Custom Lifelike Dolls

 Doll Making Classes

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You get THREE two-hour hands on sessions,  a total of SIX hours of instructions and practice.  I will demonstrate each skill on my own doll kit and you will follow along pratice this skill on your doll kit. 

 

Class 1: Painting and curing your doll with heat-set translucent paints in layers to create fine three-dimensional-looking details such as veins, skin pores, mottling, blushing, capillaries, milia, etc and how to cure each layer, and at what temperature and for how long. Inserting eyes, and super magnets.

 

Class 2: Micro-rooting real hair onto your doll's head, how to make the swirl, baby hairs, and how to correct mistakes, how to root eyelashes, and how to secure the hair so that it can be brushed and styled without coming out.

 

Class 3: Weighting, stuffing, and assembling your doll correctly. Magnetic pacifier making, fake milk bottle making and important marketing tips. DON'T FORGET TO READ THE SECTION BELOW!!!

 

What you need to know*****PRIOR***** to Your First Class:

 

1. You will need to pick out exactly which doll you plan to make and pay for your doll kit.  It's best to pick 2 to 3 dolls to begin with-and it is wise to ORDER at least two kits from me. This way if your favorite kit is out of stock you have a backup which will arrive in time for classes. Five piece kits (head, arms, and legs) are generally not that expensive unless you pick a rare kit or a kit in high demand.

 

2. You will need to contact me to schedule your classes and firmly commit to attending all 3 classes and pay for your classes.   I can't emphasize this enough: you can always be a little early but don't be late!!! I recommend you allow yourself 20 minutes MORE of drive time than you think you will need just incase.

 

3. Once you pay for your classes, you will get a detailed and/or pictured list of additional supplies needed (such as paintbrushes, Q-tips, sponges, glues, etc that will be needed). You will need to buy/gather/order your additional reborning supplies. It MAY be possible for you to simply pick from kits and supplies I currently have on hand, pay for and schedule your classes all in one day at the same location the classes will be held at but a wise student does not wait til their first class and arrive empty handed-buy your items in advance so it doesn't cut into class time for yourself or other students.

 

2. Reborning dolls can be an expensive art, but it CAN be done on a moderate budget and it is easy to make back your money with your very first sale. Keep in mind that much like buying cosmetics or perfume for yourself, many supplies are only purchased ONCE a year or once ever and/or LAST A VERY LONG TIME. Also keep in mind that your skills will be yours for a lifetime and training you means I'm also accepting the risk of creating local competitors in a local market that I pretty much had a monopoly on prior to offering classes. This could potentially rob me of future customers, or force me to lower my prices-either way, this is part of the reason you must pay your dues for your classes-I do NOT offer free classes nor free doll making tips to ANYONE because I'm a single mother of seven, I pay for childcare out of pocket upfront in order to be able to teach these classes and run out my gas gathering supplies and taking my kids to childcare, etc, and my time is extremely valuable.  It costs me money to teach classes, takes much preparation and expense to prepare for classes, and in the long run, it costs me in the future when I help create dollmaking competitors.

 

3. I have MANY great tips and secrets to dollmaking, however, to get the MOST benefit out of each class you MUST be on time, listen carefully and NOT interrupt much because you will not get the full content of the class if you've spent too much time asking questions on the wrong topics at the wrong times-it will only distract your teacher from being able to jam pack a LOT of information into your classes.

 

4. You will need to COMMIT to all three 2 hour sessions-it is usually NOT possible for me to reschedule class because this involves also rescheduling childcare and re-performing a lot of class preparation. Also, you will have "homework" to complete between classes, homework that if you do not compete,  you will not be able to finish your doll on time with the rest of your class by the end of the third class.

 

5. Nobody else may accompany you to class unless they have paid for THEIR class and have been approved to join our class and have come fully prepared to learn and participate. Mother and daughter teams are great and I encourage that actually, however both must pay for their classes.

 

6. I keep classes small-no more than 3 students per class-however, you will be assigned a bucket to keep your supplies in, you will put your name on your bucket and you will be responsible for keeping an eye on your supplies. I cannot get caught up in whose magnets are whose and whose rooting needles are whose, etc. I have enough to keep track of just keeping on track with the lessons.

 

8. When your doll is curing in my oven, it is YOUR responsibility to keep an eye on the time and temperature. I am not responsible for replacing your doll if you forgot to set the timer and let your doll cure for too much time or too little time. Thankfully the dolls are fairly forgiving-you can be 10 degrees over or 10 degrees under or cure them for 10 minutes too long and they'll still probably be just fine, but seriously do not blame me if you left your doll curing for triple the amount of time while I was demonstrating this or that on a sample doll. In the event that you need a replacement doll kit, you may be able to choose from one I have on hand or you may be able to order a replacement by mail (through me or by yourself) but that will be an expense you would have to cover-not me and this is why I encourage you to buy two kits to begin with just incase, and also because the initial investment in supplies will be earned back much faster if you make two dolls and keep one and sell the other for example.