In this blog I used:
How To Create Eyelid Shadows
I was experimenting with more effective ways to enhance the facial features of the baby's face. The base vinyl color of all doll kits is very homogenous, which means there is no visual texture leaving the surface to look like merely plastic. My challenge was to try and find new ways to create 3 dimensional textures to improve the surface areas that were lacking life-like textures.
On a smooth plastic surface the only way to do that was to add light and dark colors side by side. Knowing how to get the best result is the real trick. One of the biggest challenges is having control over the brushes and paints. Some brushes are easier to control than others, meaning you can make it do what you really want it to do. The same is true for paints.
In order to enhance the upper eyelids above the fold I created a shadow effect. A shadow effect is created whenever you put light next to dark or dark next to light. In this case I painted a dark region under a light region. The trick is to create a shadow without it looking like you painted it on. To do that you will need to control the thickness of the coating of paint on your brush. You will also want a transparent paint for this project.
Here's how to control the paint thickness on your brush. Start with a glass palette and put just a dab of paint on it. Then, use a beaver tail palette knife to spread it out into a very thin film.
Then, use a #4 Lip & Nail brush and coat both sides of the brush with the thin film of paint so that both sides have about the same amount of paint. Then, apply it to the area where you want the shadow.
I decided to use Strawberry Complexion Blush rather than the Crease & Wrinkle paint because I didn't want this area to look too dark. I also wanted to enhance the newborn look by having the eyelids a little red. Because the eyelid is a flex area, you can use the Strawberry Complexion Blush on any part of the baby where there would be repeated movement. These flex points are often pink on newborns, so this works real well.
To maintain a barely-there look to the eyelid area, don't reload the brush when it runs out of paint, just flip the brush over and use the thin film of paint on the other side. Once the area is covered, then you can use an Authentic Reborn #2 Crease Shader to gently massage the edges of the shadow until they fade out. You can see in the picture that any hard edges are gone.
Here is a comparison between a face with shadows and a face with no shadows. You can see what a dramatic effect it has.
