One of the creature designs I became obsessed with when I first saw the movie was Dren from Splice (2009).
So, what does a weirdo with an artistic bent and an 'oops' Reborn doll do when they want a movie monster? They make one.
I used the doll body and, with clay, wire, aluminum foil, a shark tooth, acrylic paint, sealant, an old baby sleeping dress, and an empty Tic Tacs box, I made my own baby Dren.
I won't say how long it took me to finish this project, but it was... a long time. For anyone who wants a look at the process, keep reading.
The first thing I had to do was take apart my Reborn doll and remove the digits I didn't need. I also had to move the location and orientation of her ears. (I kept the ones I didn't use for other projects.)
I regret using Crayola Air Dry Clay for this project, because it cracks like nothing I've ever used before, and if what I've read is to be believed, it probably won't last very long. But as a jumping off point for a project I yearned to make, it was a useful tool.
The clay was so crumbly, it was incredibly difficult, and ultimately mostly fruitless, for me to sand down the imperfections in her skin. What I did instead was pounce on a thick but clear layer of texturing material that i was able to paint over in her skin tones to mask the worst of the offending rough edges.
And here we have my completed little spliced darling. She's far from perfect, but I adore her. She's weighted like the original doll, and despite my modifications, she still takes her magnetic pacifier. (Not pictured: Her little tail with its shark tooth tip, encased in a little white plastic bottle much like the one the scientists use in the movie.
