Hello,
I am considering trying a hand at reborning. I know there are both starter kits here at BB and at MacPhersons.
Have any of you gotten any of these kits and what have been your experience?
I am leaning towards getting one from here cause I can pay less, choose my kit especially with the sale coming, and still get the basics without it being too much stuff increasing the price.
I didn’t bother with it when I started, I don’t think it’s needed really. I would just get the supplies you need separately. The paints you get with the kit are very basic and limiting, if you bought a few other colors along with the starter kit it might be okay.
Thank you for letting me know. That was the other option. I do want to try mottling and it all…not just basic detail.
I see the paints are real small for the starter kits…I guess if I buy separately I’d have more supplies to cover more dolls I assume.
When I started, I brought the beginners kit from eBay. It will have everything you need for your first kit. Other items that are included you will need and can use for future kits. I think it’s a good idea to start with the starter kit. Also watch plenty of videos on YouTube. Start with customdollbaby. You can always buy n add paints.
The small size paints are more than enough. I’ve been reborning 5 years and still have some of the original paints in small size that I bought. I was more talking about the colors being limited. I have a mini tutorial that I can pm you that shows the colors I use so you can get an idea of what else to buy. The starter kit colors don’t hurt of course but they’re very limiting if that’s all you have
I started 2 month ago with Small Complete Set of EIGHT Custom Genesis - #6723 - Bountiful Baby (DP Creations LLC) and primary colors paint kit, then I added black and crimson colors. They are more than enough to produce a good quality painted reborns for several years.
You can do your own mottling sponges. The rest of supplies that included in the kit you can by on your own.
If in doubts you can go to reborns .com look at Yelena’s Reborned Little Stars to see what I was able to paint with mentioned paints.
I started with the least expensive doll kits also.
I started out buying that- it is SOOO worth it!
I bought the starter kit and have not used a lot of the stuff that came with it. The only paint I use from the kit is vein blue and eyelid purple. And you will find that you will want to experiment with different kinds of brushes and mottled sponges. You can find a lot of the supplies you will use in a craft store where there will be a wider variety for you to choose from.
Can’t you mix additional colors from the starter set?
Sure but you’re still pretty limited with those colors. There isn’t a yellow or burnt umber, I don’t think. Both of those are pretty essential. What I’m saying is that the starter kit is fine if you add a couple more colors too. I didn’t personally use it but I think it could be helpful.
When I first bought my set of Liquitex paints I had to buy additional colors also. I’m not sure there’s any way around that without getting a lot of colors you’ll never use in a larger set.
When I first started in 2005 I bought the starter kit. And it was well worth it back then.
I just want to mention that the dolls on sale now are a better deal than what they will have next week on the 25% off sale. That is according to Nevin Pratt in a message yesterday. Having said that, there are a good many lower priced kits to begin with. If you are not too anxious, you can wait until they have seconds on sale. Then you can get some really good deals. That is the way I like to do it. I do sometimes buy others, but I like the seconds and then the seconds on sale. 
I can’t tell you when there will be any available to buy like that. Also, about the paints – I do not use the heat set paints as I feel that when the vinyl is heated, it can give off toxins that causes me to have health concerns – I already have cancer and I don’t need anything else. But, as I understand it from others, the heat set paints use very little when mixing your colors, so I would guess that they do last a long time. I actually think all the paints last a long time, as it doesn’t take much pigment to color a good bit. I do think most of us supplement what we start with as we learn more and more about what to do and how to use the colors. HTH
My first reborn I used globs of paint and tons of water. I was using the air dry paints. Now I use miniscule amounts of heatset and my early adventures taught me how to mix my own flesh and blush colors. I learned the perfect mottle color by accident.
I started with a beginner GHSP kit from MacPherson’s. I chose the one that did not come with a baby, so I was able to get a cute sculpt of my choice. It came with some of my favorite brushes to this day and a few premix colors that I still use every time I Reborn and I haven’t run out even after a dozen dolls. I think that a beginner’s kit is a good thing because it has at least a sample of everything you need to make a doll.
TL;DR I would recommend either BB or Mac’s.
Wow all of the responses have been so helpful! I have been dying to respond as the notifications popped up at work.
I came to a conclusion from reading everyone’s post is that Macphersons sets are probably too much stuff and probably not worth the price as I thought. Then there is a cheaper one but you would rather get bountiful baby.
What I may do is make two carts and take screenshots:
How much would it be with the starter kit and some additional colors. ( Someone suggested good additional colors, I’ll also look up some guides on more).
How much would it add up if I just not get a kit and get my own stuff following popular tutorials.
Thank you! I be always looking at everyone else making dolls and have to try my hand at one even though I know it may not always be the most beautiful.
Just gotta tell myself if all these other people can do it then why can’t I?
There’s a cool starter @MacPhersonCrafts that has the brushes, premixed paints and mediums. It’s under 100 and includes the DVD by Suzette du Plessis.
I have looked at that I think but I am thinking does it have too little?
It has all the paints there but not the rooting supplies and the sponges and other things.
I guess it would be good to at least get the paints from, then buy everything else separately. May save some money doing that anyways than getting them with a kit.
I bought my stuff separate. A lot of things are easy to find in a dollar store and hair is something I’d like to get separate. I’ve learned my own preferences for supplies so I know what to get where and why.
I got the starter kit!! I would totally recommend it! I felt lost and overwhelmed at first, and the most awesome thing? The paints and stuff I got with it? Some of them are still going strong after over several dolls! It comes with the tools that you will need to make that first doll as well as the supplies that you will need, most of which will last you a long time!