I have been an artist for years, painting with acrylic and oils, doing graphic arts, 3d art and game art.  I also sell photo stock and graphic stock at several sites like Shutterstock and Fotalia.  Drawing, designing, painting, sewing, creating.  That is my forte. I shall have a ton of fun creating these gorgeous babies.  Not only will I have fun but I hope some expectant Reborn Mommies will be thrilled with their adopted Reborn babies.

Well I got her all set up in the NuWave oven and put it in my well vented bathroom, however I am going to put it in the garage or outside in the future.  I just was working very late and did not want to go outside.  It worked very well.  I noticed the vinyl sort of expands slightly when it is warm and it smells pretty nasty.  It might even flare up my asthma if I wasn't using the bathroom fan.  I thought about opening the bathroom window too which could work out well.  But with several asthmatics in the house and toddlers we need to get something set up permanently that I can use late at night because that is when things are quietest in my house.  It also helps that I am a night owl.  And I mean a serious night owl.  I am lucky if I get to bed by 3-4 AM.

 

I got through some mottling tutorials and this baby started looking way more alive than before.  I even added some slight shading in my mottling layer.  I did a blue mottling layer twice, then a dirty purple mottling layer twice, then I did a periwinkle mottling layer once (not sure why), and then a blood red mottling layer twice, as was instructed.  She is really starting to look like a real baby.  Whoa....head trip.  Is that a real baby laying there or a doll.  I can't wait to see how she looks after veining and more detail layers.

 

Here you can see how I was going for an ultra realistic baby look.  She is only halfway through her painting and requires much more work.  But that took me pretty much most of the day.

 

I am loving all her fat folds and creases, the various mottling layers really helped bring those out.  I am already shading a bit as I mottle, and I can't wait to finish off her nails.  Woo hoo!

Her right leg came out beautiful.  I am so proud of myself.  I knew I could do it. It still needs details and other layers so be patient as I layer away.  But I can already see those tiny details that came out due to the mottling.  I saw someone's Reborn the other day and I was horrified at the way their mottling came out.  You could clearly see sponge marks.  I don't think you should be able to tell that there are sponge marks on a reborn.  More dabbing and blotting will certainly help it not look so unreal.

 

I just love all the wrinkles around her ankle here, they picked up the mottling layers so well. Her little foot looks so sweet and ready to put back in her socks.  I can't wait.

I feel like she is sitting at a high chair here getting ready to eat.  Psyche...she is just waiting for her body so she can play!  

I remember those spaghetti days where my kids were covered from head to toe with Spaghetti...those were the days...Now my youngest is 13 but I also have custody of my 3 year old grandson half time so I am sure we will have a few more Spaghetti days here or there.  I am sure Celeste can't wait to be old enough to have Spaghetti.

I found this amazing soft blanket-y fabric at the dollar store on which I am painting.  It feels just like a baby blanket even though it was meant for drying cars...What???  Yep.  It was a car washing cloth I found at the dollar store.  See my dollar store haul for Reborns later on!  Celeste is liking it for sure and so am I!  I might go back and stock up on those soft car cloths.  They feel like high quality baby blankets.  So weird, right?

 

Celeste is looks great so far.  I am so proud to say things are moving along nicely.  I love the way the heat set paints are working out.  I heard someone whining about them this morning in a forum and I don't understand why.  Sometimes it might just be that that person is not doing their research and learning all the steps properly before taking on such a daunting project. I think making sure you are layering small amounts on rather than gobbing on lots of paint is also important.  It helps you not to over do it.  Less is more sometimes, less is more...

You know like they say, K.I.S.S.  Keep It Simple Stupid.  I will follow that advice for sure.  I want to make sure Celeste is finished beautifully and I have confidence she will be beautiful when she is finished.  

Ta ta for now!  Come back and visit soon!

Kimberly 

Snuggle Babies Nursery

Celeste's Layette and Wardrobe is Ordered!!!

I just ordered baby's Celeste's first layette...a combination of beautiful and color co-ordinate baby clothes.  I sure hope they all fit baby just right.  I think this baby's mommy is going to appreciate the time and cost of this beautiful wardrobe.  This should provide little Celeste with a huge and gorgeous wardrobe to start with.  All items were ordered and I hope they all fit her!  She should wear 0-3 months according to the research I did.  I sure hope the research is spot on! 

