Skin tones

Jimmyfingerz

Mac-Valve Maestro!
No its not another how to skin tone thread.
I had a go tonight at making a skin tone starting with violet, adding white to lighten then some yellow/red and more white.
The first pic is the paints as I added although there is a missing sheet with three steps on with just a little more red and white I think then the second pic is what i came up with.
Using the tips on here I’m quite happy for my first attempt.

So here is my question if you wanted a darker tone for shadowy areas how would you add say a low mid grey?
Would you just add some whate and then black into the cup and mix or would you reach for a pre made grey?
I’m understand about black to darken and white to tint, but its just the grey part that is alluding me at the moment.
Just after tips how people go about it when creating different shades using greys.
 

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Never use black in a skin tone.
I start with burnt Umber or Burnt sepia then add white until I get the lightest shade I want ,
on the darkest shadows say if I am using Burnt Umber I will at some ultramarine blue .
Black take the life out of a skin tone.
Mainly use the opposite color on the color wheel to darken a color more naturally ,
 
It's something you'll need to get "a feel" for and it's also largly dependant on the brand of paint you are using.

Unless you want to go realy dark (as in near black) I'd never use black to darken a skinn tone (caucasian) as it just won't work for a natural looking darker color (in my experience with E'tac, schmincke, createx illustration).

When making an opaque darker I tend to start out with sepia or burnt umber (sepia for a bit "colder" feel) and generaly need to add a tad of red ocher and blue. When going by theory, blue being the oposite color of the range skintone belongs to should sufice (it hardly ever will :p).

When I need to "desaturate" the color I'll mix the greyscale the color matches and just add that, it will desaturate without making the color darker or lighter.


When using transparants I generaly start with a highly reduced sepia and adjust with what ever color I need afterward (this is realy down to experience and pratice with the brand of paint you are using)


or what mr micron said while I was typing :whistling:
 
Thanks guys i’ll have another play around.
Last question, when mixing in your cup do you just create room by dumping a little paint..........i’m typing that thinking it’s a real dumb question but i’ve read plenty of theory but not seen much working practice so understanding the basics of someone’s workflow would be great.
 
Use a pipette it makes mixing easier and you can take a bit of paint out of the cup an set it aside (incase you need to go back a bit color wise just add a tad of the paint you took out). Easier still is an airbrush with a side cup just use serveral cups and transfer some to a new cup and mix the color you want in that one.
 
Use a pipette it makes mixing easier and you can take a bit of paint out of the cup an set it aside (incase you need to go back a bit color wise just add a tad of the paint you took out). Easier still is an airbrush with a side cup just use serveral cups and transfer some to a new cup and mix the color you want in that one.

Thanks bud thats awesome tips, thats helped massively.
I’ve just bought the micron sb so will probablg buy extra side cups anyway.
I’ll get some pipettes too.
Is there some basic ratios for paint mixing or is it just about learning your brand and knowing what to reach for in your opinion?
I’m pretty happy for my first attempt at a skin tone, i’m using com arts at the moment while i’m learning technique but have the createx illustration colour wheel set to play with after so i’ll just carry on as I am for now to get the basics down.
 
As no skintone is the same (when working from a reference) there isn't realy a "default ratio" it's just down to getting to grips with the brand used and building some experience (that is if you have atleast the basics of color theory down, if not start with that before even attempting to mix colors :))

ps there are plastic cups (lion art sells them) that come with a lid which are waaaaaaay cheaper than the metal iwata cups (and come in sets of 5). I use them when I need to premix paint I'll be using a lot of and to which I'll need to switch back (due to the lid they remain usuable for serveral weeks).

When doing skintones I generaly pre mix 4 or 5 shades in those cups
 
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If you mean the basics I understand the basic wheel with the primaries,secondaries and tertiary colours. I have been using graphite so understand about tones,shadows and highlights.......
Would you say this is enough to start or could you point me in the direction of more fundamentals I should know and understand please?
 
To be honest i’m not trying to master skin tones, I just want a basic grasp on what to mix with what to get in certain directions. This was more a basic entry level question, i’m expecting to be stumped for a long time but am willing to practice daily to get my understanding. I want to paint portraits so starting practicing with my own tones and getting the 3D look to my paintings using tone tints and shades is all I want for now. I understand the realism will come with practice, i’m under no illusion there’s a quick route at all.
I’ll do as much theory as it takes until I drum it in, i’m not the sharpest tool in the box but i’m persistent :D
 
I wouldn't take this as gospel, but for me personally I prefer to mix outside of the AB. It helps me to see what exact colors Im getting. You can get little hobby mixing cups or a pack of Dixie cups really cheap.
 
