Beautiful Doll E-book Question: Motteling

Hi everyone.........I have started my practice doll, Kaelin, using the Beautiful Doll book. I know she probably would be better as a preemie but I thought the Beautiful Doll book would be best to get my feet wet and learn about mixing paint and applications. This is my first doll so I really am going to need help. Tonight I did the first mottleing and fingernails/toenails. I think I took Lara'a admonition to start out thin to heart 'cause I cannot even see the mottleing. The nails came out very good (I think!). Anyway, should I do another layer of mottleing? I truly can't see it, though there may be a change in texture look. Y'all are so knowledgeable that I feel rather dumb but very excited about reborning. I hope to have enough confidence and knowledge to take the April 1 American Indian and the Asian class (May?).

Thanks so much for your help and advice. In fact, I have just learned from y'all in the last few days that certain complexions go with certain sculpts. I have Zachary ordered. Would he be a preemie complexion? Also have Flora and Angelina to do. I can't even imagine learning rooting...........lol.

Cecelia

Cecelia wrote:

Tonight I did the first mottleing and fingernails/toenails. I think I took Lara'a admonition to start out thin to heart 'cause I cannot even see the mottleing. The nails came out very good (I think!). Anyway, should I do another layer of mottleing? I truly can't see it, though there may be a change in texture look.

If it's so thin you can't see it, I'd go ahead and add another layer of mottle. Are you using the sponge or berry-maker mottling technique? I use a sponge, and when this happens to me I like to sponge on a thin-thin layer of flesh in between my mottle layers, just to make sure that when the mottle color does start to show, it doesn't all run together.

Quote :

In fact, I have just learned from y'all in the last few days that certain complexions go with certain sculpts. I have Zachary ordered. Would he be a preemie complexion?

Do you mean Zachy by Marita Winters -- the 9" mini-baby? I have him on order as well. In terms of his length he's about the size of a 20-week preemie. However, he appears to be proportioned more like a newborn. IMO he would look best as a preemie or just born -- his scrunched up expression and swollen newborn eyelids wouldn't suit a creamier complexion.

Thanks Sarah for your help. I will put another layer on tomorrow. I think I must have either thinned it too much (1/2 T) or either didnt use enough color. This is all so new to me. I have done porcelain dolls and ceramic dolls but never this. Add in the fact that I'm not particularly creative and it's going to take me awhile, I'm afraid. I cut a cosmetic sponge out like Lara suggested in the book but I think the problem was with my mixing.

Yes, I've ordered and paid for the new Marita Winters sculpt. He is just darling! I seem to be drawn to the smaller babies even though I feel they may be harder to paint.

Thanks again,
Cecelia

If you are not seeing your mottle during the first time around then go ahead and do another , its perfectly right to keep it very thin and this will give you better results in the end. On the beautiful doll lessons you are on just do it again and then follow onto the next step but do keep in mind that you will be doing some different undertones so you want to keep your zone and don't loose your steps, just remember you can always add but you can not or it is very hard to control if you get to much, rule of thumb for me is repeat the step only if my results are to faint and then move on. I have actually done such thin layers that I have done a third application but this is not usually nessasary. Let me know if you are getting some pretty good results.

Thanks Rebecca............I'm gonna try another layer this morning. Is it detrimental, though, to heat the vinyl through so many layers? From reading, Real Effect vinyl is supposed to be the best in terms of color. Is that also true in heating?

Totally different question, ladies. What do you use for measuring thinner? My good plastic measuring spoon started to react with the thinner. Then with this layer, I decided that the well on the ceramic pallette was about right. Evidently I was wrong as it seems that it was too thin......I'll learn but it's gonna be an adventure!

Cecelia

Depends on which palette you have and which thinner you use. I use a plastic measuring spoon for my thinner and its never reacted with it. Lara uses the large palette and uses the cap on her Mona Lisa thinner to measure. I recently got that kind of thinner and measured the cap and in order to get a half tablespoon in the cap, the cap has to overflow so its a bit less than half a tablespoon.

Thanks, Karen.............My first measuring spoon was kitchen aid and it got rather sticky after a couple uses. I tried an old Tupperware one yesterday and wiped it off immediately so we'll see how that works.

I'm from South Carolina so looks like we're neighbors (sorta).........lol.

Cecelia