Hi there ladies! I am having my libby kits painted by a kit painting service. They use heat genesis paints but don’t use varnish. Is varnish required for these dolls to be sealed? I’ve seen there are air dry ones so I am thinking about just varnishing them myself. So, what parts of the doll do I varnish? Do I varnish the whole limb or just the detailed parts? I heard that the varnish gives them a textured feel. Does that take away from the realism? I’m curious because I have heard of some artists using varnish and to be honest, my other dolls aren’t varnished so I’m wondering if I need it.
Thanks,
Julie
I find they get shiny without varnish and mine always end up looking better with varnish because they aren’t shiny. Genesis matte does add a texture that some people don’t like but I don’t mind it. If you varnish it, do the whole limb 
I know nothing about air dry varnishes though so someone else will have to help with that part. Good luck
Oh ok. Thanks! The reason I would be using air dry is because I don’t have an oven to use for reborning. There’s just my family oven and I don’t want any of my family getting sick. I am also mostly just a collector. What about the head since they will be bald? Do i varnish the whole head?
Yes you would varnish the whole head too I understand that for sure. Hopefully one of the air dry ladies will come by and help out with that
You can use air dry varnish in pretty much the same way. Just leave it out to dry where the parts aren’t touching anything, like on a baby bottle drying rack.
It should dry to the touch pretty quickly, but will take about 2 or 3 days to completely cure, depending on the temperature and humidity.
Honestly, I would be hesitant to hire someone who doesn’t use varnish to seal. No telling what other shortcuts they might take. And it sounds like they don’t really know much about the reborning process. 
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I agree. Makes me wonder why they don’t do the varnish.
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I use air dry paint and air dry varnish everywhere. It protects all of my hard work, adds texture (this is intentionally done), and stops shine.
Side note: I have never heard of anyone painting kits but not varnishing them. So weird. No one even asks me about this. It’s just a given that I will varnish because that is a normal part of the process.
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I use a mixture of matte and satin so the texture isn’t quite as prominent - unless the customer specifically asks for a texture. In all my listings I state that it is a mixture and I can only remember one time someone asking if I would do matte only, but I can’t imagine not using one or the other - I would worry about the shininess too much.
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I hate the sandpapery feel. I want my babies to have silky soft skin like a real baby. I recommend varnishing the whole baby with extra attention to nails. I use Americana Soft Touch Varnish with cornstarch and water added. I apply it thinly with a brush and spread it out really well. Pouncing is what makes it rough. It can be used over Genesis. It’s not absolutely necessary to varnish, particularly if the baby is a keeper and will only be displayed. It is an extra layer of protection, though.
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What’s your mixture of varnish to water to cornstarch.
You varnish everything that’s painted. There is an air dry Deco varnish. See Jeanhai post.
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I agree. Who doesnt varnish?
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Thanks ladies! I think I will varnish them when they are done by the artist with Americana/Decoart Soft Touch Varnish. I’ve seen on youtube that some use the cosmetic wedges to apply it. The artist I’ve having paint my kits is Jerelin0 on ebay. She has a kit painting service. I asked her if she varnished her babies and this what she said:
“Hi. I do not seal the paint anymore, the manufacturers say it is not necessary now, the new paint seals itself. Some doll artists still apply the sealer so I leave it up to the owner to apply if they want it, thank you.” so that’s why she doesn’t varnish. I chose her because I really liked the biracial skin tones she painted.
That’s odd that she won’t do it on request either though.
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I varnish my reborn babies with the Genesis Thinning Medium and it works greats!! Good Luck and Happy Reborning everybody!!!
When I started I used varnish because so many of the kits were very shiny, but I hated the texture, and stopped varnishing. I have dolls that my granddaughter plays with; she is going to be 8 in few weeks and she handled them since she was a baby; they do not show any signs of problems.
Nowadays, I usually put some air dry varnish on dolls that I sell purely because there are so many people making claims that without varnish the doll is somehow not as well done as with it. The kits I work with are not shiny, and I cannot see a reason why varnish would be a must.
You should ask the person doing the painting why they do not varnish. I mean it is just another layer, it is not a hassle, or difficult.
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Does this Americana soft touch have to be baked too?
It is air dry
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If anyone is interested in what her work looks like, I googled her and found this video. She did a great job.
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