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Also Known As "Reborning" Instructions

***These instructions are simply the methods that I, Shelley Halperin, like to use when Newborning my dolls. There are many techniques out there, and you may like to try out other procedures to decide what works best for you!***

~ Click Here to go to My New Site ~ **www.ShelleyHalperin.com**

 Painting the Exterior with Genesis® Heat Set Paints

***I do not like to paint the interior with purple acrylic washes as they have been known to bleed through vinyl and cause a bruising effect.***

1. Blue wash : I like to paint a very thin layer of blue (mixed with white) all over the vinyl to take away the overly peachy color. To do this, I mix a Phthalo blue with some white and then thin it WAY down with Genesis Thinning Medium or odorless thinner. Then I use a make up sponge to dab it all over leaving it a tiny bit splotchy. The most important part is to make sure that it is REALLY THIN so that you don't really see the paint, you just see a slight color change! I then take a paint brush to rub a little into the creases. Then I use just the Phthalo blue (no white), thinned WAY down to "blue" the areas such as the temples, under the eyes, bottoms of the feet, etc. REMEMBER, The key is THIN! You can always add more! =o)   (You can also do the Blue Wash with Oil paints. To do this, I mix a Phthalo blue with some white and thin it WAY down with odorless thinner. Then I apply it in the same manner!)

2. Flesh Mottling : You can use MANY techniques to mottle the skin. I like to use a few together to get my desired look! The first technique I use is a purple sponge application. I mix up the paint and thin it way down. Then I paint a thin layer on a plate or other flat non-porous surface and gently tape my irregular sponge (with lots of holes in it - think Swiss cheese) in it. Then I gently sponge it all over the vinyl. I heat the paint to set it at this point, before I go on with the next technique. Next I mix up a couple different flesh tones and with my fingers I gently dab little pea sized dots all over. You can softly retouch the dots to make them lighter and the edges less apparent. Heat. Then I do the same thing with a mauve color, thinned down. Heat.

3. Blushing : To add "rosiness" to all of the right places (I like to do the cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, elbows, knees, palms of hands and bottoms of feet), I use a similar technique to the mottling. I take a nice mauve color that I custom mix to my liking, and dab little pea sized dots all over the area. Again, I softly retouch the dots to make them lighter and the edges less apparent. You can also take a makeup sponge to soften the edges. After heating, I decide if I need a little more color. If so, I will usually change the color slightly, just to give the color a little depth, and repeat with little dots...

4. Veining : I use a few colors for veins. For the ones on the temples, wrists, inside of ankles, etc., I use Phthalo blue. On eyelids, I use a purplish color that I mix up myself from Phthalo blue and Crimson. I also use just crimson in a few random places to make tiny spider veins (like a small one on a cheek or arm, etc.). For all of them, I "water" them WAY DOWN with odorless thinner. I use the smallest paintbrush that I can find and just kind of squiggle the lines in the right places. Try to look at some veins on a real child to get an idea of where you want them and how they look. They are pretty random luckily, so you don't have to be perfect! If they look a little to dark or to "apparent" (they should be very subtle) take your finger and dab it while still wet. Then heat.

5. Eyebrows : I love to use an actual "make-up" eyebrow pencil. They come in great natural colors; black, dark brown, brown, auburn, blonde, etc. I just sharpen them well and draw, very softly, little hairs in a natural pattern. If they are to dark, I take a pointed Q-tip and soften them gently. Then I take a little MATTE varnish with my finger and dab it over the drawn on eyebrows. As the varnish dries, I touch it with my finger a few more times to make sure it does not come out shinny or have an edge.

Nose Holes

***Not everyone likes to open the nostrils on their dolls, but I find it has a nice realistic effect. Be careful not to touch your heated awl on any other part of the vinyl, as it WILL melt.***

1. I start by heating the tip of an awl or a small round file (pointed and metal) over a flame. You can use a gas stove or even heat it on an electric burner.

2. Then, I wipe it off with a paper towel, to remove any soot, and insert it into the nose. 

3. I like to push it in a little further then, to allow the cooler section of the awl to come into contact with the heated vinyl. This helps it cool faster and keep the shape. Keep it there for 20 seconds or so, then pull it out.

4. You may wish to do this a few times to make sure the nose holes are the same size and shape.

5. If there is some black soot left behind you can try to clean it out with a pointed Q-tip and some acetone.  However, if it is melted into the vinyl you will not be able to remove it this way. That is why you will want to remove it from the awl before you insert it into the nose.

6. Cut a small piece of flesh colored felt out. With a brown oil crayon, color two small dots about nostril width apart. Put a small amount of E600 on the edges of the felt and glue to the inside of the nose with the colored dots lined up with the nostrils. This will add depth to the nostrils but keep the stuffing inside the head! =o)

Rooting Mohair

***I like to root premium mohair using ultra-micro felting needles. This is the method that I have found to give the most realistic results.***

1. Decide what length you would like the hair to be and double that. If you want it to be 2 inches long, cut hair into 4 inch lengths. Or, if you'd rather, you can use longer pieces and then trim the hair after you are finished with the head.

2. Heat the vinyl in the area you will be working on. I use a hairdryer for this.

3. Then starting from the outside - inwards lay a few strands of hair out flat on the vinyl holding the ends down with your thumb and fingers. With your felting needle pointed at a 45° angle down and towards the crown of the head start poking it in and out through the mohair. Do this about 20 times and then peel back the hair. Some hair will be left, rooted into the vinyl scalp!

