Internal washes

i read on another forum some people use internal purple or blue washes. Does anyone here?

Deb, I don’t, and I think someone posted that since the vinyl color has improved, it’s not necessary. That’s good, 'cuz it looks messy…what if you get blue dye on the OUTSIDE??? Yikes!

I don’t because I’d heard that some babies were looking bruised years down the road from the internal washes bleeding through the vinyl. I would think you would need to seal the inside of the doll if you were doing one to prevent that problem. I know one company sells kits that have that glow to them (can’t remember which one). Over time, it seems most people just add the color to the outside. I tried adding a thin blue wash on some places on the outside but ended up with the dolls looking black and blue so gave it up for now.

i actually do on the tiny babies. I use the vein blue around the corners of the eyes and bridge of the nose. Put it on lightly though because i have found it soaks in alot as it sits. I put it on straight fromt he container, not thinned at all. I had to go back with a sponge dipped in mineral spirits and rub all the extra off so it didn’t get any darker. I think it give alot more detail to the doll! But you do need to be careful not to get any on your fingers or you will get it on the outside. I do not seal it on the inside of the head. I just heat set it with the other layers. It has been fine. Even when i was working with setting the eyes much later, there were no issues with it. no cracking or coming off or staining.

I’ve done babies both ways and I find that a little blue wash inside the head helps my babies look more “alive”. I just mix a very,very thin blue wash and use a fan brush on the inside concentrating around the eyes, mouth and ears. I’ve made many dolls in the past using this method and since I use such a small amount of blue, have had no problem with the color bleeding through. You only need a small, small touch of blue with the thinner, as the vinyl grabs it quickly. This is a very “old fashioned” method but I really believe it adds a little more demension and realism to the babies. Try it on a practice baby and see if you like the effect it gives : )

Susan

I do thick blue wash on the inside it shows up around the nostril and eyes

I started reborning I’m 2003. It was the norm to do a purple wash inside. Not only did it give dimension to the areas mentioned, but it helped neutralize the dolls. I started with play dolls and they had an orange look to them. Blue being the opposite of orange, gave a nice fleshy color. You do have to be careful as thinner areas of vinyl will show the purple right through.