Another of My Favorite Reborn Artists

One of my FAVORITE reborn artists is Stacey Haskins of HaskinsHeavenlyBabies.

As you can see, from the pictures posted of this beautiful reborn doll, Stacey uses only the finest quality products in her reborn process.

Baby's hair is soft and silky and is rooted strand by strand and actually appears to be growing right out of her scalp. Stacey only uses the best of the best in mohair when selecting "hair" for her babies.

Another thing that you'll notice about Stacey's babies is her attention to details and the beautiful skintone on each of her reborns. She uses subtle shading techniques and paints layer upon layer of translucent paints to achieve a very realistic appearance. If you'd like to own one of her beautiful creations, she can be reached on her website, http://www.haskinsheavenlybabies.com/ This is a collectible that you'll treasure for years to come. You'll see many of her "adopted" babies on her site. Enjoy!

The Process of Reborning

When you look at the beautiful finished product, you may never have considered all that went into bringing this work of art into existence. It truly is a painstakingly laborious process that takes as much patience as it does skill. There are some artists who simply have a gift; others have acquired their skill through years of practice. It is obvious that they love what they do.



This is a behind-the-scenes look at the shyann sculpt (in the previous post) that was done by Jennifer Skidgel of Bunker Babies Nursery. She's one of the truly gifted artists of reborning.

The Art of Reborning

Some time last year I decided I needed a baby to model my crochet and knit creations. I wondered how that would work, what with the unpredictability of babies not to mention that I'd need to work around their "eating/sleeping" patterns. The thought occurred to me that I might want to simply purchase a doll. Thus began my introduction to the fascinating art of "Reborning".

Reborn artists really have to love their work because completing a single doll can take 6 to 8 weeks from start to finish. With each progressive step, the doll begins to look more and more like a real baby. I'd like to introduce you to one of the dolls in my collection, a Shyann " created by master reborn artist, Jen Skidgel of "Bunker Babies Nursery".

Once the head, arms, and legs are washed clean of any residue, the task of handpainting begins. The baby is given thin coats of special paints which are baked on, layer by layer. Veins, shading, and creases are added to give the baby a more realistic appearance and after the artist is satisfied with the skintone, she can begin the task of detailing and "rooting".

Detailing involves applying eyelashes, sometimes one by one, eyebrows, lip shading and color, and sometimes birthmarks and/ or little scratches (little babies have really sharp nails). Baby receives a manicure and pedicure and eyes.

One of the most intriguing steps in this process is the "rooting" of the baby's hair. Mohair is most often used in this step and there are grades of mohair from "basic to best" (my wording). The best mohair is soft and silky and most resembles a real baby's hair. The process of rooting can take up to two weeks if done properly. Even with close inspection, it looks like the "hair" is growing directly from the scalp.

Finally, the doll's body can be stuffed with special materials to give it the weight and feel of a real baby and the head, arms, and legs are attached.

Once finished, you have a true work of art to be treasured for years to come. A true collectible from one of the best!
You can reach Jennifer Skidgel on her website at:
http://www.freewebs.com/jbbn/index.htm