Braving Doll Reroot and Repaint

Okay, so I braved doll repaint, finally. 

And boy, was it an experience!

Tamica, my first doll repaint

I once had this grand scheme of repainting all my dolls because 

I have always wanted my atelier gals to be OOAKs.

Finally, with much research,

and digging into my old art supplies,

I jumped into it.

I chose my doll Tamica for my first attempt, as I have two molds of this girl.

I chose to repaint the one on the left because I like the screening better and keep it on the other.

my process...

First, I removed her makeup using an acetone-based nail polish remover.

Her hair was removed by first cutting closest to the roots using

a pair of small scissors which eventually I realized when I checked its packaging,

was actually a nail scissors. It worked well for the job.

I then pulled out remaining hairs through the neck hole

using my long-nose pliers.

Faceless Tamica and her old hair

I washed the hair-less head again, then I started rerooting her

with the yarn ball I bought last Sunday. I think chocolate brown suits her perfectly.

Sorry, I totally forgot to take a picture during the reroot.

However, I followed all the steps that @myfroggystuff showed

in their wonderful tutorial for rerooting dolls with yarn, here.

Then I wrapped her up, exposing only her head for sealing.

Pro repaint artists will probably spank me because of using a face towel to cover my nose while sealing, but... yeah.

Then, the repaint begins...

... which of course, I forgot to take pictures of again because... laziness.

Well, not really.

I was just giddy as a child because of all things, I love drawing.

I love painting. I love coming up with an image that was never there before.

So, yeah. I just went into a zone without noticing time, and other people

coming in and out of the room.

the materials...

All the chaos needed to come up with that pretty face XD

I used the very common materials repaint artists

who use, like:

Watercolor pencils and pan and tiny brushes for details like

the eyes, eyelashes, eye lids, brows, teeth details.

Soft pastel for blush, lip color and eye brow color.

(I used watercolor pencils for the brow hairs)

Mr. Super Clear Matt/Flat sealant for sealing before and after repaint.

(yes, I only sealed twice)

Black and white acrylic paints that were scraped off

after realizing they bulk faster than I could even put the details on.

Cotton swabs, tissue paper, cotton buds, water

A 0.1 waterproof pen (from my old art stash) used as eyeliner

I took pictures but actually didn't intend to seriously document the process

because I just want to absorb all the learnings first.

Then, once I get the right things,

that's when I document.

I probably will have a decent how-shasha-did-it post some time,

but really, who wants that?

The internet already has an ocean of tutorials,

made and edited way better than I could even imagine, right?

the outcome...

So, here's Tamica now.

I was so excited to take pictures of her that when I decided I'm done,

that I quickly grabbed a Grace Barbie Style body so we can

take advantage of the beautiful dusk lighting.

I'm in love with her - she's already hired for some real important atelier task!

Tee hee...

And just before I end the post, I have to write a few notes to self about my process, though:

1. The Mr. Super Clear Matt/Flat sealant darkened her face a bit - 

which was perfect for Grace's body.

2. I'm comfy with my watercolors instead of the acrylics ones.

Those teeth are detailed and crazy difficult

I just have to use the medium I'm most comfy with!

3. I ended up using my trusty Chinese brush that is the cheapest

thing among all my brushes because it gets to a very pointy point when wet. 

I knew this fact before, back when I did detail-y watercolor things

but when you're too enthusiastic with what you're doing (at least, me), 

you seem to just grab what you see. 

Good thing the chinese brush presented itself, magically. LOL!

I guess, that is all.

I'm not an expert on this, but you can ask me about my process

and I will answer to the best of my knowledge.

Ayt! Gotta go now!

I hope this post inspires you to do your own repaints, too!

dolly hugs,

shasha