Now in case you didn't know my babies and my grand-babies were all spoiled to death, impeccably dressed, ready to show off at a moment's notice.  And Celeste will be no different!  So her new Mommy won't have to worry about clothes right away, she will come with the following wardrobe pieces.

This first set is huge and comes with a receiving blanket, teddy bear, bib, wash cloths, onesie, sleeper and clothing bag.

Cutie Pie 9-pc. Bodysuit & Accessories Set - Coral

Next I had to get Celeste a nice snugly warm blanket for cold nights. Mommies need a nice snuggly blanket to hold their babies in.  This one has the Sherpa interior.  It's so pretty in the Pink floral.  I am in love with this pattern.

Carter's 30 x 40 Reversible Patterned Sherpa Blanket - Pink Floral

What could be better than this gorgeous Butterfly themed set.  Similar color theme to the other Baby Girl Carter's Little Blooms Mix and Match Collection.

Carter's Floral Bodysuit & Butterfly Pants Set - Pink Floral Theme - Butterfly & Love Applique

 I could not help myself.  I had to get these shoes for little Celeste.  She deserves the very best.  I hope they fit her wiggly little feet otherwise I will withhold them for a smaller Reborn.

Carter's Scalloped Mary Jane Crib Shoes - Pink

Any proper wardrobe would not be complete without a beautiful warm Knit Cardigan.  And this color is so pretty it reminds me of strawberry ice cream or the pink powder puffs that used to come in my grandma's powder jar.

Carter's Textured Knit Cardigan - Light Pink

Now for her arrival she will come dressed in this beautiful pink dreamy butterfly dress with a ruffled pink shrug and precious pink bow at the waist.  How pretty is that, huh?

Nannette Butterfly Dress & Ruffled Shrug Set - Pink & White W/Butterflies

And to go with her pretty Easter style dress are these soft little satin, lace and ribbon crib shoes.  Aren't they just perfect for this little angel.

Wee Kids Satin Christening Shoes - White With Lace & Ribbons

Now I could not find the picture of the socks that I am sending out but these are similar.  One pair is lacy like the ones's below and the other pair are organza trimmed.  So see my other posts because I put them on her feet.  But just to get the idea that I am sending two frilly socks, here is a place holder for that set.

2 pack socks similar to these but they are Garanimals brand. One is frilly lace, one is frilly organza ribbon.

Getting back to my painting now!

Ready Set Go...Not

Oh Whoops how did my grand-babies get in here...ha ha aren't they cute!

I finally got my first delivery.  I was pretty excited.  Except that somehow I found out my plugs and neck ring did not get in the order.  Ooops.  Well that's ok, I will order them when the painting is almost done.  I needed more for my second and third dolls anyhow.   I inspected every thing as some of my tutorials showed.

Celeste Sculpt from Bountiful Baby (Head With No Paint)...She is so sweet!

My Celeste kit's head has weird indents on the side of her temples.  I will probably have to call for a new one unless that is how she is designed.  I will have to check other people's version of Celeste.  I think her mouth will be tricky to get a pacifier to stay.  The magnet will probably have to go in higher than lower due to her strange lips.  After checking I can see others have the same weird newborn indentation.  I will call it a side effect of the skull plates not fully formed in the newborn.

It feels daunting when you start the process of designing your future reborn.  I feel like I almost need to put together a page to tell me what is the baby going to look like, where is it born, what kind of clothing should i buy for it, what kind of toys will i buy for it, will i include a pacifier or bottle with it.  There is so much planning to do. Will my reborn have a belly plate.  I am not sure about that yet.  After all she will be my first baby.

Then I have to remember all the layers of painting.  And find my paint thinner.  I know I have a full thing of it somewhere.  Then how do I wash this baby.  There are so many small things to think about.  For example should I have dewy skin on my first baby.  I might just order some of that or make my own.  I do have some oil painting mediums I wonder if those would work but don't worry I won't do it until I check.  Otherwise I will order some dewy skin medium.

I am thinking she should have this little outfit for sure plus one beautiful little dress too.