No its not another how to skin tone thread.
I had a go tonight at making a skin tone starting with violet, adding white to lighten then some yellow/red and more white.
The first pic is the paints as I added although there is a missing sheet with three steps on with just a little more red and white I think then the second pic is what i came up with.
Using the tips on here I’m quite happy for my first attempt.

So here is my question if you wanted a darker tone for shadowy areas how would you add say a low mid grey?
Would you just add some whate and then black into the cup and mix or would you reach for a pre made grey?
I’m understand about black to darken and white to tint, but its just the grey part that is alluding me at the moment.
Just after tips how people go about it when creating different shades using greys.
Adding black or white is fine with pure color. Adding grey makes dull colors. Same goes for having black and white in the same mix. Which is like adding grey.

Add a little orange to blue to make near black. Test it into white to be sure its not leaning a certain color. Congrats you've got primary grey. Use it in place of black.
 
I make my colours in plastic shot cups,
I wouldn’t add black to a skin tone either, sepia Red Violet and blue Violet make amazing shadow tones but have to be used sparingly.
Practice is the only thing that will help you as you have to build “eye to brain” experience ie if I add 1 drop of this it will lead me here, it’s not always apparent where the colour will go! Then there’s adding colour and subtracting colours ! I usually subtract what I don’t want.
Also I find most skin tones look very pale when sprayed on white,
 
I make my colours in plastic shot cups,
I wouldn’t add black to a skin tone either, sepia Red Violet and blue Violet make amazing shadow tones but have to be used sparingly.
Practice is the only thing that will help you as you have to build “eye to brain” experience ie if I add 1 drop of this it will lead me here, it’s not always apparent where the colour will go! Then there’s adding colour and subtracting colours ! I usually subtract what I don’t want.
Also I find most skin tones look very pale when sprayed on white,

Subtracting colours?
Can you give an example please of what you mean and maybe how and what you would use to subtract a colour from the mix.
 
Subtracting colours?
Can you give an example please of what you mean and maybe how and what you would use to subtract a colour from the mix.
There’s a great free video on Coast by Steve driscol that gives you a good idea

Basically it’s using the colour wheel to find the Complimentary colour of the colour you don’t want to see - ie skin is too red - a light dusting of Green would help diffuse it,
Sky too blue and light layer of orange would kill that....
It can get deep and I love it!
 
There’s a great free video on Coast by Steve driscol that gives you a good idea

Basically it’s using the colour wheel to find the Complimentary colour of the colour you don’t want to see - ie skin is too red - a light dusting of Green would help diffuse it,
Sky too blue and light layer of orange would kill that....
It can get deep and I love it!


Ok mate, I will take a look after work today.
42 bearings to change in a machine today :cry:
 
Ok mate, I will take a look after work today.
42 bearings to change in a machine today :cry:

It may take some playing around before the penny drops but when it does you can become a colour professor!!! I have just created a few different tones that I find I use a lot, and the one thing they all have in common is that they are not at full saturation, on there own they look muted but in the context of photo realism there is not much saturated colour.
 
It may take some playing around before the penny drops but when it does you can become a colour professor!!! I have just created a few different tones that I find I use a lot, and the one thing they all have in common is that they are not at full saturation, on there own they look muted but in the context of photo realism there is not much saturated colour.

I can’t wait to understand what you just said lol
I’m going to paint a nose and some lips tonight so I will play with two different colours.
I found some plastic shot glasses online and will get some wooden sticks to stir.
Thanks for all the input guys, 8 bearings now in the machine.......quickest i’ve worked because I want to get home to play :cool:
 
I can’t wait to understand what you just said lol
I’m going to paint a nose and some lips tonight so I will play with two different colours.
I found some plastic shot glasses online and will get some wooden sticks to stir.
Thanks for all the input guys, 8 bearings now in the machine.......quickest i’ve worked because I want to get home to play :cool:
You have to make your paint transparent for this to work, I sometimes spray paint through the cup till empty then put reducer in the cup and use it to paint with :)
 
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