I have posted on other boards, but just started following this one and decided to join. I use the same name everywhere and see some that I recognize here! I have been engaged with this art since January 2012, but in that time I have only had time to complete 11 babies, so I am still kind of new at this art. Most of my pictures are on my desktop, but here are a few I have on the laptop.
Kimi was I believe my sixth baby which I did in July of 2013. The others are WIP pictures that are more recent. I have been slowly working on Tiffany’s painted hair since July 2015 and am determined to get it more realistic without covering up all the details on her head. Londyn and Molly are also WIP, Londyn I just started- Molly is sadly from January 2013 and never quite gets finished. She finally has lashes though so she is close!
I paint with air dry paints, which I like, but I want to try Genesis soon. Me and baking are problematic so I am reading every tutorial and all the tips I can find. I love learning and sharing, so I look forward to getting to know everyone here.
You get lovely dewy skin tones. Why do you want to switch to genesis? Is there something you don’t like about the air dry? I keep thinking about buying some air dry. I was going to ask for them for Christmas, but I forgot. I love Genesis, but the baking thing is really a downer. Anyway, welcome to the forum.
Hi, I’m DJ, glad to meet you! I used air dry for years, switched to genesis and hate it. the luminaire paints were great at first but then had them rub off while painting a few times. Thinking of going back to air dry or using a combination. Air dry gives a creamier look. I am ready to switch after seeing your babies!
Thank you all for the warm welcome and compliments. There really are three reasons I have been thinking of trying Genesis though I do like painting with air dry. One reason is that I sort of feel on my own for learning new techniques because the majority of the tutorials are for Genesis. I finally can mix my colors to approximate Genesis colors and follow along, but I still cannot consistently get the texture like little skin pores. Sometimes I can with air dry products, but now always. The third reason is that I am afraid to sell my babies and have accumulated too many to keep this up as I don’t have space. I have only sold three and the owners say the paint still looks good, but I have read so many comments over the years about air dry paint coming off or getting shiny. My first three the paint did fade some because I thinned it too much I think, but now they don’t fade and the paint does not come off but I still worry if they would hold up to buyers that “play” with them. Maybe that is a worry no matter what though.
Think it over before you switch! Genesis is so much more time consuming with baking and then letting the kit cool. I almost have to work on three kits at once. One, painting and flashing off, one baking (takes two bakes to fit the pieces in my ewave) and one cooling down. If I am doing different skin tones, then I have to keep up with more sponges, more dishes and more mixing and remember which one gets what. With air dry, by the time I finished all the pieces, the first one was ready to dry.
What air dry paints are you using? I have a few little containers of the art and magic paints which are prediluted. I don’t like how fast that container empties compared to the luminaires. I still have some leftover luminaires but not many since some dried out because I haven’t used them. And I have some tubes of just regular, well, premium artist paints…but mixing your own skintones is a pain with those! Got the authentic reborn strawberry blush set which is way purpler than the luminaire strawberry. They go fast too since they are semi watered down. I am looking for a type that really works! Am I being too picky!!! Wanting air dry that doesn’t rub off when you add a layer like luminaires did, isn’t so diluted that I can only paint a few dolls before I am out of paint again and has the color range that luminaires has…yep, too picky!
Good info about the Genesis. I have not tried it because I don’t have good ventilation and I also have spent a fortune to find paint brushes I like, so the thought of buying all that stuff for oil based paints…well I just have not done it. I would say that overall I like the Water Borne paints best, but mine dried up twice. Some had never been opened. The Luminaire went kind off color on me a few times. It was kind like it was not really curing so when I put on a new layer, it mixed with the previous and turned kind of grey. I still will use their lip colors, but nothing else. I mix most of my colors using Liquitex. Generally I add ultra matte gel or matte medium (this is a liquid),. For most layers I mix with distilled water, but if I want a transparent but thicker paint I mix with a float medium or blending gel. I do not use Liquitex varnish as a sealer though, even the matte is too shiny. I use the Folk Art Outdoor Matte usually.
Hi, Jenny! Welcome to the BB forum! Your babies are adorable. I’m a Genesis user and really like it. I don’t like the potential vinyl air bubbles that can happen when baking, though.
Thank you Amy. I have noticed your babies and they are lovely—they have that lifelike transparency that I have struggled to get. I over baked my first batch of Christmas cookies this year, if it had been a kit I would have cried. I had the timer set, but it seems I am always doing multiple things and can get sidetracked.
Welcome to the forum! Your babies are beautiful. I started out using GHSP, but after about 5-6 months I switched to air dry paints. I could no longer tolerate the fumes from baking the vinyl and actually got sick from it. I have now used air dry for over 7 years and have not regretted it.
I do get migraines triggered my odors which has also played a part in my delay in trying Genesis. I am happy to see so many air dry users here- I have often felt so isolated because it seemed I was the only one.
Thank you Kareninflorida! I do like the air dry, but I have not yet figured out all the techniques and translated to air dry. I am planning to work on adding scratches and tear ducts with air dry products soon.
I know what you mean when you mention the lack of tutorials for air dry paints. I myself had to learn a lot on my own although Debbie Henshaw has great tutorials on her blog which I referred to many times.
With the skin texture on light skin tones I use a large mop brush to pounce with instead of the cosmetic sponge. I do several layers with the mop brush until I am satisfied with the textured look. I have tried several different types of sponges also for different effects. It’s just a matter of trying different things until you find what is right for you.
The only paint that I had a problem with is the Luminaires that I had a hard time getting the paint to adhere to the vinyl. Needless to say I trashed them and would never recommend them. The key is to use good quality paints. I have been making and selling reborns that I have done with air dry paints for a little over 7 yrs and have never had a complaint from a customer or anyone who has gotten one of my reborns about it fading, cracking, getting shiny or peeling. If you are using a paint with a high rating for light-fastness or like many of the paints specifically made for reborns that assure it has a good quality light-fastness and you applied them properly then you should have no problems with fading. Cracking comes from paints that are not flexible and do not bend with the surface you are painting and are made for hard non-flexible surfaces. This also will cause the peeling. If the proper mediums and paints are used then there should no problems with shine. In my opinion it is the knowledge of the artists that they have with the products they are using and are using them properly. This goes for air dry or genesis paints.
