A baby of "the other" kind!!

Sometimes it's incredible how my expectations for my day and reality can clash.
I wake up and think "ok, today I'm going to reborn, finish that little project, organize my bedroom, update my blog with fresh pictures, go for a stroll at the mall..."
Then it's 11 in the evening and I realize that the doll sits there untouched, the little project is staring at me, the bedroom is still a mess, the stroll hasn't happened and... the blog waits.

Truth is, I'm still completing the mini's outfits, and I don't have half a picture to post for your enjoyment.

Sometimes I feel so unaccomplished and stressed out it's not even funny. My day seems to roll extra fast while I'm toddling by at the speed of a turtle, and while I'm still getting to the basic tasks of life, cooking, cleaning, children, POOF the day is gone.

SO, if you didn't see updates for a while... it's their fault!!!!

(Don't they look cute?) 

Raising a child is the highest job on Earth, and they sure make up in cuteness for all the time they require!!!

A study on skin tones, the Caucasian babies!

Ok it's 1.30 in the morning but I couldn't wait to show how far the Caucasian babies have gone today!!!

I finished blushing them and painted the hair, deciding to do one blonde and one redhead.
Painting the hair on such a small size is a little different than painting on a life size baby, also because I had to keep the molded ridges.
I used a very fine brush to do one or two layers of a base color, then added depth and detail with a superfine brush I used for eyebrows as well.

This is the base color on the blonde baby... unfortunately I wasn't able to pick up how thin the brush really is.
I used four different shades of blonde on this little head, it's almost impossible to tell them apart, but here is the end result!

The redhead baby got soft curls all around the hairline, hand painted with that same microscopic brush.
Usually it takes me quite a long time to make myself a thin brush like that... it's the result of carefully choosing the brush, which is usually a 000, and thinning it with mini scissors, a hair at a time, until I get a perfectly rounded yet ultra fine tool to paint.

Base coat and first curls on the redhead...
and both babies finished with temporary eyes!!

Had to try the hazel eyes on the redhead, but at last she ended up getting the green eyes... this way the blonde baby gets more of a soft look that I think really enhances his overall coloring.

The eyes are still not glued in this picture, although I set and glazed them afterwards.

We are getting very close to seeing these adorable babies all put together! Now I need to make bodies and outfits... get ready for some surprises!!!

My son's baby is coming along too... yesterday he started putting on a very subtle blushing. He is very committed to his little doll!

Study on skin tones 2: the asian babies!

Here they are... of course nowhere near finished but still!
Going from the ethnic complexion to a light asian one wasn't easy... I decided to keep these babies very light for now, and I'm still debating whether to give them a wash of raw ochre to warm up their complexion.

 Pieces on a rack... I'm painting two minis at a time to make sure not to mix up the limbs. It may not be obvious at a first glance, but they all have different skin tones, which required different color mixing.

As you can see the eyes are here! They are very nice... here this baby is trying on his new peepers, which are not set yet. He's a little oriental guy and since he looks quite Japanese to me, his name will be Takeo.

I was hoping to keep one of these cuties for myself, and it seems my clumsiness made it possible.
While enlarging the eye socket inside the head I cut off a chunk of the right eyelid, next to the nose. I was able to patch it up with a shaving of vinyl from the inside, but since this baby is now a "boo boo", she will have to stay.

Group shot so far! Baby on the left is Madeline, then Takeo, Laci and Anisha, and on the far right my little keeper Lola. I matched Lola's hair color with my son's hair because I'm planning something!

On the back you can see the last three babies... they will be Caucasian. My son is painting one for himself, which is slowing down the work because I want to paint with him, but makes it more worthy to me. 

Alessio working on his mini. He is very concentrated and careful, and I'm loving reborning with him.

A study on skin tones

In the last year I got bitten by the mini bug, and now a good deal of the little time I have for dolls is devoted to minis.

Got these mini Berenguers in a trade and thought of reborning them... the idea of making seven Caucasian babies was boring... so the "study on skin tones" was born.

Here are the first two... I decided they are going to be ethnic girls, the one on the left being the darker. I'm using a picture book, "Baby Love", as visual reference. The hair is going to be painted, since it's impossible to sand away the molded hair grooves... the vinyl is way too thin.

Here they are! The painting is almost completed, they still need blushing and veining. I decided not to mottle much, on this size I don't trust the effect to be realistic. Furthermore, these little thingies will be babies around one year of age when finished, so they can realistically sport a creamy complexion.

I'm still waiting for the eyes to arrive from Antina's Doll Supplies, but I have a way too small pair of glass eyes  to try on: what do you think?

In the last picture baby is completely painted. I decided her name will be Laci.

After seeing the first two painted I'm on a roll, as much as having a three months old baby allows! 

As soon as I come back home from my son's tae kwon do class I promise to post more pictures of the asian babies!

As promised...

... the big news!
Please welcome the arrival of Ivan, my son! Ivan was born on April 23rd. Mommy, Daddy and big brother are very happy and proud of him.

Ivan's birth brought with it a huge bout of creativity... new life seems to do that to me, it happened when I had Alessio as well.

I spend my evenings and nights, when Ivan sleeps, working in my atelier... last night I burned my finger with the hot glue gun at 1.30 am.

This room has become the heart of the house for me... it's still a work in progress, but now I can attend my projects in here instead of just organizing the place.

Where's the real doll?

Actually, the real doll is in the first two pictures, in the stroller... this is my reborn collection, or at least part of it. It's exciting having all of them out of boxes. I haven't enjoyed some of these babies in years, and it's time for a makeover for some of them.

That may be a good project for tonight at 1.30 am. ;)

The Tutorial

I was asked to write a tutorial about reborning with acrylics by an Italian magazine, "La Bacchetta Magica".
http://www.labacchettamagica.it/

Of course I was very honored by the request, and mostly enthralled by the implications: reborn one of my babies for the public, under a constant photo shoot!
My husband was game to take the pictures, and little Isabella was the result of a couple of weeks worth of work!

Personally I think she's lovely, but I'm very biased with this baby. She looks a little like me in a very old and faded baby picture...

Here for your enjoyment are some pictures I decided not to include in the tutorial. To get 54 pictures for the article we took about 500!

Hmmm... are we ready? Is everything in place? Is my huge pregnant belly covering the shot???

Smile to the press!!!

Work in progress...

I think you may want to see more of the end results now!

Here is Isabella all put together and in her Sunday best!

And... what do you think of my new atelier?

More pictures of my new dolly room and atelier to follow!!!!

Proudly announcing news! :)

I involuntarily took a very long break from blogging... and I need to blush, apologize and explain why.

For the last few months I was very busy on a different form of creativity, the creation of a new life.

Proudly announcing... the soon to be arrival of Bebe', my second child.

Here is the most recent picture I have:

This is a great time for me and my family, especially for my son who will soon be a big brother! Be ready for news around April 15th, for that time this baby should be born.

I don't know if we are having a boy or a girl, surprise surprise!!!

This pregnancy also forced us to move, so very soon (as soon as I unpack at least) I will have a new atelier-dolly room to share! A small room but big improvement for me from creating my babies on the living room's coffee table!