What is a Reborn?

The newest art of “Reborning” is the process of artistically enhancing a doll to the ultimate level of realism. Each doll is a true one of a kind work of art and are individually unique. They are not mass-produced and are not duplicated!

Each reborn doll starts out as a blank canvas, from either a striped down play doll or a limited sculptured kit from one of the many talented sculptors in the world. The pieces are prepared and then hand painted with translucent oil based paint in many, MANY painstaking thin layers. Each thin layer adds depth and dimension to the vinyl making it appear to be actual skin. It is cured between each layer of paint with a slow gentle heat (baked at a low temp) that does not compromise the integrity of the vinyl. Subtle natural veining is added to look as though it appears below the skin surface. Tiny capillaries and stork bites, mottling and birthmarks add to the realism.

Beautiful fine mohair is hand rooted one to two hairs at a time using a German forked needle. This is an extremely long process that is well worth the time and effort when it results in adding even more realism to the doll. (More on that subject below)

The baby is assembled with a beautiful custom made body that is proportioned to the dolls head and limbs and is made from a super soft and high quality fabric called “doe-suede.” Their bodies are carefully weighted in layers of materials consisting of small clear glass beads and ultra plus fiber fill. The limbs and head are also weighted to make them feel even more lifelike. Each baby varies in size and is adjusted to be a true baby weight according to their size. Some babies will have a magnetic pacifier and/or hair bows. These magnets are very strong and caution should be taken around sensitive electronic equipment or pacemakers.

Open eyed babies have stunning realistic Masterpiece or German hand blown glass eyes for the ultimate in realism. This is an added expense but is worth the price to see the beautiful reflective eyes bring the doll to life.

Adoption Fee’s: The expenses of raw materials for a high quality reborn doll start approximately between $150-$250 per doll. This cost does not include the clothing, accessories or begin to cover the artist time and talent. On average ,a doll will take about 3 to 4 weeks to complete. An awareness of these costs along with the knowledge of the many hours of time put into a high quality reborn will help you understand the dollar value of a quality reborn doll.

Reborn baby parts ready to assemble. 

The  Fine Art of Rooting with Mohair 

Micro rooting takes time and patience but is worth the effort when you have a beautiful finished head of perfectly swirled newborn hair. This is done with a very fine German forked needle and takes literally hours of time to complete. I only purchase the very best quality of mohair that money can buy so my babies will have soft realistic hair that is both manageable and stunning. Once complete, the hair is sealed from the inside of the head with a water proof glue so it can be carefully combed and styled. Like any doll hair, it will eventually get a little worn if played with continually as a  toy. 

---