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I have had many requests for my ethnic reborn babies tutorial and while I don't claim myself to be an expert on the art of ethnic babies, I do love making them and have had success making them this way. I did a lot of trial and error to get these mixtures. Once you get the mixtures down, you may want to tweak the coloring to suit the vinyl or coloring you are trying to obtain.
This tutorial may not be copied without written permission by the author.
FLESH TONES FOR ETHNIC REBORN BABIES TUTORIAL:
I mix up quite a bit of the flesh tone I will be using as I also use it in the lip coloring and blushing, plus sometimes it takes many layers to achieve the coloring you want and it is easier to mix up a bunch and have extra than try and mix up some to match exactly. If I have extra, I just store it in a safe container and then mix it into the next batch I do. I use the “Pinch, Dash, Smidgen” spoons. For the paint, I use the Smidgen spoon. For every spoon of paint, I use 2 each spoonfuls of Pinch and dash of the thinning medium If you are using mineral spirits.. you are on your own to get it thinned. LOL!! But I think it is 3 each of the mineral spirits instead of the 2. BB sells the spoons. You can just mix it p on your own also, just make sure that your paint mixture is thin like watercolors.
For bi-racial babies I use:
6 of Flesh 05 1 of Flesh 04 1/2 of Flesh 02 1/4 of Yellow Ochre End of toothpick of Pyrolle Red 02
Medium skin tone babies:
3 of Flesh 05 1 of Flesh 04 3.5 of Flesh 02 1/4 of Yellow Ochre end of toothpick of Pyrolle Red 02
Dark skin tone babies:
1 of Flesh 05 1 of Flesh 04 5.5 of Flesh 02 1/2 Yellow Ochre end of toothpick of Pyrolle Red 02 The Yellow Ochre and Pyrolle Red might need to be adjusted depending on the color of the vinyl. If it is a more orangey vinyl then less Yellow and more Red or it is a pinky vinyl, less Red and more Yellow. Always add tiny amounts as it is easier to add than take away. It takes time to mix the paint up so don’t rush it. Think MELTED CHOCOLATE when mixing your paints.
VEINS:
I use the BB premixed one and I add a tiny touch of Phthalto Green 03. You want kind of an Aqua color.
BLUSHING AND LIPS:
Bi-racial babies:
I just use the Bountiful Baby premixed Lips and Blushing paint and add a small amount of the Flesh color I have mixed up.
Medium skin tone babies:
Same as Bi-racial only I add a tiny amount of Chrinoline Crimson
Dark skin tone babies:
1 of Chrinoline Crimson end of toothpick of Black small amount of the Flesh color I have mixed up. I take some of this color and thin it down more for the lips, then I take a small amount of that mixture and add the same caucasian mix I used on the soles and palms to make a lip “highlight” color.
CREASES:
Burnt Umber adding black for the darker skin tone babies. I do not add as much thinner to this mix, you want it a little more intense.
PALMS AND SOLES:
I just use the color I would use on a caucasian baby.
Ethnic Reborn Babies tutorial in pictures.
I always do my veins first. Then do the palms and soles. I extend the Caucasian color past the point I want it to be as I want the two colors to blend easily together and not have a harsh line. I also extend this color up and over the finger and toe tips, going just past the nail, covering the entire nail surface.
I will do enough coats of the Caucasian flesh color to get good covering on it. If I am doing the medium or darker skin tones babies then before the first coat of the caucasian color I put on a thin coat of the AA color I have mixed up. Then I top that with the Caucasian layers.
When I have the palms and soles the base color I want I am ready to start on the ethnic coloring. I use a mop brush and get a dab of paint on it and then brush it over an area, adding paint as I go. I work in small areas at a time; ie, the face up to the ears, then one side from the ears to the back of the head, then the other side, then the top. First, I use the brush to add the paint to the vinyl. Using the bristles to get down into the creases. Then I take a sponge and pounce all over the area I just did. Using a clean mop brush if a lot of paint has gathered in the creases or deep inside the ear. Once I have that area the way I am happy with it, I move on to the next area, ending with the top of the head. Do NOT go back over an area you have pounced unless absolutely necessary until it has been heat set, you will lift off the paint you just applied and could end up with a splotchy baby. On some vinyls and on the darker skin tone, the first couple of layers may appear splotchy no matter what, don’t despair, it will smooth out. Only put one thin layer of this flesh color on the lips.
When I do the limbs. I bring the ethnic skin tone almost to the point that I want the two colors to blend, about a half inch away.
I bring the paint up to the nail bed but not covering the nail beds.
When I am pouncing close to the soles and palms, with the pouncing motion of the sponge, I gently bring the ethnic coloring down to where I want the colors to blend. Do this so that there is no harsh line, you want a gradual blending.
Once I get my flesh tones the way I want them, then I blush the the palms and soles as I would a caucasian baby. AA babies are not splotchy so make any blushing on the cheeks, light and smooth. On the ears, I use the “creases” color and paint the entire outer edge of the ear, back of the ear and the inner ear, Sometimes it takes several coats of this to achieve the right color.
For the lips, I use the highlight color and paint the entire lip area and then bake, I do 2-3 layers of this.
Then I take the lip color and go from the edge of the lips inward towards the mouth but not all the way, you want some of the highlight color to show on the inner part of the lips. Feather it in so there is no harsh line. Do a couple of layers until you are happy with the coloring. Heat setting it between layers. Then taking your “creases” coloring put a thin line of it on the outer edge of the lips feather it inward but leaving a darker line on the very outside edge.
On the eyelids for closed eye babies, take your creases color and on the very edge of the top lid, put several coats on the area there, there usually is a crease in the vinyl that I take it up to.
Do your creases like you normally would. Then, right under the nail beds, take the creases color and make a dark line from the nail bed down a little, feather it as you go downward, keeping a dark line right under the nail bed. This will take several coats.
For the nail tips, I use Flesh 08.
For eyebrows I just mix up whatever color matches the hair I am using. I hope this is easy enough for everyone to understand. I have a hard time explaining things in print. I also find it nice to be able to look at pictures of ethnic babies.
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