4. Continue this method all the way around the head working your way inwards to the crown.

5. After you are completely done rooting the hair, use some waterproof sealer and a disposable paintbrush (or one you will use solely for this) to seal the hair inside the head. I love E6000 Industrial Strength Clear Craft Adhesive. I put gobs of it onto the paintbrush and coat the inside of the scalp. Then let it dry!

6. Once dry, I like to wet the hair and brush it out gently with a wide tooth comb or brush.

Inserting Eyes

***I like to use the Soft Glass Silicone eyes by Eyeco. I also like their Premium Polymer eyes. Both types come in gorgeous colors and can be baked at temperatures up to 275° in your oven. This is GREAT if you are using Genesis Heat Set Paints!***

1. Using your exacto knife, cut a slit through the vinyl in the back of the eye socket. The best place to do this is at the bottom of the socket making a "smile" shape that is as wide as the socket.

2. Push in your eyes from the inside of the head, they should fit snuggly.

3. Position the eyes so that the pupils are even and the doll is looking the direction that you want her to.

4. Use a popsicle stick to put some CLEAR 100% SILICONE between the back of the eye and the inside back of the socket. Push the socket closed to keep the eye in place. **It is important not to use anything other than silicone on silicone eyes or you can mess up their color. You can get this at any hardware store.

Eye Lashes

***I personally love the root the eyelashes because it looks so much more real to me!.***

1. If using fake lashes, pull them off the tray and remove as much of the sticky glue as you can.

2. Trim them to the correct length and do any "thinning" by snipping parallel to the lashes.

3. Using a toothpick, apply a thin layer of Elmer's Glue-All (NOT SCHOOL GLUE) to the base of the lashes and put them in place. **Do not use E6000 or it may ruin your eyes!

4. To root the lashes, I use a slightly darker color mohair then that I used for the hair. I take a small amount of hair and hold both cut ends together so that the hair is in a closed "U" shape.

5. Then I hold the needle taught in the bottom of the U. That way I can see exactly where I am going to poke the needle.

6. Then I poke the needle through at the proper angle and pull it back out. When I have finished rooting, I trim the lashes with small manicure scissors. I then pull out any that look funny or are to thick in one of the holes with tweezers!

Painting the Nails and Lips

***It is important not to use oil paints on the lips as they have been known to bleed into the surrounding vinyl, causing a "kool-aid" mouth!  I like to use Gallery Glass sheer glass paints by Plaid for the nails and the lips because they give a very sheer, delicate and natural look.***

1. Apply the glass paint to the lips in several thin layers and allow it to dry in-between coats. It is advised not to mix the Gallery Glass paints, instead paint them in thin alternating layers.

2. For the nails, I like to use a pink layer first, then a white or ivory to paint the tips and little crescents.

3. After you have the nails and lips at the appropriate shade, you must finish them off with varnish sealers. I like to use a matte on the lips, a gloss on the inner mouth, and a satin on the nails.

Placing the Magnets

***I use Neo kjdgfkdghfkj magnets because they are VERY strong and hold great even through vinyl! Beware though, as these magnets can ruin electronics, computers, magnetic strips on credit cards and can even mess up pacemakers. Do not use around these types of items.  I like to make the "accessory" first, then use it to place the internal magnet. In this case, I am making a magnetic pacifier, but you can also make magnetic umbilical cords, magnet hair bows, etc.***

1. I first remove the nipple from the pacifier by cutting it with an exacto knife or razor blade.

2. Next place some E6000 Industrial Strength Clear Craft Adhesive to your small magnet and attach it to the pacifier where the nipple was. Allow to dry 24 hours.

3. Next, after the pacifier has dried, take a second magnet and hold it close to the pacifier to find out which side of the magnet attracts the pacifier. Put E6000 on the attracted side of the 2nd magnet.

4.Then use the pacifier to place the internal magnet. Hold the pacifier to the mouth were you would like it to sit. Then, while keeping it there, insert the second magnet into the head, opposite the pacifier. The magnet on the pacifier will guide the other magnet into the appropriate place! Leave the pacifier on the face while you allow the glue on the inside to dry, preferably 24 hours.

Assembling the Body

1. First, fill limbs with desired amount of poly pellets. Put poly fill in after pellets, to take up the rest of the room. I like to stuff it in nice and tight so that the poly pellets cannot move around and make noise. Next cut out a piece of flesh colored felt to cover the opening in the limbs, and glue down using E6000.

2. Insert some poly fill into the head. Use a nylon stocking to make a small "bag" of poly pellets that you will place in the head. Fill in the rest of the head with poly fill, around the bag of pellets. Again, cut out a piece of flesh colored felt to cover the opening in the neck, and glue down using E6000.

3. Attach the limbs to your doe suede body using the included ties. Place some poly fill into the bottom of the body. Use a nylon stocking to make a slightly larger "bag" of poly pellets that you will place in the body. Next, fill in, around the bag of pellets with poly fill.

4. Last, attach the head to your doe suede body using the included tie.

5. Now you can dress your baby! =o)

***These instructions are simply guidelines and by no means guarantee that your doll will look like the ones pictured above. Art, by definition, is a skill attained by study, practice or observation in an effort to imitate, supplement, alter or counteract the work of nature. Therefore everybody's representation will be different according to their skill level, amount of practice, their observation of real babies and their study of the newborning and reborning process.***