~If you want to give it a go-

Want to get into reborning?      If you are only after one baby then its much cheaper to buy it than to set your self up with all the supplies needed. Its only worth making your own if you plan to make a few. Your first needs to be considered a bit of a 'learner'and will not be your best work. I suggest a cheaper sculpt for this first baby.

A lot of people think reborns are expensive so of course they could made one a lot cheaper than buy one. Given the time involved (and the cost of supplies and kits) $450 is a very fair price for a quality reborn doll make on a average cost sculpt. Especially if the skin tones and hair are done properly.

The costs involved include a sculpt ($50-$140), quality body ($25) glass beads and suffing ($25), premium mohair ($40 half ounce), eyes and lashes,  supplies (odourless thinner, sponges, brushes, heat set oil paints, mediums), accessories (magnets, dummies, clothes, bunny rugs). This means the cost of supplies alone for a naked baby is at least $160 (closed eyes, low cost sculpt)-$270 (average cost open eyed baby). A tummy plate will cost an extra $20-25.

If you are artistic at all, like babies (and looking at them and studying their skin, features and hair) and have used a paint brush before, then you will love creating these lovelies for yourself, children and friends.

The process basically involves:

• washing  and drying the vinyl parts of the kit carefully

• painting, baking in oven, painting (bake, paint bake paint etc etc) to paint undertones on vinyl, create veining, flesh tones, warm tones, blush tones, lips, creases, ear contrasts, eyelid veins, eye brows, other little veins and blotches. There is no set order, technique or process. Achieving incredible 3D realistic skin tones with depth and transparency is the ultimate goal of the artist. This is something that just improves and improves with practice. There are endless techniques that are used to create these tones and the techniques are very individual and vary from doll to doll for most artists.

• adding varnish to seal the nails

• painting or micro rooting dolls head, sealing inside the head, washing,
cutting and styling hair

• micro rooting eyelashes on sleeping babies or inserting eyes and gluing on lashes for open eyes babies

• putting in magnets for dummies and ribbons (optional)

• Assembling the doll with glass beads and soft fill and cable ties.

The baby is considered 'reborn' when the head goes on.


There are some tricky bits that I have done many many times but I still hold  my breath when I do and these include eyelashes for
open eyed dolls, glueing eyes and painting eyebrows.


I suggest if you want to get into reborning a beginner class in your area.
Google '"reborn classes'' and your area.

I have given lessons in the past, but dont have time at the moment for individual lessons.  I am in Brisbane Australia, so contact me if you would be interested in a group lesson held over a weekend once a year.

Remember I sell kits so if you would like a reasonably priced one to start with just contact me. I can also make it into a starter kit for you.

Bountiful Baby has premixed colours of Genesis paint and
wonderful tutorials to assist you. You can find a number of very useful video tutorials on youtube and below:

http://pictures.bountifulbaby.com/videos/videos.html