want to try making a custom doll or 2

[pyrodarknessanny]

so i kinda want to broarden my horizens from just custom ponies and  try my hand and dolls.

only thing is  i have no idea where to start.     

my cousin sugested a few  progect ideas to me  so i might do one of thos

some of his sugestions inclued  she ra   and  Jem  *jem and the hollagrams*

i will need to find suitable baits, but any tips for a "first timer" ?
and hazards i should know about ? 

[kaoskat]

They have a heck of alot of plugs! And for some dolls acetone is a no-no so proceed with caution.

[Colorscapesart]

Moving this to the dollhouse for you  

[MacabreDarling]

Hmm lets see here!

1. Acetone is perfectly safe to use on the FACES of monster high dolls. It's the bodies you shouldn't use it. Also? Nail polish remover with acetone doesn't work very well. If you get acetone for removing paint, get the 100% acetone that is in the nail section of any walmart or pharmacy. It's pretty cheap.
2. Q-tips are your best friend. You can correct mistakes in an almost precision manner removing paint with q-tips, plus they get in places it's hard to otherwise.
3. I wouldn't attempt rehairing unless you've got a lot of time on your hands. Even if you just use a rehairing tool [you have to be careful to get a fairly small needle size as you can rip out the plugs of the outer hair line very easily as they are so close together], it takes at least an hour or two..Some times more if you don't have much experience. Needle and thread is also a very time consuming method. Honestly I've gotten to where if I'm selling a custom [or if it's for myself] I rewig them whenever possible. Most 5-6 size doll wigs, or pukifee and lati yellow doll wigs fit them. Monique size 5-6 wigs usually fit too. If you do decide to rehair, I've found that on average, for medium length hair you need two hanks [you quarter it instead of cutting it in half], and for long hair you need at least three hanks of hair]
4. Don't be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes. It's a learning process, sometimes it happens to everyone.
5. I use testors dullcoat spray sealant before and after [and in between when doing something with layers of pastels or paint] working on a doll face. It gives the paint something to cling to, and seals it afterwords. I use delta creativity gloss exterior/interior varnish to make the eyes and lips glossy.
6. The body doesn't hold paint as well as the face. Since they are different kinds of plastic, not only is the body prone to melting or slight disfigurement with acetone [especially if you aren't familiar with acetone], but paint rubs off very easily even when sealed before and after, so handle with care, and I definately don't ever reccomend body painting of any kind when the doll is going to a child of any kind that's under fifteen.

Hope some of these help

[Fashion doll fan1]

What kind of doll are you starting out with? I personally LOVE the rerooting part, I always use the knot method and I don't mind at all that it takes quite a few hours. I usually put the doll's head in hot water for a little while to soften the vinyl before removing the head; this is extra helpful if you have a doll with a hard head. Some dolls such as monster high and newer Barbies have little hooks on their neck knob, you have to pry them out of the head in order to get it off. Monster High dolls can have a lot of glue inside their heads, once you have removed the original hair you will need to get rid of this glue. Placing the head in very hot water will make it easier to get rid of the glue as it will soften it. I always start with the parting when working on a doll (unless I'm rooting a previously unrooted doll, such as a Liv, then I will make holes for the hairline first to make sure it will look even) and then I work my way outwards. When all plugs are filled in, I wet the hair in the parting and thatch it. Now, your doll's hair will stand out slightly, the way ponies' hair does. To get it to lie nice and flat against her head, you secure it with a hair net or something similar (I use a wide elastic band myself) and then you lower your doll's head into very hot water (the same principle as boil-perming) for a short while. Pour some cold water over the hair and let it dry. The repainting shouldn´t be very different from working on ponies, there are tiny details to be painted and I always have toothpicks ready for correcting mistakes and painting tiny round details such as the white glint that most dolls have in their eyes. Also I always use a non-sticky varnish, a lot of them can get sticky and I find this really annoying. I hope any of this helps! 

[pyrodarknessanny]

thanks for the pointers