• Fill the paint mix bottle with the odorless thinner to within a half inch from the top. 
• Cut the round tip off a craft stick so that the end of the stick is flat rather than rounded. 
• Use the flat end of the stick to scrape all the Periwinkle Blue out of the jar. 
• Using the craft stick, put all of the paint into the paint mix bottle. 
• Shake well until all of the paint is mixed with the thinner. 
• Now you have the perfect mix and are ready to apply the internal wash as demonstrated on the Course #3 DVD!
• Use the #1 Fan brush to spread the internal wash evenly around the inside of your vinyl parts. 
  
  

Authentic Reborn #6 Veining Brush

Cosmetic foam Wedge
Premixed Vein Paint

• The vein paint comes premixed and you don't need to thin it with odorless thinner.
• Apply a small amount of vein paint to your paint palette and spread it out into a thin layer.
• Roll your veining brush in the paint until there is a thin but even coat of paint on it.
• Paint on a vein as demonstrated in the Course #3 DVD. Use the Veining Technique Guidance Charts for reference. 
• Use the sponge to blot off excess vein paint as shown in the DVD.  Turn the sponge over to a clean side then rub the vein with the sponge to lighten it further and soften the edges of the vein.
  

Skin Texture Foundation Layer

Don't use any paint thinner at all.

You will need:

Authentic Reborn Skin Texture foundation paint

Mushroom Sponge set

Petite Craft Stick

• Use the craft stick to scoop out of the jar an amount of Skin Texture Foundation paint about the size of one quarter of a penny. 
• Apply the paint to the 7.5" glass paint palette and use a Mushroom sponge to spread the paint out into an even thin layer about 3" wide.
• Now use that sponge to pounce the paint out evenly all over the head and limbs. This will result in an even skin texture over your entire baby. Pounce out the paint so that you can barely see the skin texture dots at all.  They will show up better once you bake the vinyl. If the dots are too bright or chalky then you have too much paint on the sponge. Unload all of the paint from the sponge and pounce over the chalky areas to remove the excess paint leaving a faint skin texture pattern behind.
• Now bake at 265 degrees Fahrenheit (130 degree Celsius) for 8 minutes.  Use an oven thermometer to make sure the baking is done properly, as many ovens are not very precise and you could risk under or over baking your baby!
  

   

First Blush Layer

Don't use any paint thinner at all.

You will need:

Premixed Complexion Blush Paint

Cosmetic Foam Wedge

Craft Stick

• Scoop out of the jar an amount of blush paint about the size of one quarter of a penny onto your craft stick. 
• Take the craft stick and apply the Blush to the center of the sponge rubbing the paint directly into the sponge until there are no blobs or paint streaks left on the surface of the sponge at all. 
• Now you are ready to pounce the blush onto the vinyl.
• It's better to start with too little blush and add more later than to risk making the baby too red from the start. 
• Lightly pounce the blush paint on the vinyl in an irregular pattern creating an uneven splotchy effect.
• One thin splotchy layer of blush is usually sufficient. 
• If after looking at the baby in natural sunlight you still feel it needs more blush, bake the current blush layer and then reload the sponge in the same manner and add more blush. 
• You can always add more blush after you have painted the lips, creases and wrinkles - but it is nearly impossible to remove it!
• Now bake at 265 degrees Fahrenheit (130 degrees) Celsius for 8 minutes.  An oven thermometer makes for an inexpensive insurance policy against ruining your baby!  
  

Blushing Detail

Don't use any paint thinner at all.

You will need:

Don't forget to bake the paint in between each step above.  If you are not sure if your paint is dark enough bake it first after one layer and then take it outside to look at the doll in natural sunlight.  If you still feel the paint is not dark enough apply another extremely thin coat of paint and bake again.  Remember, you can always add more paint later, you can't remove paint though! 

Don't over-bake the paints - use an oven thermometer. 
Bake at 265 degrees Fahrenheit (130 degrees Celsius) for eight minutes in an oven. If you are using a heat gun bake for 5 to 10 seconds.

Remove any shine
Sometimes when paint is layered a bit of a shine can arise.  This is easily removed by pouncing on a very, very thin layer of AuthenticReborn Shine Remover Sealer.  Only apply shine remover after you have completely finished the painting.  Bake the Superior Shine Remover at 265 degrees Fahrenheit (130 degrees Celsius) for 8 minutes. See the tutorial on using Superior Shine Remover on page 15 of the 2009 Secrist Tutorial Catalog Guide.   

Don't Underestimate the Importance of Lighting
Often times the lighting in your work area is not color accurate and causes over-painting which makes the doll too dark and not nearly as lifelike.  We have a Daylight Lamp that is perfect for creating the most lifelike baby colors possible.  The lamp perfectly simulates natural sunlight, when you paint your baby under this natural sunlight-type lamp the colors are far more lifelike.  The lamp also includes a large magnifying lens for painting fine details and revealing small painting flaws. Painting mistakes can easily be fixed as long as you find them before baking. This magnifying glass helps you do just that. 

 
Bake Between Each Step
If you plan to sell your baby dolls, the Daylight Lamp is extremely important in helping you achieve the most realistic babies possible.  The 19" Rosie, shown above, was painted using the Daylight Lamp and as you can see she has incredibly accurate coloration.   

Rosie was newborned by Pat Secrist using the Authentic Reborn Strawberry Complexion paint set, following the instructions above.  Pat also used the Authentic Reborn Premixed Veining paint for the veins on the forehead; the Moist Glaze Medium shown on the eyelids; and Baby Tears on the mouth, nostrils, and eye creases.  Now all Rosie needs is some eyelashes, eyebrows and hair!