Different skin tones

[Kheprera]

This is my biggest problem. Skin tones. How do you do yours? And not just a normal tone either. I'm looking for lighter skin, dark skin (I saw Anne did some fantastic pieces for Croc and would love to know this technique), ruddy skin... I'm just at my wits end on some of these minis that show mostly skin. I can get a great color for the base, but when it comes to highlights and washes, well, I'm a dunderhead.  

[Frankthedm]

I believe for really dark african skin, a golden sheen adds to realism.

[Hells_Clown]

Not quite sure if you're looking for a color recipe in general or just highlighting/shading tips, but I feel like taking up bandwidth so here goes:

 

my basic skin tone (I think I mentioned this in another thread) is a mix of Vallejo Basic Skin Tone and Cork Brown.  About 2 drops of CB to 1 drop BST gives a nice tan skin tone.  You might try adding a small drop of red to the mix.  From there you can add more flesh for lighter skin, more brown for darker. More red will give a ruddy complextion.  

 

As for African skin, I don't really know, I haven't tried it yet.

 

For shading I tend to use Vallejo Smoke.  It's basically a dark brown ink.  I mix it with future wash to dilute it (I've started using A LOT of the future mix as Smoke is VERY thick and will obscure your previous paint job if you aren't careful).

 

Highlights I would mix up a lighter shade of the base coat and layer it on till I got what I wanted (or as close as I can get).

 

Hope that helps.

[katieo]

I go for the experimental way.  Try anything that might work.   You might want to keep a little notebook with color combos so you can remember which ones you've tried.   Don't be afraid to mix colors.

 

I've painted dark brown with sallow hue skin using burnt umber and cork brown (both vallejo colors).  

 

Reaper's aged red brick does some gorgeous things when mixed with skin tones.

[Mengu]

I think every human and elf I've painted has a slightly different skin tone. I never seem to use the same mix. For the last one I painted, I started with a base mix of Woodland Brown and Hill Giant brown, with a touch of  Fair Maiden and vallejo Old Rose. Then for the highlights, I just added stuff to it, I don't even remember what I added honestly. I just put paint on there till it looks like something that might be skin tone.

 

[Vikinglodge]

My favorite skintone is Gws Elf flesh mixed with Bestail brown. I use just a dot of bestail brown in the elf flesh more if I want darker flesh base.

I am also using caucasien flesh with bestail brown. I ink the flesh with watered down wood ink.

 :)

[Vaitalla]

Heya,

 

Those Egyptian minis I painted for Croc (ages ago!) have a dark flesh base with a vermin brown/Oiled Leather added in for highlights and then Ruddy Flesh/bronzed flesh for the higher highlights.  No inking or washing necessary, the dark flesh is dark enough.  You could get a good equivalent tone from Reaper paints by mixing Aged Red Brick and Walnut with a touch of Oiled Leather.  The key for highlights is to keep most of the face dark and only add thin highlights once you get to the point where you're adding in the Ruddy Flesh.

 

As for skin in general, figure out a medium tone you like, add a touch of a warm brown (Woodland comes to mind..) for a basecoat/shadow, a touch of Ivory or Linen White for your highlight shade, and other than that it's all about the very little thin paint and pointy brushes, as usual.      Learn To Paint Kit II has a pic at the end of a female storm giant face highlighted very extremely so you can see where facial highlights should go, by the way...

 

--Anne

[Kheprera]

Heya,

 

Those Egyptian minis I painted for Croc (ages ago!) have a dark flesh base with a vermin brown/Oiled Leather added in for highlights and then Ruddy Flesh/bronzed flesh for the higher highlights.  No inking or washing necessary, the dark flesh is dark enough.  You could get a good equivalent tone from Reaper paints by mixing Aged Red Brick and Walnut with a touch of Oiled Leather.  The key for highlights is to keep most of the face dark and only add thin highlights once you get to the point where you're adding in the Ruddy Flesh.

 

As for skin in general, figure out a medium tone you like, add a touch of a warm brown (Woodland comes to mind..) for a basecoat/shadow, a touch of Ivory or Linen White for your highlight shade, and other than that it's all about the very little thin paint and pointy brushes, as usual.      Learn To Paint Kit II has a pic at the end of a female storm giant face highlighted very extremely so you can see where facial highlights should go, by the way...

 

--Anne

Thanks alot. I'll have to pick the LTP kits up I think.  :oo:

 

 

Now, when highlighting, are you blending in the highlights, or what? Seems when I try, it ends up more like a drybrush thing (which I know is bad) and they're too light. I just can't seem to get the hang of these new fangled techniques.  

[Mengu]

Now, when highlighting, are you blending in the highlights, or what? Seems when I try, it ends up more like a drybrush thing (which I know is bad) and they're too light. I just can't seem to get the hang of these new fangled techniques.  

There could be two reason for the drybrush look. One your paint is too thick. To fix this, thin down your paint more using water and/or magic mix. Two your highlight is not close enough to your base color. To fix this add a little bit more of the base color to your highlight. It's better to do more layers, than to rush it and get abrupt changes. If your paint is thin enough you won't have a problem with paint buildup.

 

Actually my problem is the opposite of yours. My highlights are often too close to my base color, and too thin, so after I'm done putting down 4 layers, it looks like I've done nothing yet.