Dark elf skin

[Hells_Clown]

Any advice on how to paint Dark Elf (Drow) skin tones?  I'm looking for that black-gray-purple tone.  For an example check out Dr. Faust 's painting clinic.  Click on the pic of his Sophie.  Sorry there's no direct link to the pic.

[Frankthedm]

All things are possible.

 

 

http://www.paintingclinic.com/images/reaper/darksophie2.jpg

 

I see brown in her skin tone.

[Enchantra]

For drow skin, this is what I would do.  First, don't basecoat in black.  Rather mix up a bit of brown, a hint of purple, a spot of white and then add black and you will get this deep grey purply brownish color.  This is your basecoat.  (If it is to light, add more black. Your resulting shade should be very dark, but not so dark that the wash or ink you apply next is obscurred.)

 

Now, Shade with a Black ink or wash whichever you prefer the effects of.  

 

Now take your basecoat color and make a few different lighter shades of it by adding a hint of white.  Use these shades to work out lighter areas of flesh and highlights.

 

Drybrush if desired.      :D

[katieo]

Tony (Dr. Faust) wrote up his description of painting the skin of his gorgeous Sophie on one of the yahoo painting groups:

 

start quote:

Before anyone asks how I did the skin, I'll tell you. I DON'T KNOW!

It is a mixture of flesh, brown, black, violet, and gray, mixed in unknown quantities. I started with just brown and violet, and highlighted with flesh. When it started becoming too flesh color, I added some gray. When it became too gray, I added violet. This progressed for about a dozen highlights, so in the end, I can't say exactly what went into it. Oh yeah, there's also some brown and pruple glazes on her, which even confuses it more!

end quote:

 

I tried painting drow skin at one point.  Was talking to Anne, she said she'd tried a mix of vallejo model color black-gray and one of their purples, then added ivory to the mix to make the highlights.  If I try it again, I'll add more purple and maybe some burnt umber brown.  The brown in Tony's looks really good.

 

One of my friends took a pic of the one I painted  (it is a foundry nymph, but she isn't topless :laugh: )

http://www.sodemons.com/dcpaint/IMG_4798-01.htm

[Vaitalla]

Tony's is actually quite brown, I got to judge it at GenCon and he has all sorts of interesting color things going on with that model--it's fantastic!

 

For a greyish bluish purple skin tone, I would use Reaper Night Sky as a base, and add in a bit of Imperial Purple and a larger bit of Ash Grey.  Vary mix to suit you and add in increasing amounts of Dove Grey or Linen White for highlights.  :)

 

--Anne

[Hells_Clown]

Thanks as always Anne for the tips.  It's nice to hear from someone who's actually seen the figure so they can tell me exactly what it looks like.  I'll play around with the color sometime.  I went with a more normal skin tone on the figure I was planning on painting drow-ish.

 

Seems like everytime I get a "great idea" to paint this or that fig someone has already beat me to it.  :O

 

Nice t' see ya back on the board, I was starting to worry about you!  :laugh:

 

PS Check around page 2 or so of this forum, I posted a question for you about basing materials just as you left for Gen-Con.

[Vaitalla]

Yeah, I went to Chicago Games Day so I only just got back to work.  :)  I'll go check out that basing question..

 

--Anne

[Mr. Wabbit]

I used to have a Dark Elve army (Actually I still do, but they don't see any action lately) I used to paint them as follows:

 

The whole of the skins were painted light grey and then heavily drybrushed with flesh colour.

After that I used a black- or armourwash on it and drybrushed it with flesh colour heavily again...

 

That always gave a real dark effect to the skin, accentuating the deeper parts..