Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizbeth Devlin.
Hi Lizbeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
If someone had told me 10 years ago what I would be doing for work today, I would have thought they had lost the plot. Most of my career was built around the medical field, which I loved. In early 2019, while running a medical practice in the DFW area, I suffered a stroke. I was left with aphasia affecting my word recognition. Over the course of 2019, it became very clear that my value to my employer was no longer recognized, as I was pushed out the door. I was devastated as I had loved the position passionately. By Jan 2020, I was just about to turn 57 years old and jobless, with no idea a devastating pandemic was about to hit.
While scrolling through Facebook, I came across a lifelike doll called a reborn. I was absolutely fascinated to see that someone had taken a blank vinyl sculpted doll (a kit) and painted it to look like a real baby. Since I’d been artistic my entire life, I wondered if I could learn to paint these dolls. My initial thought was, could this be turned into a viable business? After all, I’d spent most of my life making money for other people; perhaps it was time to turn that entrepreneurial switch on for myself. Motivated by this new possibility, I jumped in feet first. I was obsessed with painting and learning, and worked night and day to develop my skillset during the lockdown.
Reborn dolls are the kind of thing that most people either love or love to hate. They are most often purchased by collectors as works of art, but they also serve other purposes. Studies have shown that dementia patients who have reborn dolls have reduced behavioral issues and anxiety, promoting positive emotions and triggering memories of when their own children were babies. Reborns are also used by grieving parents to allow the parent something to hold that resembles the weight and size of the lost child, and allows the grieving process to move forward. I have been privately commissioned several times to make a lifelike version of a lost child. It is often a very emotional experience for all involved. The progress photos are never shared with the general public; they are kept private between the artist and the parent. Often, these parents have nothing more than a single faded photo from a child who may have passed 20 years ago, when the loss of an infant at birth was handled differently.
As my skill set grew, my passion to make this a profitable business intensified. Building on my newfound expertise, I began to develop a skill for rooting the doll’s hair. The process can take around 40 hrs to complete one doll’s head. Mohair and alpaca are used to create fine, baby-like hair that is much finer and softer than human hair. I was asked several times to teach others how to root, so in 2024, I launched the first-ever online rooting course for reborns, called “Mastering Rooting A Course By Lizbeth”. The course has taught almost 200 reborn enthusiasts how to root the doll’s hair. At the same time, I started importing Spanish knitwear, as it was incredibly hard to find clothing that fit the dolls.
By mid-2024, I was ready to launch the next phase of my business, an educational podcast about reborns. Reborn Rap Podcast was launched on YouTube, featuring interviews with sculptors, dealers, suppliers, and artists from around the globe, while keeping the audience in the loop on all things reborn. It is a place where fans and creators can speak openly about the reborns without the harsh ridicule they sometimes face. The podcast is now a sponsor of one of the largest doll shows on the West Coast, The West Coast Doll Show by Janie Scott, and will be a feature of other upcoming doll shows in the US.
In Jan 2025, I became a prototype artist. When a new kit (blank reborn) is released, a handful of high-end artists are selected to paint the kits before they are released to the general public. It is an extreme honor to be recognized in this way within our community and an achievement many artists strive to reach.
I turned 62 years old this year. At a time when I felt my life was on a downward slope and that my value was completely gone, these amazing works of art gave me not only hope but stirred a passion within me that I never knew was present. Today, I feel I am the epitome of being “never too old to learn new things.”
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges as a new artist is getting your name out there. You are an unknown artist in a sea of established, well-known artists. Spending countless hours on social media promoting yourself can be tough, but it is a necessary task for any newcomer. Learning to build my website and rooting course also had its own set of challenges, but the learning I eventually found fun. As someone who still has some residual aphasia, a podcast is an unlikely choice, but I was so passionate about getting the truth about the reborn community out there that I had to put my insecurities aside. Eventually, it all paid off, and my name became respected and well-known within the community. The podcast continues to grow its audience base in a niche market.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Painting the reborns is a very slow process and can take from 2 to 4 weeks to complete one doll. The dolls are painted in layers to give the appearance of skin depth. Often, as many as 30 layers of very fine paint and hours of fine detail are added to make the reborn look realistic. Rooting the hair takes patience and true dedication as each hair strand is placed into its own individual hole using a very fine needle. Not only does the hair need to be rooted, but it also needs a hairstyle similar to a newborn’s, with swirls and sparse areas to enhance realism.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I spend a lot of time helping new artists with tips and advice. I absolutely love helping and seeing their excitement as they learn this new art form. I’d say the best advice is just to go for it. Take as many classes as you can and take from each class what works for you. Experiment and try new things. Be patient, as none of us became prototype artists overnight; it takes time to learn this skill. But most of all, just have fun and be proud of every small step you accomplish.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheRebornArtistStudio.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therebornartiststudiobylizbeth
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rebornrappodcast
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.reborn.artist?_r=1&_t=ZP-91H1jRP2wDn
