Shazaib Khatri113Reborning is the art of transforming a plastic doll (either whole doll or kit) into a reasonable looking baby doll (usually of a human baby- but sometimes elves or chimpanzees may be made). The person who makes this transformation is named a ‘reborner” or reborn artist. The more realistic looking the doll is the more successful the artist is considered. Once completed the doll is named a ‘reborn’, ‘reborn doll’, ‘reborn baby”or ‘fake baby’ ;.You will find artists all around the world who do reborning. Some reborn artists will take a factory made doll, take it apart, repaint it and reassemble it.
In more recent times artists work with a manufactured vinyl kit made especially to be reborn. The manufacture of kits is becoming an expanding industry with increased and more talented doll sculptors having their creations turned into vinyl kits. Kits are often limited editions and in demand worldwide. Some reborners and collectors or reborns collect kits as keep these as prized possessions only giving them up when personal financial pressure necessitates it or they trade them for only more desirable kits. New kits turn out regularly and they’re more and more descriptive and varied. In very recent times we have seen some kits resold on eBay for 10 times their original value since they are limited editions, out of stock worldwide and in much demand.
‘Reborning’ begins with washing and then painting the vinyl parts with oil, acrylic or water based paints. Paints are now being developed specifically for the art. Paints are applied with brushes and sponges to have as realistic skin tones as possible. Here is the ultimate goal of the artist and the product range of techniques used is large and a person develops these techniques over time. The paint sinks to the vinyl and tints it (like water colour paint does on paper) as opposed to sitting on the surface of the vinyl. The paints are somewhat unreliable within their behaviour so the method required judgement to add a paint layer, check outcome against what’s desired then repaint another layer. The reborner needs to have a strong concept of what skin tone or affect they are trying to achieve.
Some paints require baking and there has been controversy over the aftereffects of the fumes to the reborner. Artists paint on veins, capillaries, birth marks, 3d eyebrows, scratches and newborn red patches (ie stork bites) to have the absolute most realistic affects. Hair (usually mohair) is then micro-rooted to the dolls head a few strands at any given time so your head looks natural and realistic. For toddler size dolls good quality wigs may be used. Some artists may paint the baby’s head one hair at any given time to obtain a very realistic look.
Micro-rooting a baby doll size head may take significantly more than 40 hours to make sure a reasonable appearance. Some artists can cause exquisite skin tones on the vinyl and some who can cause wonderfully realistic hair rooting pattern (painstakingly one hair at a time) including crowns and parts. reborn dolls UK Eyelashes are either applied by gluing to open eyed dolls or micro-rooting on sleeping dolls. The vinyl legs, arms and head are then weighted, filled and connected to a similarly weighted and filled cloth body. Once the head is connected the doll is regarded as being ‘reborn’ ;.Belly plates, magnetic newborn belly buttons and other parts of the body can be added for realism. Reborn dolls are found in movies and advertisements and as clothes models.
Physiotherapists use them for his or her patients and they’re used extensively in old age homes as older people see holding a baby very relaxing and soothing (you simply see what happens to the overall population when someone brings a newborn to see great grandma in a nursing home- everyone really wants to see the baby and touch it- to understand the wonderful value they are able to have here. A lot of them can’t believe they aren’t real. ‘
Personally, i am not overly maternal, don’t collect dolls (except for my daughter) however when I pop the head on a reborn for the first time- I will also have a conversation to its little face- exactly the same way I really do to the dog. Just as it’s proven that pets are therapeutic in nursing homes- so can be reborns. They often aren’t considered as suitable for children. I disagree with this specific by the way!!! You will find people who collect reborn dolls because they love babies, dolls or art. Some individuals are really potty in regards to the dolls and the comraderie that the different forums that like minded people and artists frequent, provide them.
You will not hear anyone on these forums calling them ‘fake babies” ;.They call them reborns” or just babies and many people have plenty of babies within their collection (also called nursery). The media try to produce out there is something very wrong with artists and collectors, but that’s just media hype. The collectors don’t take themselves too seriously and plenty of baby talk is tongue in cheek. What they do object to is being made out as ‘freaks” or they are actually attempting to substitute a desire for a genuine baby with a reborn (for example because they have an ’empty nest’). They know they’re not real and treat them like porcelain doll collectors have done for countless years- that is by using respect and admiration for his or her beauty.
A hardly any amount of reborners will generate ‘reborns’ for folks who’ve lost their babies either at birth or soon after. Some individuals think that a person wanting a toy that seems like their dead baby isn’t normal or is ‘sick” ;.I tell each their own. If I had lost a baby (and I cannot even imagine the inconsolable grief associated with this), knowing now what I understand, I believe having a lifelike doll to carry would be or incredible physical and mental therapeutic value during the time of the loss and something lovely to have and value after the worse of the grief has passed. After having a baby the physical need to nurse and hold a baby is really as basic while the physical need to chew food even when it had been all served up as mush. I think that that is a location where we will see more reborns found in future.
You will find particular artists that are internationally renowned for his or her work and they are more desirable to collectors. ‘Prototype’ dolls are popular, usually created by these artists and command higher prices. Each time a new kit (or sculpt) is first produced the artist will send the first few kits to the well-known artists to reborn. They will then be put the finished dolls on eBay to boost sales and advertise the release of the kit.