The Best Online Reborn Help Forum!

Thanks for the suggestions. I hope that someone will look at my doll photos and let me know what they think about the dolls themselves. Does anyone think I'm on the right track in painting dolls? I would LOVE some feedback on the painting of them since I'm very new at reborning dolls. I'd really appreciate bad or good advice on them. Thanks!!

i think you've done well given how new you are to reborning... it takes time to build your own techniques that suit you best. It also takes time to develope the nack of photographing your babies. its just all something that just takes time.

I thought that with my early dolls that my photos looks cute and well posed, now i look back at them and i think how odd that i thought i was taking good photos back then b/c now i see them as being rather poor.

Early on i had just a very simple and cheap 3mp digital camera, now i have a 9mp and a larg memory card - i often take between 60 and 140 pics of each baby, i then try and limit myself to only 30 in my listings -- though often it tends to be more like 35.

What i did was to look at reborns that inspired me to improve my skill. I studied their babies, and i also studied the makeup of their photography - how they possitioned their babies, what featured in their frames - teddys, toys, blankets, bottles etc. I even printed out some of my favourites and the proceeded to position my own baby in simalar fashion. Often times only a small amount of a teddy may be seen in the frame shot, the maid focus is still the baby but courners of pillows of teddies add something to the frame yet isn't really noticed unless you stop to study the whole photo.  i have only one baby on ebay just now, but you can see a little of what i mean by viewing her listing http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=110259965075


I also made a bean-bag to snuggle my babies in. I got a cheep single sheet, folded it in half and sewn around the outer edges (leaving one open) i then filled it with bean-bag beans and sewed up the final edge. Making a nice big square, beanbag cushion. I can then throw whatever blantet over this and position my babys on it. It makes for a really soft background that snuggles a little up around my babies.

I also have a pram which sometimes i'll shoot some pics of my babies in, and also a full size wooden cradle. But mostly i shoot on the bean-bag.

----------------------
as for your babies, are you using genesis? they seem rather shiny in your photos... this can happen if you cook your pieces too long or too hot of an oven. It can also happen if your using some oil paints or inks.

If your using genesis there is a way to wipe off the shine look without having to paint more with matt varnishes etc. I've answered this on another post "shiny baby" - see my reply in this topic http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=121380&p=3&topicID=16968984

the best way to get better though is just simply to keep playing, not to give up or feel dishartened... practise makes perfect, but don't worry about the perfection... play, expolor and have fun. As long as your having fun, playing, exploring and developeing new skills and techniques for yourself you will giet better. If you stress and worry and get anoyed at yourself at ever step of your creation you'll likeling over think everything and just end up really frustrated. Enjoy the process and you can't go wrong!!!

Thanks so much for your suggestions! I know on Ember that her hair looks orangy, this is why I hated the way she turned out. Like I said, she does look very red. She looked dead to me!! lol It's so irritating when they don't turn out the way you want them to. I didn't cut the eye on Taffy. I did hand root her lashes though. I seem to have a lot of trouble getting them in the right indention though. I'm not quite sure how to do the cutting of the eye, can you tell me how to do this? I also love them idea on the bean bag! I need to do this, I just don't have anything to lay them on in good light in my house. My house is so darn dark all the time... Maybe if I take them out on our covered porch it will be enough natural lighting they will look better. However, I just ordered a really nice camera from best buy. It's supposed to take extremely close pictures and also adjust its self to all the different lighting. I need that because we put the low voltage floresant(sp) lighting in our living room can lights. It takes a very unpleasant photo! I do know that reborning really gets into a lot of $$!! I need the bean bag, but where I'll store it, I'm not sure..Thanks again for all your advice. I'm finishing up on one of the Marissa May twins, Sam. He's turning out adorable, or at least I think so. I have a VERY big problem with the hair. I want mimimal hair and I end up rooting LOTS of it. I makes me so angry that I do that! lol   Tina

beegirl_01 wrote:

---

Naomi, your avitar baby is soooo cute!  What sculpt did you use?  I love the hair color too.  I am a red-head as well, so I am partial to babies with it . 

---

I used Antonio Juan's Lillian - this comes with limbs that are sewn to a cloth body already and do not have any grove to attach to a new body -- so you have to order different limbs for her. I used full length 17" berenguer limbs with her which were will proportioned with her head size. The Lillian sculpt costs $42 (US) from irresistables, and limbs $22 (US) from dolls by sandie - so she still works out to be a really resonably priced sculpt as generally i spend in the $89

(US) category. This is the second Lillian i've used - i did a baby from her for my grandmother which had pail blonde curls, she looked quite stunning but the curls made her more "dolly" than real as no baby that size would have thoes kind of curls... i mean she was beautiful, but looked more toddler'ish which didn't match to her size.

I love the twins and Lucy as well. I think they have the most adorable faces! I have done my Sam head, and my son had to make a comment about the hair being too thick. Well... I just had to go and spend more money and buy another kit!! Sigh.. It makes me feel so terrible when someone comments negative about them. His little face turned out so cute, to me anyway.:) I need to take constructive critisism without getting upset. Do a lot of you use just the straight mohair? I had been buying the slightly wavy hair for my dolls. I tend to like it where it curls some, but if I cut the stuff, it looks like kinky little waves that are little. Not large like it looks before I put it on the head. I have no idea why it turns out this way. I had read so many forums or reborning websites that tells you to root it, then cut it the same length from the bottom to the top, pulling it out with your fingers. Then razor cut it to look wispy. Well, mine ends up looking like a fine cut for an adult! LOL
ARG!!  I keep looking at all the adorable dolls that you all do and on ebay and wonder where and how these cute dolls are done with either straight or wavy hair. HELP!! Someone please help me before I mess up another $60!! Also, any ideas where I can find a used bean bag?? They are expensive in the stores here too. I'm wondering what else I could use inside? Any suggestions? I'm sorry for so many darn questions... Thanks so much! Tina

Where do you purchase your doll hair? I need to find some good hair. I've been buying it from Bountiful Baby for around $21 to $23. It's very soft and you can get it in short to long hair. It comes tied at the top in four groups. It's not frizzy at all, at least the wavy hair. You can get the slightly wavy, wavy and curly. They also have premium mohair that is straight. I've bought the straight, but haven't used it yet. I keep thinking, if this straight hair is mohair, how or why does it come in a very long cut of hair? I know it didn't grow on the goats that way!! ?? But it's supposed to be premium mohair and it is very soft. Has anyone used this hair before on the forum? I need to find a place to buy very good straight mohair, so if anyone can direct me to a website that has some, please let me know. I'd like to do my twins, Sam and Sera with the straight hair.
I seem to have problems with rooting with the 42 gauge needles. I like the look of the 1-2 hairs when it does root. But if the needle doesn't grab the hairs, I end up with a lot of small very noticible hole marks. How do you avoid these? Any suggestions on this problem, or am I the only one that has this problem? LOL Probably!! lol I could just blab about so many things that I have problems with, notice this? lol Thanks! Tina