Update on new RebornFX Ultra Matte Varnish and Matting Powder

Oh my, how time flies! I've gotten behind in my blogging as life rushes on....
Thought I'd better update this blog on the newer products that have been developed in the Rebornfx line that I have been having fun testing out.
First off Rebornfx has come out with their Ultra Matte Varnish.  Now this stuff is " awesome"
It leaves an ultra matte finish with no shine AND it also leaves a really silky feel to it. I love it! A little does go a long way. I did a 20" reborn and you could hardly see I used any out of the 4 oz. jar.

You do have to ensure you stir the stuff before using as the matting agents do sink to the bottom of the jar when it sits for a while. Easy to apply, just add it to your dense cosmetic sponge and lightly pounce(hard pouncing may leave bubbles) onto your finished reborn doll. It goes over air dry acrylics and heatset paints. Ensure your paints are fully dried/cured before applying. Paint that is still wet underneath can cause the varnishes to go cloudy. Let air dry for at least 24 to 48 hours for full protection.  Here is a sample picture of what my reborn painted vinyl looked like on the right and then I added on one coat of the Rebornfx Ultra Matte Varnish on the left side.

Ultra Matte Varnish added on left of line                                               

The feel of the dried Rebornfx Ultra Matte Varnish  is unbelievably smooth and silky.

The next  new Rebornfx product is the Matting Powder. The Rebornfx Matting Powder can be added into acrylic air dry paints (including the Rebornfx Air Brand paints) to help take away paint gloss.

On the left I have added in Rebornfx Matting powder into Liquitex brand acrylic paint shown on the right. You can see how nicely it matts down the shine from that paint when added. You can see how I add the Rebornfx Matting powder into the paints on my you tube :  https://youtu.be/-4Yvv55YP30
You do have to be mindful to mix according to directions and not to add to much. Adding to much can affect the binding properties of your paint or if not mixed well  it may leave powder dots.  I think this product has great advantages for using with acrylic paints in reborning.

Now I'm off to painting my Reborn Dolls = only 33 more days until Christmas!

New set of Rebornfx color selection

Announcing New Colors in Rebornfx paints. 
Due to requests from former Babyfx paint users, we decided to produce some comparible pigment colors from the discontinued Babyfx paints in the Rebornfx air dry paint line. This will help reborners who have used or are still using the discontinued Babyfx paints to still have some of their favorite colors available in another air dry paint brand. This also eliminates the hassle and time consuming task of mixing your own paint colors. Here is a list of the new paint colors that are now available at MacPherson Arts & Crafts

I had not tried the Babyfx paints, so I found these new colors interesting to use. The Caramel Skin has a nice warm glow and is great for fixing up or neutralizing  grayish or bluish  skin tones. The Strawberry skin is great for new born skin tones and also works well with neutralizing orange or yellow toned vinyl.
Thin skin color works well on toning down red and can be used as a neutralizer for pink vinyl.  If your skin tones end up to light for your liking, the Sun Kissed paint is great to slightly darken down your skin tones.  These colors are great for adding a mottled skin tone as well. I can imagine that there are many uses for these new Rebornfx colors!   
The reborn doll picture is one I am currently working on using Angie Jones's Babyfx Peach Skin Tutorial (LilDumplins Nursery). I found it easy to substitute the Babyfx colors in the tutorial with the Rebornfx paints.

New RebornFX Paint Kits

We have been busy making up some new Rebornfx Paint kits.
The first kit that has been completed and is currently up for sale on the website is the Calligraphy Hair Painting Kit. This kit includes the instructions and all the tools including a 3D medium sample. needed neatly packed into a plastic carrying case. All you need to do is add the paint colors you want to use for your hair.  Personally I really like the ReBornFX Ash Brown paint color

The link is https://www.macphersoncrafts.com/en/online-store/rebornfx/rebornfx-air-dry-sets/rebornfx-hair-painting-kit-detail

 

Rebornfx Calligraphy Hair Painting Kit. 

The other new kit we have just finished putting together is our new Rebornfx Trial Kit. This kit has 30 half once bottles of colors, 5 mediums and more that is nicely packaged in a plastic carrying case for easy storage.  It is a great way to try out the paint colors and see what your favorite ones will be. You will have lots of paint to do many dolls! Link: https://www.macphersoncrafts.com/en/online-store/rebornfx/rebornfx-air-dry-sets/rebornfx-air-deluxe-trial-kit-detail

Rebornfx Deluxe Trial Kit



ReBornFX 3D Hair Painting video link.

As per a recent request I have now finished a you tube video on how to apply the ReBornFX 3D Air Dry Medium for Textured Painted Hair. 
Here is the link; https://youtu.be/LIRz_hDEfDs .
This is just a basic short video showing you how I apply the 3D medium.
Also refer to the blog I did previously which includes more pictures and instructions for this product found on Wednesday, 8 March 2017 Blog post on RebornFX 3D Medium Hair 

Hope this helps. It is a very fun medium to play with and has lots of open time, is easy to remove errors when wet and it is very durable once dry.

