The Doll Site Special Feature The Art of Reborning - One Artist's Story Jackis Surtees is a talented reborn doll artist who gives us some insight into the reborning process and history. Her details and illustrations show just how painstakingly detailed reborn artistry is, and shares a couple of her creations. She is also the founder of the Exceptional Reborn Artist Guild.

Reborn Dolls: A Whole New Art Form

Despite their somewhat curious description, reborn dolls are actually highly realistic baby dolls made of vinyl. Reborn artists usually take great pains to make the dolls look and feel as real as possible. Why? Well, reborn dolls take their name from the fact that they begin life as ordinary dolls and are then taken apart and reassembled, and therefore ‘reborn’.

Because of their extraordinary realism, reborn dolls are quickly becoming the most sought-after dolls for collectors and amateurs alike. The art of ‘reborning’ a doll involves a very painstaking process, during which reborn artists spend backbreaking hours putting in minute details to make their creations lifelike. The result, as a friend once said, is that when one sees a reborn doll, one almost expects to hear it laugh or cry out loud. Naturally, therefore, reborn dolls are one-of-a-kind handmade masterpieces and hardly the stuff children play with!

What does the reborning process entail, exactly? Well, most reborn dolls, as I said, begin life as normal vinyl or collectors’ dolls, most commonly from doll manufacturers Berenguer. During the reborning process, the artist takes the doll apart and strips it of all its factory paint and hair. The doll is bathed to remove all residual paint and glue, and thoroughly dried.

Image: Reborn Doll created by Jackie Surtees.

Once the doll is ready, the artist hand-roots its hair, usually using Angora Kid mohair. The hair is sealed from the inside, to allow for customized styling and is then hand-dyed in a particular color. Once the hair is done, the inside of the doll is painted to resemble an actual skin tone. Next, the doll is dried completely, and the artist uses oil paint or oil pastels to highlight natural skin creases on the outside. Eyebrows are painted using acrylic paint, and lips are painted and sealed with gloss sealer. Hand-rooted mohair is used for eyelashes for sleeping babies, or glued on for open-eyed babies. The artist opens the nose so the doll can ‘breathe’ (remember, it’s a baby), and lines the opening with black felt. Finally, the artist paints and seals the doll’s toenails and fingernails with white tips.

Now, the doll is reassembled. Most commonly, an artist fills the limbs with high-quality sand for a realistic weight. Each limb is topped with poly fill and sealed with glue. The doll is also given a realistic weight by filling it with craft pellets, glass beads or metal balls, and poly fill makes the baby plump. Once the head is in place, the artist paints the veins and ears.

In an excellent marketing touch, most reborn dolls are sold with a diaper and baby clothes! Some artists offer other accessories as a birth certificate, magnetized pacifier, removable umbilical cord and clamp, and other fun stuff unique to each doll.