Majority of colouring was achieved using oil paints or stencil creams, using an inside purple wash to give the vinyl depth. The oil paint would be massaged into the vinyl giving it an opaque and translucent appearance, the colouring was generally very subtle and described as peaches and cream. Veining was done from the inside of the vinyl using dark blue acrylic, so it just showed through the vinyl. Using the traditional oils was a long drawn out process because the paint had to be allowed time to cure naturally, so it was normal for Artists to work on several dolls at once.

Wigs were mainly made of Acrylic, Kemper Cassidy were most widely used and were trimmed using a flat razor blade, although the introduction of mohair wigs, such as the Mikayla mohair wig was a welcome break and allowed for more realistic hair styles. Very few Artists were rooting regularly.  Eyelashes were nearly always acrylic and were applied to both the open eye and sleeping babies alike.

The main dolls to be used were the Berenguer and Lee Middleton dolls. Rosebud, Mary face and Open eye Rosebud being amongst the most widely used. The choices were limited, but this was not so apparent because the ratio of choice and Artists was on par.

Ashton Drake 'Welcome Home Emily' was the most popular doll of 2004, Emily bought a whole new wave of interest to the Reborn world, many people who had never seen Reborns before had them bought to their attention via Ashton Drake Emily, she was advertised in Sunday magazines, and grabbed the attention of many who had never really liked dolls that much.  Reborn Artists had a whole new type of vinyl to contend with, although the Lee Middleton, Adora and Berenguer dolls were still the most commonly used dolls, Emily bought something new and exciting to the Artists.

In March 2004 Masterpiece dolls released a new range of highly detailed dolls which pushed Artists to introduce more realistic Reborns. This new exciting range of dolls started with the 'Heaven Scent' range by Sheila Michael, there were 4 dolls in this collection, who were all numbered and limited to just 250 worldwide. There was mass hysteria amongst the Reborn and Collecting communities as Artists and Collectors scrambled to get their dolls. Many forums even set up notification tree systems, and allocated individuals to order vast amounts as soon as they were released for sale. These were the days before pre ordering, it was first come, first served.

2004 saw the introduction of Artisan oils to paint the vinyl, these are water mixable oils and required baking to cure them properly. Although many Artists still preferred to use the traditional oil paints, the release of more silicone vinyl dolls, meant there was a need to find a paint medium which would apply easily to the vinyl, soak in and be more permanent.  The trend was to still do much of the colouring from the inside of the doll, this was achieved by using folk art and other acrylic combinations and actually painting a series of different area's inside the vinyl, although later in 2004 it was becoming apparent that this practise was causing major problems over time, the colour was starting to bleed through the vinyl and was causing 'bruising' to the Reborns.

More artists were starting to root eyelashes on the sleeping babies instead of cutting the eyelids and inserting the eyelash strips. But if an Artist offered one Reborn with rooted hair a month, they were really admired by many for their achievements.

2005 saw a huge interest in Jo Sonja Acrylic Gouache, these paints were mixable with water and unlike the Artisans, they did not require baking, although many Artists were still baking to speed up the curing process.

More and more Artists were starting to root the hair instead of using wigs, although the rooting was still very primitive in comparison to today's rooting, most artists were hand rooting, but there were several Artists who were coming through and being recognised for the consistency in their rooting and how fine and realistic the hair was looking.

Body plates and umbilical cords became very popular in 2005 and these were the things that gave the dolls their individuality. Artists started to become more adventurous in their Artwork, trying new idea's and introducing more realistic qualities.

Berenguer & Masterpiece dolls released several highly detailed dolls which pushed Artists to introduce more realistic Reborns.  Secrist Toys & Artist Val Shelton had released several successful kits at very affordable prices, but these were classed amongst the Artists more for the beginners, the established Artists remained faithful to the Berenguer, Lee Middleton, and were now moving onto the more realistic Masterpiece & Ashton Drake silicone vinyl dolls on a regular basis.

There was more interest being paid to how the dolls were being assembled, the use of sand was slowly fazed out and replaced with glass beads and fibre fill.  'Baby Fat' was introduced as a body filling there was definitely more emphasis on how the baby posed and felt when held, instead of just the cosmetic appearance.

2006 was a "limbo" year, with Artists not knowing which direction they wanted to pursue, there were Artists who were still using the older style techniques, and who stuck to the classic peaches and cream look, whilst others seemed to surge forward and bring new idea's and new heights of Realism to the table.  This also saw a divide in the collectors market, whilst some collectors did not 'take' to these new more highly coloured dolls, others absolutely went crazy for this new look. 