ReBornFX Spray Sealer

I have not yet had the chance to use pigment powders as part of my reborn painting method, but many others do. It has interested me to the point  that  now I have officially put it onto my bucket list to try. The new Reborn FX Spray Sealer was created for use with the pigment powders and pastels (thanks to one of our clients who came up with this idea for us). The Rebornfx Spray Sealer seals in the powders with it's great adhesion and has a  UV light protectant in it to minimize color fading. I had an interesting conversation with a customer at the IDTS show on how she was going to try a mixture of our Reborn FX  Sealer, Diluent and paints to put into her airbrush machine for application. This really took my interest so I am hoping to hear back from her on this intriguing method of painting reborns.  



Light Refective Paints by RebornFX

One of the newest product by Rebornfx is a set of Reflective Paints that are now available in Peach, Blue and Gold colors in half once size bottles.
These paints are fun and I can see many uses for them on the reborn dolls. Yes they would be great for fantasy dolls but look at what they can do to liven up the more realistic reborns!
The Rebornfx Blue Reflective paint is awesome for applying to thin skin areas such as in the ears, temples, eyelids, bottom of feet and palm areas. The Rebornfx Reflective paints do not "sparkle". They reflect a color when a light hits them in a certain way.
Here is a picture of an ear that I had painted with the Rebornfx Blue Reflective paint.

The light is shining on the inner ridge of the ear, reflecting the blue hue of the paint.

I applied 1 layer of undiluted Rebornfx Blue Reflective paint onto that area and found it to be perfect for the result I wanted. If the color is not strong enough for your preference then a second (or more) layer can be applied to enhance the reflective color. If you want the reflective color to be very subtle then mix in a bit of Rebornfx Diluent or Emulsion before applying.  

 

 

In the next picture below the light is not shining onto that area so there is no reflected blue color seen.

This is the same ear as pictured above. Photo was taken at a different angle away from light source.

 

The paint may appear a bit shiny in these pictures but it is not. I applied a satin varnish on the inner ear to make it look "dewy" but you can also apply a matting agent on top of the paint and the color reflection will still occur.

 

As for the ReBornfx  Peach and Gold Reflective paints, they are great for applying under a thin mottled layer of skin color. It illuminates the skin color creating more realism. The Rebornfx Peach reflective paint is good for fair skin tones and the Rebornfx Gold reflective paint is good to use with the darker or warmer skin tones.

I am impressed with the results and versatility of these RefornFX Reflective air dry paint colors.

And oh yes I should remind you that they can be used overtop or under heat set paints.

I am indeed having fun experimenting with these paints on my reborn life like dolls. Would love to see what they can do on fairies or fantasy dolls as well.

Preparing Spanish Vinyl for Painting. RebornFX Paints on Clay Sculpts.

Well it's been a while since I posted here, but boy have we been busy! Basically most of the time was spent preparing and packing to attend the IDTS show in Asheville North Carolina. The show was excellent and the Rebornfx paints proved to be a great success. I did a lot of painting demonstrations and answered many questions on the product. To my surprise I also got a lot of excellent feed back and great tips on how some of the products are being used by other artists. Here are a few of them I would like to share with you;

1) The Rebornfx paints are now being used on resin ,heat set clays and porcelains. Although I have not tried the paints out on these different surfaces (yet), their claim is that the adhesion,  blending properties and color selection of the paints are excellent. Rebornfx paints worked well with the artist's method of painting on these other types of surfaces. The sculptors are happy with it as the paint doesn't need to be heat set and therefore their precious sculpts do not have to be put back into the ovens to dry paint.

2) The Rebornfx paint remover (more description on product in previous post) is now being recommended to clean off the Spanish vinyl babies before painting. It was very successful in getting rid of the vinyl residue that seems to be causing some paint lifting with the heat set and air dry paints. Once this method of cleaning is done you will notice the vinyl is "squeaky" clean and you can feel a slight tooth (not rough) to the vinyl. This will now allow the paints to adhere better. I love the Spanish vinyl for reborns as it is very soft and flexible. So I was very happy to hear this excellent tip.




The paint remover is applied with a cloth , gently rubbing in the remover onto the Spanish vinyl. No need to wait the recommended 15 minutes ( required for stripping paint off) , just a minute or two will do for this cleaning process. Rinse with water then do a wash with Dawn Soap and water. I also used a soft bristle toothbrush to clean between the toes, fingers and other creases.






We have some great new products that we introduced at the IDTS show this year. I will be posting about them shortly. In the meantime if you would like to take a peek at what the Reborn FX booth display looked like; Angie from Lil Dumplins Nursery did a Youtube and caught us in action at  IDTS  June 2017.
Here is link;
https://youtu.be/XINbhj0iJzI?t=5m49shttps://youtu.be/XINbhj0iJzI?t=5m49s