Hello, newbie here!

Hello, my name is Sheena, I am 36 years old and very new to reborning as well as this forum... I have my first WIP Megan sculpt by Pat Moulton from BB. I am using air dry paints and she is coming along nicely now (after four strippings) I know its not good on the vinyl and I took care of washing the vinyl after each strip down.. I was very afraid of that process... I am grateful to have found this forum and any advice or just tips are greatly appreciated!

Hello Sheena, and to REAL. I am so glad to meet you. Take a look around the forum, and if you need anything let us know. We look forward to getting to know you. Enjoy your new adventures in reborning :)

scfsmith wrote:

Hello, my name is Sheena, I am 36 years old and very new to reborning as well as this forum... I have my first WIP Megan sculpt by Pat Moulton from BB. I am using air dry paints and she is coming along nicely now (after four strippings) I know its not good on the vinyl and I took care of washing the vinyl after each strip down.. I was very afraid of that process... I am grateful to have found this forum and any advice or just tips are greatly appreciated!

Hi Sheena and Welcome to REAL!!





Wow!! You are doing great already!!! I remember my first reborn - stripping and stripping!! LOL  I admire you starting out

with air dry, which i find harder to use than Genesis paints.  If you can master the air dry paints you are doing awsome!!

I am still learning with the air dry, and have invested in them - hoping to get better and better every time i use  them though!

I have found that you can really get a reborn painted much faster than with the heat-set paints thats for sure!  One of our administrators here

April, is a master at air dry paints, so if you ever have a question, she will be able to help you out.  I am not sure which other members

here like/use the air dry paints, sure there are more though - so dont be shy and just ask!! :)

 I recently finished the on-line peaches and cream conversion to air dry paints class (here at our forum), and i love how my reborn
is coming along!! (She just needs hair-rooting, eyebrows and lashes).

If you need anything at all just ask, lots of knowlegeable  ladies here!!  Cant wait to see your very first baby!!!

PS:   As you are new, there are lots of things to check out, but if you want to see the newest / latest topics just click  up top right
where it says "view posts since your last visit"  or way down the bottom right click on the link to:  "Today's active topics"
Dont forget to "refresh" your page if you are on site for an extended period of time and waiting for a reply to one of your questions
as it might have come already but you havnt refreshed the page yet :)

Thank you all! Oh I have questions ... I feel like she looks lovely but she looks very chalky and shiny at the same time and I really want to put lotion on her if you know what I mean lol... How can I resolve this? Or Will I have to strip her again and start over? WIP Still needs hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes... Also by looking at these pics I feel she looks like she has lost her depth and color..Where did I go wrong?

Wow!! The last picture you posted looks more like "natural" lighting, and i think your baby looks AMAZING for your first reborn!! WOW!!

(The first two look like artificial lighting (flash?) was used and that is hard to see the TRUE colors.)

I just sent off a message to April as she is excellent with air dry paints.  (If any other member is knowledgeable in air dry paints
please feel free to add to this post) I dont feel confident enough to tell you for sure what to do next. (I do know that if your paint
mix is too thick you can get a chalky look - thin layers are best - but i do think your baby looks awsome). Wait  for April if
you can! :)

Maybe April will tell you to do a wash or an air dry medium to bring all the paint layers together.  I think she looks awsome and is
just needing "the next step" !!! Also, when you have completed your baby, you add "moisture" to the corners of the eyes, nostrils
and lips (mediums)!  Hope you can hang on.. please DONT strip her again, until you get some advice from April!!!
You are doing so great for your FIRST baby!!! woot!!  

PS - what brand air dry paints are you using?

Hello and welcome to REAL! You seem to be on the right track and your baby is coming along nicely but I do see the chalky and that would be from applying flesh colors too thickly or adding too much white to your mixes. What brand air dry paints are your using? As Jenny mentioned, air dry are more difficult to use as they don't allow as much time to blend before they begin to dry so starting with airdry and being so successful from the beginning is amazing :) i did read you have stripped the paint several times and I'm not sure what your using but in case you don't know  you can use strong rubbing alcohol 91% to strip and that won't damage your kit like other methods. As for fixing the chalky look I believe doing a thin wash or two of burnt sienna may help and it will warm your baby up a bit and help add depth. To take away the shine there are quite a few options. Depending on the brand of paint your using you may have had a matte sealer come with your set or you may need to purchase one.  I will be happy to help you figure out what to use ;)

Thank you ladies, Right now I mix my own acrylics, I use liquitex basics. I dont think they are pigmented enough. I seal her with folk art glass and tile medium. I think I may need to try something else. also My first stripping was with acetone (EEK) and then I found someone saying they use rubbing alcohol since then thats what I use but I think the acetone made her too shiny... I have read soo many articles and topics and watched a ton of videos on different paints and techniques, I don't know what direction to go in. Ghsp are out of the question due to fumes... I just hope I'm on the right path .... I just love reborning already!