I am pretty sure aside from just a few more things like fingernails, eyebrows, hair, etc. that James is done. What do you think? Is there anything he should have that I’m missing? Or maybe something that needs to be fixed before I varnish him? I was also wondering if you need to varnish before doing the nails? This is my first time attempting limbs. They got really shiny for some reason 
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Beautiful creasing and mottling! It looks like he is missing shading, undertones and a blue wash…Keep working on his skin tone as he’s not quite alive yet.
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Shading inside his ears also.
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Thank you! He’s got some shading in his ears but a lot of it faded 
I’ll go back over it and work more on his skin tone tonight! 
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Beautiful! I say done!
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I varnish nails after painting, before glossing. I use a satin finish to gloss so the nails have a natural sheen.
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Don’t forget shading the nostrils too. 
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He really matches your color/complexion!!
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The vinyl can get a bit shiny if it’s handled a lot. My kits seemed to pull the oils right off of my hands. I tried to only handle them by the flange but that isn’t always easy and was causing my hands to cramp. I ended up buying a box of gloves from Walmart, and it’s really helped keep the shine down.
Also, don’t fret- ghsp matte varnish will cut the shine dramatically.
You’re doing well on James and you’ve received some good advice here. He’s looking good, but with a bit of patience, he can look even better. I know how hard it can be to fight that urge to call a baby done, however, holding off just a bit longer will be worth it in the end.
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Thank you everybody!!
@TrinityCrystal yeah, I agree 
he is only my third baby so I’m still learning how to know when they are done 
everyone in here has been super helpful though! I don’t know what I would do without this forum! 
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That’s sort of what I was going for 
I kept holding him up to my forearm to see how close I was getting to achieving a normal skin tone
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Yes. There are some super helpful artists here. I’m not the most experienced though. I’ve been here about as long as @Katinafleming but I’ve not created nearly as many babies and she paints far more beautifully than I do. In many ways, I still consider myself beginner or perhaps intermediate-lite.
Some people (VERY few) begin reborning and knock it out of the park right away. I am not one of those people. If I had the photos to hand I would show you a few of my early attempts.
Even now, many babies I make end up being boo boos in one way or another. Only three of them have turned out to be what I would consider full price babies. I figure that’s ok though, as I’m still learning and experimenting. Sometimes it’s because I’ve used a seconds kit, but mostly it’s operator error. I get such satisfaction and fulfillment from painting that I do this as kind of therapy more than anything else.
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Sometimes when I’m debating on whether a baby is done, I’ll assemble the parts and sometimes even throw a neutral outfit on. It helps me notice what the baby is missing or what I need to fix. And also helps me to not rush to the end because I get a good glimpse of baby put together
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I agree! It’s very therapeutic for me as well!
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That’s a good idea! I will have to try that after work!
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From my experience - imbs get shiny if you over bake the vinyl.
If he would be mine I would calm the redness on his cheeks, eyelids, lips, and top of his ears. But of course that is the personal preferences. Real babies can have it. My first grandson has a very sever formula allergy and look like that, but not on the eyes though. I like healthy baby look
Add inner ears shading, as it was mentioned.
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Thank you! I’m working on him now so I will see what I can do!
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This is where I’m at with him now. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of mottling and color in his arms. I could be crazy lol (ok…crazier than normal ) but they seem really pale now 
Some of these pictures were taken with a flash and some were not. I tried to get the best view of how his skin matches. His arms are the only thing I’m really concerned about right now…and maybe that his head is too red. I went in trying to calm red but now I think I might have made it worse 
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