Reborn Baby Dolls To Buy ##TOP##

A reborn doll is a hand made art doll created from a blank kit or a manufactured doll that has been transformed by an artist to resemble a human infant with as much realism as possible. The process of creating a reborn doll is referred to as reborning and the doll artists are referred to as reborners.[1][2]Reborn dolls are also known as lifelike dolls or reborn baby dolls.[3][4]

reborn baby dolls to buy

The hobby of creating reborn baby dolls began in the early 1990s when doll enthusiasts wanted more realistic dolls.[5] Since then, an industry and community surrounding reborn dolls has emerged.[5]Reborn dolls are primarily purchased online but can be available at fairs.[1] Depending on craftsmanship, they range in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars.[6][7]

Reborning involves numerous time-consuming steps. The most basic form of the process involves taking a vinyl doll, adding multiple hand painted layers of paint, and adding other physical features to the doll.[3] Artists can pick different brands to best suit the doll they wish to create.[8] Consumers can also buy reborn doll kits that include the doll parts and supplies for creating their own reborn.[1][9] Making a doll from a kit is called newborning and allows artists to omit some steps in the fabrication process.[9] Many supplies are needed for both external and internal modifications of reborns to make the doll seem more realistic.[7]

Some consumers of reborn dolls use them to cope with their grief over a lost child (a memory reborn), or as a portrait doll of a grown child.[10] Others collect reborns as they would regular dolls. These dolls are sometimes played with as if they are an infant.[10] Critics debate whether reborn dolls are harmful, or whether these dolls can help in the grieving process.[5][11] Because of their realistic appearance, reborn dolls have occasionally been mistaken for real babies and "rescued" from parked cars after being reported to the police by passers-by.[4][12]

The art of making reborn dolls began in the United States in the 1990s.[5] Reborning follows a long tradition of collectors, artists, and manufacturers restoring and enhancing dolls in order to portray more realism.[2] The internet has allowed doll artists and collectors to create an online society focused on reborn dolls.[5] In 2002, the first reborn was offered on eBay.[2] This has expanded the reborn market allowing artists to open online stores which function figuratively as nurseries.[13] The niche market for the dolls began with doll collectors who admired the superior lifelike accuracy of the doll. The market quickly reached those who wanted to use the doll as an emotional outlet, either to mother or for therapeutic purposes.[2] Mass media coverage has helped to develop the phenomenon in other countries.[5][7] Reborning enjoys popularity in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Latin America and many other countries around the world.[5][7] Doll manufacturers have also taken advantage of the trend and sell supplies, tools, and accessories catering to reborn followers.[2] This has allowed reborners to invent new techniques causing the dolls to become increasingly realistic over time.[7] Magazines, books, organizations, and conventions dedicated to reborn dolls have been started as a result of this popularity.

Reborns are vinyl dolls, created by reborn artists. The appearance of the doll depends on the creator; however, certain reborn artists allow customers to customize their doll, usually using a photograph to replicate a particular infant.[3]

Any type of vinyl doll can be used for reborning. Dolls vary by size, shape, and materials, making some more desirable or popular than others. According to Doll Reader Magazine, Berenguer Babies, Zapf, Lee Middleton, Apple Valley, and Secrist Dolls are doll companies that make dolls which are easy to transform into reborns.[8] Kathryn Peck of Doll Reader Magazine explains that with JC Toys Berenguer Babies, it is because the dolls already resemble human babies in their expressions, body shapes, surface materials, and other lifelike attributes.[14]

A reborn can be created from a blank kit as opposed to reborning a whole manufactured doll. Manufacturers have reacted to the growing trend of artists transforming dolls by hiring reborn artists to become doll sculptors and design doll molds and kits.[2][15] There are also many independent sculptors who create their own line of kits. Realborns are a type of blank kit for reborning that are made by taking 3D digital scans of a real baby instead of an artist sculpting by hand. These are usually newborns, sometimes they produce a kit of the same baby again at 3 or 7 months.

When reborning from a kit, the first several steps of the process are completed by reborn sculpt artists and doll manufacturers. The kits come as a disassembled blank baby ready to be reborned. Supplies can be purchased separately.