I have already been scouting out beautiful clothing.  I think I will give Celeste a baptismal gown or formal gown plus a layette.  This would include 1 bottle, 1 pacifier, 1 toy, 1 blanket, 1 bib, 1 hair clip or bow.  Not sure if she needs anything else.  Perhaps a onesie or t-shirt.  Definitely the baby needs a brush and comb, sample hair styling fluid and some powder.  Maybe a diaper or two.

Here is the Product Info:

• 9-piece set includes: bodysuit, sleep & play, bib, 3 wash cloths, blanket, tulle garment bag & teddy bear
• Bodysuit: expandable neckline, short sleeves, inseam snaps
• Sleep & play: front & inseam snaps, long sleeves
• Bib: hook & loop closure
• Blanket: 26"x30"
• Garment bag: 24"x15"

I just think the coral tones will look so great with her lifelike skin.  I am going to order it today and keep my eyes peeled for a dress for her.  I already picked up frilly little socks to go along with her fancy dress but I got two styles so which ones she goes home with depends on the dress.  I have a good eye for those things since I owned a fashion boutique until about a year ago.

Now look she is already trying her socks on.  Silly little baby.  She needs to wait til it's time to go!  But she can barely wait!  She is wondering who will be her new family!  

I can't wait until she is finished so I can get her all dressed up!  Yay!

It was my daughters 26th birthday tonight.  We had so much fun.  It was a tiny home party but we laughed a lot, had sandwiches, chips and dip, cheese and crackers, a lot of Pink Moscato wine (I rarely drink but had a glass for the first time in forever), a really chocolatey cake and vanilla ice cream.  We then watched Trolls (the movie) which we laughed and laughed about.  It was great.  I really hope she has a beautiful year!  P.S. How do you like my new kitchen color.  It's so pretty and sort of beachy robin's egg blue....It used to be angel cake, a buttery yellow.  I just got done painting the majority of it the day before.

Happy 26th to my daughter Amber (Excuse me for looking so terrible)

I Was Really, Really Bad!

Hi Reborn Lovers and Reborners!

Oh no!  I was really bad!

I was done buying reborn baby stuff at Bountiful Baby for my first reborn baby this month, and then, temptation struck again.  More baby kits on sale!  What????   What is a girl to do???  Usually I have more money but that pesky IRS, they keep taking as much as they can so I am having to be careful, limiting my wasting of helpful money.  And those stupid credit card companies keep racking up almost as much as I pay them each month in fees.  They keep a girl's shopping budget in bondage!  Gonna have to get rid of those for sure! 

I just could not stop myself though.  I guess one of those hospital bills is gonna have to wait til next month lol(my husband is great at racking them up).  I bought two more reborn baby kits from Bountiful Baby because they were half off.  Though I wanted to buy more and I seriously contemplated buying four kits, I restrained and bought two.

I will save the 2 new kits until I am done with reborn baby number one, "Celeste", which I got from Bountiful Baby.  Then I will go back and buy the small things baby needs. 

So my weakness was controlled none the less.  I picked the two most beautiful babies I could.  I chose Bountiful Babies' "Gracie" kit and the "Raine" kit.

I was just thinking of donating my grandbaby's changing table a day ago but now I will keep it and use it for my reborn babies.  Ha ha!  I did not want to let it go anyway!  Now my husband can't make me!  He is still using his crib too which is a cute crib so I will save that too when he out grows it!

I am just absolutely in love with the "Gracie" kit and I could see myself having a real problem letting her go if she turned out good enough for Adoption.  I am just smitten with her cute little button nose and perfect little rosebud lips. She reminds me of my daughter Cara Mia when she was a newborn.  Her big brown eyes and soft brownish hair just melt my heart.  Look at that cute little chin!

"Gracie" reborn by Mary Katherine Skay

"Raine" by Bountiful Baby is another one of those gorgeous babies I just find myself wanting to cuddle.  She could definitely be snuggling with me whilst I am watching my favorite show.   She does have a cuteness that kind of reminds me of my other daughter Amber Nicole.

"Raine" reborn by Melissa George

I wanted the "Kimberly" kit of course because that is my name but I had to go with what was affordable and had good deep discounts for my crafting pleasure.  I guess I will have to wait!  Oh my gosh the pale skin with the peachy pink cheeks and not over done lips make her so lifelike!  And if the blonde hair doesn't just call out to you, because I don't see them looking this good normally, then you are just nuts.  This baby is just all that cheeky, pink, heavenly sweetness.

