Lifelike Baby Dolls also known as Reborn Dolls are a fairly new form of art in the scheme of things and there are some that would debate whether or not they are "art" in the traditional sense of the word because of the doll aspect of the work but these dolls are not play things and are really not suitable for children to play with.

Reborn Doll Making is the art of taking a blank vinyl doll kit and using paints, mohair and a great deal of patience, a considerable amount of time and a large dollop of artistic creativity and turning it into a doll that is so lifelike that it could be mistaken for a real baby.

The term "reborning" originated because when the art first began play dolls were disassembled, cleaned of their factory paint and literally "reborn" into more lifelike baby dolls.

Things have changed a great deal over the years, now most artists have moved away from the lengthy tedious process of stripping playdolls in favour of specially made vinyl kits that are already blank and ready to go.

Kits are moulded in vinyl from original sculpts made from clay, these sculpts are often referred to as OOAK's (One Of A Kind).

The moulded kits are then painted, my particular preference is for Genesis Heatset Paints which as the name suggests have to be heated in order to permanently set them.

I began reborning early in 2007 my very first efforts at reborning were donated to a care establishment for people with Dementia where I believe they are still dearly loved. But from my very first doll I was hooked, I loved the creativity of the art and also the challenge. I find myself still challenged and driven to do better with each baby that I create.

The beauty of reborning is that even if you use the same kit over and over again no two will every be the same.

Thank you for visiting my site, I do hope you find it interesting. if you are interested in one of my babies please visit the store page and see who is available to adopt.

I do take custom orders so please feel free to pop onto the Custom page for information on ordering custom dolls.

Come and visit the GRACE forum, a friendly, helpful forum dedicated to Doll Making and arts and crafts chatter.

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