Skin Question

[Lastman]

This question is embarrassing because inactivity vaporized my memory.

 

In the fine art and portrait world there are some fundamentals for skin:

 

Asian is green based

African is blue based

Caucasian is ... ? (purple??)

 

And what about Latino? I don't recall that being listed wherever I read this.

 

Please help out an old man.

[Maltique]

I would say latino is medium brown and caucasion would be a dark peach.

[Lastman]

After looking at many pics of Dania Ramirez (for research purposes) I think the under-color for Latino skin is yellow.

 

A portrait artist once described my skin color as peachy so I think you're right Maltique.

[Vaitalla]

Most of the miniature painters I know use ruddy (reddish or pinkish) tones as the basis for caucasian skin colors, which would fit with the "peachy" suggestion since peach is just a reddish light orange. Marike also does use purple on some of hers, to great effect. I find that the purple works better as an undercolor for very rosy, pinkish skin tones.

 

I would agree with yellow/ochre for Latino skin colors as I was thinking about using Chestnut Gold as a base for just such a skin color the other day.

 

--Anne

[awong]

Quick question. When you all are talking about using so-and-so color as "a base", are you talking about it as a base coat? So, Chestnut Gold would be the base coat and you'd lighten and darken from that? Or are you talking about it as a basis for mixing Latino skin colors. E.G. taking X drops of Chestnut Gold, then mixing in other colors to achieve your desired colors? Or, are the two above the same thing?

 

Thanks

-AW

[Vaitalla]

Quick question. When you all are talking about using so-and-so color as "a base", are you talking about it as a base coat? So, Chestnut Gold would be the base coat and you'd lighten and darken from that? Or are you talking about it as a basis for mixing Latino skin colors. E.G. taking X drops of Chestnut Gold, then mixing in other colors to achieve your desired colors? Or, are the two above the same thing?

 

Thanks

-AW

 

With me, definitely the latter, though I could see using, say, a very dark blue to shade African skintones (in fact I've done it) or a olive color to shade Asian tones (which I haven't tried). But as I like to start with a middle tone and work up and down from that, it's useful to me as a painter to isolate the "idea" of what I'm aiming for--say to look at a person and think "that skintone is kind of light Rosy Highlight, but..." and then to add a little bit of this or that to find a good midtone that matches the idea of what I'm trying, and work from there.

 

I think a lot of people sweat over skin tones that will look natural when actually you've got a lot more leeway than you think; you can play around with unusual colors added into "classic" skintones and get something not only workable, but downright interesting.

 

--Anne

[awong]

With me, definitely the latter, though I could see using, say, a very dark blue to shade African skintones (in fact I've done it) or a olive color to shade Asian tones (which I haven't tried). But as I like to start with a middle tone and work up and down from that, it's useful to me as a painter to isolate the "idea" of what I'm aiming for--say to look at a person and think "that skintone is kind of light Rosy Highlight, but..." and then to add a little bit of this or that to find a good midtone that matches the idea of what I'm trying, and work from there.

 

I think a lot of people sweat over skin tones that will look natural when actually you've got a lot more leeway than you think; you can play around with unusual colors added into "classic" skintones and get something not only workable, but downright interesting.

 

--Anne

Thanks for clarifying that. At my level, I'm always looking for the standard "base, highlight, shadow" combinations, I just assumed...It's a bit of a crutch that I've got to work through.

Thanks

AW

[lynnaea]

I painted an Outlaw Queen mini with the Golden Skin triad and Blackened Brown hair... she looked hispanically delicious.

 

Makes sense because the Golden Skin triad does register as yellow-based to me.

[psyberwolfe1]

With me, definitely the latter, though I could see using, say, a very dark blue to shade African skintones (in fact I've done it) or a olive color to shade Asian tones (which I haven't tried). But as I like to start with a middle tone and work up and down from that, it's useful to me as a painter to isolate the "idea" of what I'm aiming for--say to look at a person and think "that skintone is kind of light Rosy Highlight, but..." and then to add a little bit of this or that to find a good midtone that matches the idea of what I'm trying, and work from there.