"Kimberly" reborn by Silvia Creations

Look at this gauzy little cuddle wrap.  I saw that yesterday at the store and was so tempted to just buy one.  At least I know where to pick one up should I need it.

I am thinking of going back next month for another little guy I saw "Nicholas".  He was done up as a ethnic black baby and Oh my goodness was he just the sweetest little thing.   I did not like him so much in Caucasian color but maybe I could paint him well as a Caucasian.  But check this little guy out!  Isn't he just the bees knees.

"Nicholas" reborn by Deanna Flynn

Isn't he just yummy!  Check out that beautiful sheen on his skin.  Such cute little cheeks, big brown eyes and the sweetest little curls.  Any Reborn Mommy would be so proud of him!  I hope to learn more so I can get these gorgeous skin tones done well like this amazing artist did.

I can only blame my husband because he insisted I do this hobby.

Talk to you soon!

Kimberly
Snuggle Babies Nursery

First Reborn Baby Kit Purchased "Celeste"

Hi Reborn lovers and Reborners,

I purchased my first baby kit last week from Bountiful Baby.  I was watching a bunch of tutorials from Custom Baby Doll dot com.  I have been racking my brains the last few weeks trying to decide if I wanted to make the investment in another hobby(as if I did not have enough hobbies).

It's my husband's fault, he made me do it.  After completely giving up the idea after two weeks of drooling over making dolls, I decided it was not for me because I have too many other hobbies, like soap making, painting and the like.  I have too many craft supplies I am sure of it, but my husband said, you will love doing it so do it.  Ugh.  The man is right.  I know I will enjoy mastering the process.  I know I will not want to sell my dollies after sheer perfection of tiny little angels.  Just kidding on that one.  I actually look forward to putting together doll packages for the loving people who need them.

So, that being said.  I did it.  I bought everything I needed to create my first doll.  I got Celeste who was on sale because I can't afford to buy full price dolls until I know what the heck I am doing.

Reborn by Samantha Harker

Here is the picture of Celeste from Bountiful Baby who was reborn by Samantha Harker. Oh my gosh I am not sure if it's that same artist as Sam's Reborn Nursery or samulations on Ebay but oh my her babies are perfect!  Sheer perfection all the way!

Goodness I am excited to get this Celeste baby vinyl.  I already purchased a NuWave oven which should be here soon.  I am so excited to make this little cutie and see how she turns out.  Samantha is a really great artist and I doubt my first one will be anywhere near what she could do but I am going to keep dreaming...

I am impatiently waiting for my kit and supplies.  Move over old craft stuff.  I am making room for my Reborn babies.  Time to clean out the craft junk corner to make room for more stuff.

Please post any good tutorials you know of and send comments.  I really need to know what you think about my processes as I learn.  Celeste looks like a heck of a complicated doll for a first timer as she is full of nooks and crannies to practice on.

Here is the same doll kit reborn by Linda More of Dolls2Babies.  Wow could I ever do that good of a job?  I hope so.  I debated between heat set paints and air dry acrylics and I just think the heat set looks so much more lifelike but I think I have a lot of research and technique to look at before making a final decision on that.

Reborn by Linda Moore

Another cute version of this reborn was done by Deanna Flynn.  This baby has a more ethnic look to it and my she has done a beautiful job.  Look at that full head of hair.  The eyebrows are beautiful and the coloring of the lips is gorgeous!  I love that there are lighter areas on the skin but the colors are so well blended creating what appears to be highlights and then the darker creases are so natural looking.

"Celeste" reborn by Deanna Flynn

Here is the kit I am going to work on.  I bought it at Bountiful Baby in case you were wondering.  And I was thankful to get her on sale because I am new and I am sure I will need to do some practice dolls before I get good.   Again that is www.bountifulbaby.com.

It's probably good that I am not dealing with eyes yet so I will do that next time around.  Wish me luck as I work on Bountiful Baby's "Celeste".  I have to give my baby a name so I will be thinking that over during the time while I wait for her to arrive.

I will also post pictures of my first reborning experience so make sure to add me as a friend or come back and visit soon!

Happy Reborning!

Kimberly
Snuggle Babies Nursery