By Hannah Kelley
As anyone who owns a lifelike baby doll can attest, they have the ability to provide an unlimited amount of joy. The happiness they bring is a direct result of dollmakers like Renata Baillie putting their heart and soul into perfecting their craft. Combining her passion with her undeniable artistic talents, Baillie produces a variety of unique silicone baby dolls of only the highest quality.
Baillie sculpts each doll by hand before casting them in silicone. She then paints them with custom-mixed paint and adds rooted hair, with the goal being to make them indistinguishable in appearance from living babies. She said, “I focus on movement in my dolls and posability. I prefer preemie sculpted features on my dolls because I feel they are not well represented in the doll industry. I also lean toward sculpting newborn faces and babies with realistic features rather than doll-like attributes. Hyperrealism is my genre and that is where I feel most at home.”
For Baillie, all steps of the dollmaking process are enjoyable, but her favorite is sculpting. She sculpts several dolls during the winter months and saves casting for the warmer months. Baillie said, “I let my creativity, or I call it my ‘third eye,’ guide me during sculpting and the options are endless. With minute changes to the clay, a million different looks and variations can be made. The limitless possibilities are what make the process fun, fulfilling, and joyous.”
When asked what she likes about dollmaking in general, Baillie said, “It lets me have freedom to make anything I wish and am capable of.” She added that it’s fulfilling to know she’s created something new using simple materials and clay. “When I cast them into silicone, it’s the best adrenaline rush to see them move and go from a rigid material to something pliable and movable. I always preplan how my baby dolls will move and how to get full range of motion with their body parts just like a real baby would.”
Expert-level results do not come immediately for most people, and Baillie is no exception. Gaining the skills necessary to execute ideas effectively takes time and practice, and Baillie is proud of the progress she has made as a result of her efforts. “When I started out, I had people ask me, ‘What is that…?’” she said. “These days, they do not believe me when I tell them the doll is not a live infant but a doll. They just simply can’t believe their eyes or their senses, and they must come close and examine and explore it themselves to validate what I told them. It’s the biggest compliment for a sculptor/artist when they come so close to realism that it is difficult to tell apart if it is a live baby or art.”
While an eye for design, natural creativity, and an ability to transform an idea into a physical form are essential for any doll artist, understanding one’s internal drive is also important. Fortunately, Baillie possesses all of these. She said, “My motivation comes from within. It is the urge to create. Having a sweet face looking right back at me that my own two hands and creativity brought to life is very fulfilling. Of course, I do create for my audience, followers, and clients as well, but that is just the cherry on top when someone falls in love with one of my dolls. I believe that all of my dolls have a destiny and someone they belong with. I always say they were created for someone.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of Baillie’s biggest challenges is unrelated to her dollmaking process. Instead, it is the marketing side she struggles with most. “I am an artist/sculptor first and foremost,” Baillie said. “Self-promotion and advertising are not my main focus. I feel the true art collectors demanding high-end silicone art dolls will eventually find me and my work with time. Those who already have, I value their trust in me and support. I will take them with me on my artistic journey. They aren’t only getting a doll from me but part of the artistic adventure and my love for this art.” She primarily sells her dolls through social media and artist networking. As a result, she encourages those who enjoy her dolls and want to see more of what she’s working on to join her private Facebook group. Baillie said, “I look for and welcome collectors who display their silicone dolls and play very little. To me, my silicone dolls are artwork and should be treated as such.”
Even though she already has collectors’ approval, Baillie is constantly increasing her self-imposed standards. Describing herself as her own worst critic, she said, “Good is simply not good enough. I must go the extra mile. Only perfection will do.” This is a mentality those in creative lines of work can likely relate to.
If Baillie were to ever doubt her abilities, though, her family would be right there to provide encouragement. She said, “I am very lucky, I feel, because my family are my biggest fans and supporters. They allow me to be me and cheer me on. They see my passion and joy for this art, and they stand by me. They feel for me when I stumble and celebrate my successes. I am very blessed to have them.”
She has worked professionally in many career fields through the years, but Baillie said, “In the end, it is silicone art doll making and sculpting and casting that is the most rewarding job I have ever had. I can’t even call it a job because it is really my pleasure to be able to create for all to enjoy.”
Renata Baillie Art Dolls
