Finishing skin layers with ReBornFX paints

I got to apply the last layer of skin onto my toddler doll Gabriella. The color I used was a mix of Rebornfx Flesh 07  and Rebornfx Caramel Cream. About 20 % was the Flesh 07 in the mixture. I then added in 50% Rebornfx Emulsion medium and 25% Diluent as I wanted this layer to be very transparent. This was applied with a torn cosmetic sponge, pouncing lightly. You should still see all your blushing and creases through this. If not then it is to strong and you need to dilute the paint mix more with Emulsion or Diluent. Do not apply this onto the bottoms of the feet, palms, lips or nails.  the next step was to paint on the eyebrows. This seemed easier for me to do on a large head and getting them to match the first attempt was exciting.  The colors I used for the eyebrows were Rebornfx Burnt Umber and Rebornfx Light Ash Brown to match the hair wig. The brow hairs were applied with a very fine liner. Once dry I then added on a layer of Matte Fluid to reduce any shine then I applied the Sealer to all areas. The only thing I will be working on to finish her is the nails and assembling.  For now I tried on the wig I have for her. Here is the result of my painting of the head and torso so far.

Painting skin undertones with ReBornFX paint

Today I was able to complete some undertone colors before applying more skin color layers.
The first was a blue shade tone added to a few areas. Keeping this very light and well blended as not a lot of this color is to show through the skin. It just shades the area where the Toddlers skin may be still thin. If the Toddler had a darker skin tone, I would probably not add in this color.
I used the Rebornfx blue wash and a small damp mop brush. I dotted these areas and then blended them into the skin; temple, around nose, a bit in ear, around ankles, bottom of feet, palms and around collar bone. I then added on some blushing with Rebornfx Pyrole Red 3 with a touch of Flesh 07 mixed in and about 20% water , diluent and open time. I added in the open time to give me a bit more time to blend this color in on larger areas. You can see the shaded and blushed areas in the pictures below;

 

 

With the Rebornfx Blue wash I also added in a very faint vein on both arms and enhanced some of the hand creases with the blush color.

   Next I added a thin layer of the blush color onto the lips. Let that layer dry then added in a bit more shading with a mixture of the blush and blue wash to equal a dark red/purple color. Notice the shaded areas in the next pictures using the blush and blush/blue mixtures.

ReBornFX Painting First Mottle step.

Toddlers do not usually have a lot of mottled skin coloring. Keeping this in mind I will only do one very transparent mottle color just to give some pink undertone and skin dimension. The color I chose was Rebornfx  Magenta 06. I added in 50% diluent, 20% distilled water and 30% paint emulsion to get a very transparent paint color. This is a nice purple pink color that worked well with the warm wash tone on my doll so far.  I also used a damp small hole plucked sponge to give the mottle effect I wanted.

I lightly and sparingly pounced this onto all the doll parts. I blended this color in on the face, palms, and on finger nails. I wanted the magenta color to enhance those areas but not in a mottled form.

I have tried to photograph the skin to show how subtle the mottling/ paint is.

 

Mottled Skin with Rebornfx Magenta 06 paint

 

Face features are not mottled. Magenta is blended in to create

a nice glow to the cheeks, ear lobes,

around eyes,nose and between lips.

Mottling was done on forehead and scalp 

 

The next step I applied my first crease color. This color is not the main crease color but more like a crease shading color to compliment the main crease color applied later on.  This first crease color is subtle but does make a difference. I used my Rebornfx Flesh 04 paint and added in about 20% of the Magenta 06 that I had used previously.

 







For applying I used a combination of brushes ; filbert, damp mini mop and liner (depending on the size of the crease being painted). To the paint color I added in 50% Diluent and a few drops of Open Time to allow more time to blend. Apply crease paint mixture to all crease areas, blending with the damp mop as you go. Don't forget to do around the fingernail edges, nostrils, and middle lip line.

Hand Creases blended and shaded.

 

In the next post I will do some small areas with a subtle blue undertones. Not to much of this in done on a Toddler.  Then I will start into my skin tones and finishing with enhancing details on the doll.

Begin with neutralizing and fixing blemishes using ReBornFX paints.

Today I was able to neutralize and fix a few vinyl blemishes. You can see the faults in the pictures below . These had to be fixed before I could begin to paint skin layers on my vinyl doll with the Rebornfx air dry paints.

                          

                         One of the vinyl legs was a little pinker than the other leg.

 

                          

          The finger had a very black spot embedded in the vinyl which I could not remove.

 

Here is how they got fixed:

 

I made a very thin neutralizing wash with the Rebornfx paints Burnt Sienna , Sap Green ,Diluent and water. Applied this wash with a dense cosmetic sponge, pouncing lightly so no line marks are left. The pinker leg got 2 layers of the wash to bring it to the same tone as the other leg.

