How Are Reborn Dolls Made To Look So Life Like

The process of taking an ordinary vinyl baby doll and converting it into a reborn doll is called reborning. This process is a work fit for an artist, as the doll ceases to look like a doll, and takes on a realistic life-like appearance of a baby. Everything from the color, the skin, the eyes, nails and so on, is crafted in detail so as to look exactly like the real thing. Different doll artists have their own processes and techniques, to give that realistic look, and to make everyone feel as though the doll is alive.

The first thing to look into is the appearance of the skin, in a reborn doll. Usually a vinyl baby doll is taken and the factory paint is totally scraped off, or a reborn doll kit provides the unassembled doll without any color on it. The inside of each part is coated with a purple or blue color, so as to give it an appearance, of skin undertone of a real baby. The outside is carefully coated with different combinations of paint and oils to give it the correct translucent skin tone. There are various techniques to do this and each doll maker, employs his own secret way. Certain other effects have to be added to make the skin look more real, such as veins and so on. The blotching and spots are also added, so that it totally resembles the skin of a newborn baby.

Choosing and fixing the right hair is a laborious and time consuming task, in reborning. Mohair or human hair is usually chosen. A soft and shiny variety is chosen to resemble baby's hair. The artist also sees that he puts the correct amount of hair that is usually found on a baby's scalp. Too much of it and it will look quite unreal. Each strand of hair is fixed by using rooting tools and felting needles, so that it does not look as though you have just stuck a tuft of hair with glue. This technique of rooting, is what makes the hair on the reborn doll look so realistic. This process can take more than 30 hours per head.

A lot of planning and craftsmanship goes into making the face of the doll, look realistic. The baby's eyes play a major role in crafting the face and its expression. There are different dolls with different expressions and all look real, because of the care taken in choosing the right eyes and skin wrinkles around the nose. If the eyes are closed then lot of attention goes into creating the perfect eyelids and eyelashes.

Nowadays new methods are employed, to not just make the appearance look realistic, but also the feel of the reborn doll. With the latest technology you can make the doll feel warm to touch, just as you would feel the warmth of a human baby, in your hands. Certain devices are inserted which will give the doll a realistic sounding heartbeat and certain body movements.