Starter kits are equipped with basic reborning necessities such as limbs, faces, heads, paint brushes, eyelashes, acrylic/glass eyes, weighting pellets, 'heat set' or air dry paints, cloth bodies, cable ties, nose drill bits, fake tears, thinning shears, cosmetic foam wedges, cotton dipped applicators, and glue.[7][16] These supplies may be purchased separately from a variety of retailers.[1] The nose drill bits are used for creating and perfecting the nostrils of the doll. Acetone or a paint thinner medium is needed for removing the factory paint from the doll.[17] Hair is an optional choice to add to a doll. Fine mohair, human hair, or wigs are usually used, but it is found in a variety of types. Rooting tools are utilized for this process and are available in numerous sizes 20, 36, 38, 40, and 42. The smaller the number the thicker the needle which will grab more hair and leave a bigger hole in the head of the doll.[18] Eyes for a reborn doll are offered in a variety of brands and sizes.[6]

The technique of reborning a play doll typically involves a number of steps. To begin, the doll is taken apart and factory paint is removed.[1] Then a blue color wash may be applied to give the appearance of realistic baby skin undertones.[1][6] For dolls with an awake appearance eyes must be replaced.[1][6] The outer layer of the vinyl doll is given its skin tone by adding dozens of layers of different paint tones to build up and achieve a realistic human skin effect.If heat set paints are used, the doll parts must be heat set by baking them inside an oven or by using a heatgun after each layer of paint is applied.[3] Lighter skin tone dolls can take 15 to 30 layers.[7] The effects of the blue color wash combined with the outside layers of paint creates the appearance of veins, and layers of paint done with special sponges give the doll its newborn mottled look.[1][3] Manicured nails and opening of the nose holes are other details that are added during this process.[6][7]

There are air dry paints now available to reborn artists, sold under several brand names. Many feel that repeated baking of vinyl can cause it to break down over time. In addition, there are fumes and chemicals released during the heating process.[19]

Institutions have developed to aid reborn hobbyists with collecting by providing information, products, and social networking. These institutions include magazines, and associations and organizations which sponsor conferences and conventions. Collectors and artists have described their reasons for purchasing and/or creating reborn dolls as varying from a love of dolls to a passion for art.[22]

Reborn dolls are handmade art made by artists and can not be factory produced. They are usually found online and can be purchased through the artists' online stores (often termed nurseries), through artists' personal or doll/nursery pages on facebook where you can see all their previous work for assurity or through many Facebook groups and pages and at numerous doll conventions/fairs. Incomplete crafting "kits" to create original reborns can also be purchased from various online stores.[1][7] There is a large price range depending on the quality of the doll, the sculpt used and the experience of the artist; they can sell anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.[7]

There are many factors to look for when purchasing a reborn.[6] If the complexion is too dark this is called a blue baby, and indicates it was dyed excessively or uses colored sand for weight that could have seeped into the vinyl. The type of material used to weight the reborn should be considered because some materials do not react well with vinyl and will cause it to deteriorate. The doll should not be shiny. This indicates the doll was washed with acetone before painting, which prevents the color from correctly sticking to the doll's surface. It may also be caused by the type of paint used to color the doll. This is corrected with a special matte varnish. The parts used are important, as original parts may be replaced. The replacement parts must be appropriately proportioned with the doll and made of quality material. At times having the original body retains the doll's value either because it was made to fit that specific doll, or the artist left a signature mark. Eye brand, size, fitting, and alignment should be closely examined as well. Another feature to observe is the type of paint used for coloring and whether the doll is realistic in its details such as veins and newborn imperfections. The type of hair and technique used in applying the hair may determine the quality. Some artists open the nose, the holes should be correctly shaped, and the nails should be properly manicured.[6]

The International Reborn Doll Artists (IRDA) originated at the first conference for reborn doll artists on January 21, 2005. The IRDA group was assembled in order to offer education for improved skills in the art of reborn doll creation. They offer skill building tutorials and instruction so reborners can remain up to date on the newest techniques and meet others who share a common interest in reborn doll fabrication. A reborn artist can join the organization at any skill level, but members are asked to uphold a list of standards that were created by the IRDA's executive board. This ethical code stipulates the guidelines members are to follow in advertising, listing, and describing their dolls in order to divide credit fairly between manufacturers, sculptors, and artists.[20] 041b061a72