 

 



The next picture shows you how the wash changed the base color by putting the unpainted arm beside the legs.

After I fix the black spot on the finger I will proceed with applying this same Rebornfx paint mixture as a thin wash over the arms, torso and head. This mixture gives me a nice warm glow that will help add depth to the skin colors I use in the next steps.

Now for fixing up the black spot on the finger. This takes a bit of patience and thin layers of paint.

First I chose an off white paint (opposite to the color black) and put a dot of this on top of the black spot. I then put some Rebornfx Open Time into my damp brush and with a very light touch , blended the outside lines of the white paint dot. The white should look likes it is fading into the pink vinyl with no sharp lines or ridges. See pictures below.

Once the paint was dry, I applied a skin tone mixture similar to the vinyl color. In this case the Rebornfx air dry paint mixture contained Baby Flesh with a touch of Burnt Sienna and Diluent. Again this is applied on with a damp brush and Rebornfx Open Time medium, blending and blending the edges outwards.

As you can see there is a slight difference but that will disappear as I apply the previous neutralizing wash and other layers of skin colors. This is a lot better than seeing a black spot on the finger! If I did not do this process the black dot would have been seen through the proceeding skin layers of paint. For me it is a lot easier to cover/correct a light spot verses a dark spot on vinyl.

 

Delay in painting project

Well , I had one of those weekends that everything you planned to do did not get done. But I had a wonderful visit with family members and a bit of recoop time.  So needless to say the large doll painting project is on hold until my next day off work. In the mean time there are a few things I did update on this blog site = I finally got the Rebornfx 3D air dry Medium information sheet wrote up. That is the stuff I used on the hair painting post. The information and product is now on https://www.macphersoncrafts.com/en/online-store/rebornfx/rebornfx-air-dry-mediums for purchase. The 3D medium comes in a one once jar and does go a long way, so use small amounts when starting off. I do recommend practicing a bit with it before adding it onto your finished project. It is permanent once dried!
I also added in a new baby picture in the photo gallery tab. This one I had finished up using the Rebornfx air dry paint tutorial Lil Dumplings had done up. The baby still needs some hair and a better stuffed body, but couldn't wait to show him off for now.
We got in a new shipment of paint in this week. These Rebornfx air dry paints will be more matte than our original Rebornfx air dry paints. No difference in quality. The only difference will be in the dry look. The original paints will need  matting fluid applied to get rid of unwanted sheen and the new paints will have less sheen requiring no or little matting fluid. Every thing else is the same and all the Rebornfx paints/mediums are interchangeable and compatible.

First steps before painting with ReBornFX Air Paints.

Started in on preparing my large vinyl doll today. Found an old dowel and wood stand that will hold the large pieces for drying (I hope) without tipping over.  The doll is Gabriella by Reva Schick and she is actually a 42 inch doll and not the 38inches I had previously thought. You can see the size comparison with my own hand in the picture below.

 

Will be interesting to see how much time and paint this will take.  I applied one layer of the RebornFx Primer with a damp, dense cosmetic sponge onto all the doll pieces.  I then put the pieces onto the drying rack as they were completed. After about 30 min I then applied a second layer of primer.. That took up about 1/3 or the one oz. bottle of Rebornfx Primer for this 42 inch 5 piece vinyl doll. A second coat  of primer is not necessary for a regular reborn doll but this doll is going to be put into a very sunny window when finished. I felt it needed the best protection against those elements.

I will now let the pieces dry overnight to ensure they are fully cured before starting in on painting. As you can see in my picture below, the drying rack/doll is now taking up all my work area, so I will have to find another small table to put them on before I begin to paint on her this weekend.  

 



Next ReBornFX air dry paint project

Thought I'd let you know what my next project will be using the Rebornfx air dry paint system.
I was given a 38 inch vinyl doll to reborn for the MacPherson Crafts Store window. I have been reborning dolls for many years but nothing bigger than 23 inches. This size restriction was mostly because I was painting with heat set paints and the vinyl parts would not fit into my nu-wave oven to set them. Now with air dry paints, I can paint any size of vinyl doll with no limits! I originally wasn't planning on such a large 38" doll to start with but we came into a situation where a lady walked into the store a few days ago and wanted  to buy the large display doll we had used in our windows for years. Yes, the doll was sold to that lady who fell in love with her.  Now we truly miss that doll  in the window and realized we needed to replace her - after all we had all these child size # 6 cloths left over from the sold doll.
Today I finished washing up the large vinyl limbs, torso and head with warm soapy water then rinsed and dried them. Now I'm just pondering  on what to use for a drying rack. I believe the rack I have is way to small and will more than likely tip over with the weight of the limb(s). Will have to think about what other type of rack I can substitute. On the other hand (pun) perhaps I don't need a drying rack as the paint might be dry by the time I get to the end of that long arm any ways! Definitely will be painting this one in sections.