The Best Online Reborn Help Forum!

Date: Jun 5, 2008

Wigs

Buffington · Guru

No they are not mohair. Mohair wigs are not always quality mohair, although there are some out there that are good. They can also be much more costly.
These are high quality modacrylic. I have been using these wigs for many years and they are the only ones I put on my dolls (including my porcelains).

LovesDolls · Guru

That is good to know. Eventually I want to do a toddler doll and I'm not sure I'm going to want to root it!

Buffington · Guru

I know what you mean. The nice thing about the toddlers though is that you can use a 36 or 38 guage needle with 6 barbs to root with and you put in more hair at a time. This makes it go faster. I have done this with some of my Apple Valley (AV) dolls that I newborned.

ArtOfReborningKY · Member

I'm loving that Secrist now has wigs!

chick1_26 · Member

LovesDolls wrote:

That is good to know. Eventually I want to do a toddler doll and I'm not sure I'm going to want to root it!

i hope to eventually do a toddler too, rooting is NOT my favorite part of reborning so i would definitely wig a toddler size kit.... and Loves, i LOVE your avatar baby, she is the sweetest thing!! did you make her little outfit?

Buffington · Guru

The wigs we have for the toddler dolls are a special size that are made just for us I was told.

Judie · Veteran Member

I did a AV toddler and used a wig! When I saw the head I thought it would be 2010 before I finished rooting! biggrin

I love it. She looks just fine with it in ponytails or hanging down!

precious_lullabies · Guru

I rooted my toddler all over, but then gave her longer piggy-tail attachments that i sewed onto a little hair bow and clip
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=110282320036

I'm really interested to see how she does go at auction this week. Its the first toddler i've done and i've heard that toddlers actually don't often sell as high for the amount of extra work that goes into a doll of this size. People favour the babies most... at least this is what i'm told.

I enjoyed working the larger size, but it really will be dependent on the amount of attention she gets as to if i'll afford the extra outlay in sculpt cost and work as to if i do many future toddlers.

sara zata · Guru

Leanne, apart from what everyone of the talented reborners have said, I think wigs are for porcelain dolls and reborn should be done by rooting, You don't have to do it all in one day, If you saw Naomi's Toddler you would want to root the head. weirdface

June M from Oz.

precious_lullabies · Guru

i agree with you June, no matter how good a quality the wig is they always look wigged, and it does detract from the realism. rooting a big head of a toddler is alot of work, it took me a full weekend compared to having just rooted a baby's head in a couple of hours this morning... and man my wrist ached with RSI but it recovered and i know i'd never have been happy had i gone with the wig.

it was well worth the extra effort i think.

another few things... once you've practised on babies heads and gotten comfortable with your rooting it can become a very automated process that takes little thought, and you also become quicker. maybe wait a while till your more practised before tackling the mamoth task of a toddler sized head... but i do think you'll be much more satisfied in the end.

precious_lullabies · Guru

oh and on our little babies, i feel that using the wigs turn them back into dolly's rather than babies.

personal opinion only i guess

Judie · Veteran Member

Just a matter of choice and the difference between having good hands or problem hands. Here's my little Kareena...with her wig!

(your photos have been removed per the rules of the forum. Please post links only. Pics may only be posted in Artist Showcase).
Thank you,
Moderator

-- Edited by Buffington at 16:48, 2008-09-08

sara zata · Guru

Naomi, I still think wigs are for porcelain dolls not reborns as you have stated. When I first saw your little toddler on the bed with you ,I though she was your niece, now I know rooting isn't the nicest of terms but I think reborns shoul be. It teaches time and patience. And practice makes perfect. weirdface

June M from Oz

precious_lullabies · Guru

yes i do hate the word "rooting" also... my family still insist on making joke about me spending the morning"rooting" and the like!!

*rolls eyes*

sara zata · Guru

Now I know you rolled your eyes but were you LOL as well. (((HUGS))) June M Ps , I'll have to go take the pills and go to bed have had ahectic day today, but I'll wait for your reply. weirdface

June, PS, have packed up 5 kits some are a little orange but I know you can fix that.

-- Edited by sara zata at 13:05, 2008-08-24

sara zata · Guru

judie, I just checked your two photos, but I think the large one does look like a doll, and the babies do look like little babies. But I know where your coming from with the size of the head on the big one. Also her clothing may be a little tight. Not trying to be rude just helpfull, no offence intended. weirdface

June M from Oz

Judie · Veteran Member

none taken, I didn't like the sculpt at first but after painting her I did like it a little better! It is tight in the sleeves when I position her arms up she has an armature (not the wire kind) that kinda of helped that too! lol

mactopolis · Senior Member

I was gonna use wigs on my babies many times,but that's not what this art is all about,no matter how good you can get a wispy wig to look that's cheating and no art at all...I don't care if they made perfect wigs that looked exactly like perfectly micro-rooted hair..I would never use them..that part of reborning would be a lost pleasure,if I could root the hair one by one or two by two myself...everything about reborning should bring pleasure..cheating and short-cutting does not make anyone a devoted reborn artist...you are then only cheating yourself and your future customers.

Don't get me wrong..these are only my thoughts about wigs...face it..everybody on earth can not be great reborn artist..no matter how much effort we put into this multi-talent art form..a lot of the artist here are good to very good,some in fact are great..I envy those perfect very good-great and wish I were 1/5 are good as them artist

My reborn babies are good,I know this...when they become very-good-great then I will teach the art..but at my rate of progress...that may not happen for several more years or 100+ more reborn babies.....I love this art even as a man,I struggle against my to find the female qualities that every man has inside...yes even the most toughest,most meanest guy out there,there is his female side hidden

Buffington · Guru

I have used wispy wigs on some of my reborns. But then I have also thinned out the hairs, used human hair wispy's and made sure they were positioned correctly and had enough glue. Unless you look really close you couldn't tell they had wigs. One woman even wanted a wig so if she got tired of the baby with hair she could removed the wig and have a bald baby. I thought that was very clever.
It takes some clever manovering to make the wig look more realistic.

Also. as you said, everyone can't be a reborn artist but some don't want to. There have to be makers and buyers so then I think it evens out. For those of you who choose not to root (for whatever reason), when you do use wigs on your reborns, be sure it's not too much hair for that age baby. Most of the wigs out there have wayyyyyy too much hair and that's part of what gives it away. But if you thin it out, apply good glue, and do a nice style it should be ok.

Yes, we are artists, but not everyone can root. I personally like bald babies but you gotta have the right look and head shape for that (IMHO). But perfectly ok to wig if you can't get the hang of rooting, or have an issue like arthritis or something where you just can't root. It's all subjective anyway. As we have had this discussion before in another thread... "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If you are ok wigging then do so, if not, that's ok too.

I'm glad you are finding your fem side, a lot of males would not ever admit they have one. So kudos to you. :)