|
|
Step One: Preparation
The first thing you must do is remove the doll's vinyl head and limbs from the cloth body. I use my craft (X-acto) knife, but I've heard that wire clippers or cuticle clippers might be easier. Look at the place where the body part meets the cloth. You'll notice a narrow pocket of fabric all the way around; this contains the plastic cable tie that holds on the limb or head. Find the slit in the fabric (usually in the back) and push the fabric back. You'll see the cable tie inside. I usually place my knife at the top of the cable tie and cut in a small sawing/wiggling motion down until it is cut in two. Go slowly and be very careful, or you could slip and cut yourself or the vinyl. When this piece is cut, the body part will come off.
Keep that knife in hand because now you must use it to trim away the excess vinyl at the top of the limbs and bottom of the head. DO NOT cut off the entire top of the vinyl above the indention; you'll need that indention to reattach the body with cable ties later on. See the hole? Just trim around it to make it wider. Again, be careful with that knife! Making the hole wider lets you pour the dye in and out more easily and, in the head, deal with the eyes and nose.
Next, my least favorite step: removing the painted hair from the baby's head. Gather up your head, acetone, cotton balls, Q-tips and toothpicks and take them all outside or to a VERY well-ventilated area. This stuff stinks and it's not good for you to breathe it in. You might even want to wear one of those white cardboard-ish face masks they sell at the home store. You might also want to wear gloves to protect your hands from the acetone.
The number one thing to remember when working with acetone is DON'T GET IT ON THE FACE. If a streak or drip of acetone gets on any part of the vinyl that you're planning to color later, the color won't hold and the streak will show as an unattractive shiny area.
I've had e-mails from people who've used acetone or some other chemical to remove face paint from the doll, and this results in shiny areas. I don't recommend using any chemical on the doll's face. You can paint over the doll's lip color - it's actually good to use as a guide - and the blushing on the cheeks is usually so faint that it will blend in with the new color you apply. If acetone gets on the face and causes it to turn shiny, I don't know what to do, if anything, to fix it. If it were me, I'd probably try buffing it gently with something only slightly abrasive.
Wet your cotton ball with acetone and, beginning at the hairline on the doll, sweep backward across the head. You'll see lots of black stuff on the cotton ball. Don't sweep again with this same side, or the paint will smudge back onto the head. I usually fold the cotton ball and use the clean side, so I don't use up quite so many cotton balls. Keep doing this until most of the paint is gone. If you are planning to use a wig, concentrate your work on the lower two-thirds of the hair; the crown will be covered with the wig cap.
Usually, there are still some grooves left with paint in them even after all this. Try squeezing the head and wiping the pooched up area where the grooves are spread out. Some heads are more stubborn than others; for example, the Happy face mold has deeper grooves, so it's tougher to get all the paint off. To get the paint out of the grooves, keep a soaked cotton ball on hand. Wipe a small area, then rub in the groove with a toothpick, then wipe it again with the cotton ball. Repeat all over the head where you have spots left. If this sounds like it takes forever, that's because it does! I've heard some people say they use Q-tips, but I've never found them to work that well. Maybe they will for you. If you're going to be rooting your doll with dark hair, it's OK to leave a little in the grooves here and there ... it will not be at all noticeable once the hair is on. But for a light-haired baby, I recommend getting every little scrap of color off.
When you're finished removing the hair, take the head right into the house and wash it with soap and water. Even though most of the acetone evaporates, it's not good to leave it on there. If you have time, leave it overnight to make sure all the acetone evaporates.
Run water in the sink until it's as hot as you can get it, then fill up the sink and put a few drops of dishwashing liquid in the water. Put your head and limbs in the water, making sure they fill up inside, and leave them to soak for at least an hour. This helps dissolve any waxy build-up inside the limbs to prevent bruising from uneven color. When your parts are finished soaking, scrub them inside with a bottle brush and rinse.
© 2004 Kristin Walters
Step Two: Base Color
|