The use of more intense colouring was spreading through the already established artists, and we saw individual styles starting to change dramatically.  The introduction of Earth pigments mixed with Genesis was a new idea and was introduced by an Artist in the USA, this seemed to rock the Reborn world.  More Artists started to use the Genesis paint, however Gouache was still the choice of paint being used within Europe.

Rooting was evolving and the majority of Artists were now hardly ever using wigs. Hand rooting was the most widely used technique, but many Artists were pushing the boundaries of Micro rooting.

Many Artists started using mouth blown glass eyes, instead of the soft glass eyes, although both of these were very expensive and out of reach in the budget of many Artists, who continued to use the acrylic eyes, which are still popular and widely used to this day.

Companies such as Secrist, Doll Dreams, RDK, Simply Reborn & Bountiful Babies introduced new and exciting kits to the market, whilst Masterpiece and Ashton Drake released a wider range of finished dolls which were regularly being used by the Reborn Artists, the trend was slowly turning more towards starting with a kit.

With the changes in the formulation of the Jo Sonja Gouache paints, Genesis paints were now being more widely used, although there was still not the confidence required to use these paints to their full effect, more Artists were giving them a try and liking the results. The Genesis matt varnish was at this time being used mainly to combat the shine which was more evident when using the heat set paints. Artists were on the constant look out for different paints to use, many companies started to formulate their own brands and blends of paints to use specifically on vinyl, aimed solely at the Reborn Market., but as with anything new, the techniques required to use these new formulations were not clear, and caused some confusion amongst Artists. Whilst some developed an understanding of the new paints being introduced, the majority stuck with the Genesis paints as they had been tried and tested.

Artists started paying much more attention to the finer details of a babies skin, focusing on small capillaries, birthmarks, the thinner area's of the skin, and introducing more blue/green tones to the skin through a more complex palette of colours.

Rooting saw a huge leap forward with more Artists focusing on their micro rooting techniques, and paying more and more attention to details such as hair lines, the direction of the rooting and the length of the hair.

2007 saw the introduction of breathing and movement mechanisms, although these were rather short lived and rarely seen as it became evident to collectors that fitting the Reborn with these took the realism out of the way the baby felt when being held. They were often bulky, so the baby had to be fitted with a larger body to accommodate the mechanism.

Kits started becoming more popular than Dolls which had to be dismantled, there was a huge kit surge in 2007. The choice now available was vast which lent itself to a greater variety of Reborns. The kit market expanded to the point that many Artists vowed only to ever produce 1 of any particular kit.

Early 2008 saw the introduction and wider usage of more detailing such as baby scratches, 3D textured eyebrows and milk spots. Genesis paint really became the first choice for most Artists, and the effects being introduced really saw a huge turn around in the amount of depth and detailing being achieved.  Artists also became more confident in using the Genesis paint, and were openly experimenting with more advanced painting techniques, giving the vinyl such a realistic skin quality, often using the Genesis matt varnish as a texture rather than a cure to over shine.

The evolution in rooting really took hold in 2008, with majority of established Artists coming into their own, and producing the most lifelike heads of hair using micro rooting techniques.  There was a greater emphasis on the crown of the head and the direction in which this was being rooted. 2008 also saw an increased interest in using hair painting either solitary, or as a combination with rooted hair, binging the ultimate in realism to the table.

Kits really came into their own in 2008, with most companies becoming more choosey in which Artist sculpts they produced. We also saw an increase in independent Artists releasing kits. This gave the Reborn Artists even more choice, and with the reality in the vinyl kits being raised, obviously this bought a rise in the realism of the finished dolls.

2009 saw the increased popularity in "Painted Hair" with more Artists 'Giving it a go' and some really excelling in this new wave. Painted hair really is an acquired taste, some love it whilst others feel it is almost going back to the roots of Reborning.  Those collectors who like the painted hair mainly state it is because "it doesn't mess up the hair when dressing the baby".

The extraordinary lengths artists are stretching to perfect the perfect newborn skin has become evident in 2009, with more Artists achieving detailed and extremely lifelike skin tones. The use of birthmarks, milk spots, small capillaries are now common practice so artists are having to push the envelope even further.

The "craze" of spit bubbles really came to life in 2009, the mystery surrounding these tiny bubbles of saliva in the mouth was driving many Artists mad!  Although very easy to achieve, (please see our tips page) these little saliva bubbles added yet another element of realism.

We are confident that 2010 will bring even more, new and exciting techniques and features to our Reborn babies. With so much information and supplies available to the Reborn Market now, Artists will inevitably be looking to offer an individual and unique twist to their style, which can only be good news!