 

I think a lot of people sweat over skin tones that will look natural when actually you've got a lot more leeway than you think; you can play around with unusual colors added into "classic" skintones and get something not only workable, but downright interesting.

 

--Anne

Thanks for clarifying that. At my level, I'm always looking for the standard "base, highlight, shadow" combinations, I just assumed...It's a bit of a crutch that I've got to work through.

Thanks

AW

It really isn't a crutch. It is a great way to look at painting. With Anne's magically delicious paints some of us have found that working up from the the shadows is a good way to go. Jubilee keyed me into this way of painting with the flesh triads at my first ReaperCon. If you haven't tried it give it a go.

[awong]

It really isn't a crutch. It is a great way to look at painting. With Anne's magically delicious paints some of us have found that working up from the the shadows is a good way to go. Jubilee keyed me into this way of painting with the flesh triads at my first ReaperCon. If you haven't tried it give it a go.

 

Oh, I didn't mean it that way. I hope I didn't offend. I'm very familiar with the usefulness of the triads (whether going from base up, and down, or starting from shadow and then going up to highlights). What I meant was that I'm still tied to the literal triad. Whereas Anne can see a base tone and then add the appropriate colors from outside the triad to get what she's after I feel this odd pull to "stay the course" .

 

That's why I asked my question. My initial (literal) assumption was that the base Anne suggested would lead to it's assigned triad highlight and shadow color to get Latina (I believe that was the coloration) skin, when she was actually suggesting that as a starting point...we still would need to add other colors and work out the proper highlights and shadows. It's something that I'd like to work toward, being able to dissect colors, deconstruct them and then recreate them with what I have in my paint box. The magic eye! (cue pixie dust sound effect ).

 

Thanks

AW

[lynnaea]

It's something that I'd like to work toward, being able to dissect colors, deconstruct them and then recreate them with what I have in my paint box. The magic eye! (cue pixie dust sound effect ).

 

One of the books on color theory that I have suggested that painters do color-mixing exercises as a warm-up routine or regular practice, the same way a musician might run through their scales. The exercise was basically to take a few colors, either from a photograph or real life or whatever, and then mix colors to attain the desired hue as exactly as possible. Apparently, after a while you can get really good at it.

[Lastman]

It's something that I'd like to work toward, being able to dissect colors, deconstruct them and then recreate them with what I have in my paint box. The magic eye! (cue pixie dust sound effect ).

 

One of the books on color theory that I have suggested that painters do color-mixing exercises as a warm-up routine or regular practice, the same way a musician might run through their scales. The exercise was basically to take a few colors, either from a photograph or real life or whatever, and then mix colors to attain the desired hue as exactly as possible. Apparently, after a while you can get really good at it.

 

 

Are you referring to the book by Betty Edwards? It's been awhile since I did the exercises but I can see how doing them daily for awhile would develop your eye for color.

 

You could save a lot of money and time if you knew how to mix every color from the 9 fundamental tubes. I'm not there yet, but it's second nature to the figure painters I know who use oils. The Oilers wonder why we spend so much on acrylics. ;)

 

http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?...25&hl=betty

[Vaitalla]

One of the books on color theory that I have suggested that painters do color-mixing exercises as a warm-up routine or regular practice, the same way a musician might run through their scales. The exercise was basically to take a few colors, either from a photograph or real life or whatever, and then mix colors to attain the desired hue as exactly as possible. Apparently, after a while you can get really good at it.

 

This is absolutely true and it's essentially what I do every morning as I'm out in the paint department.

 

On a side note, you want to have a "no fear" attitude toward mixing color, I'd say creating your own paint line would do it...but I don't want to bankrupt our customers!!

 

But seriously, if you want to play around with mixing you can almost get all of our base pigment colors via the Clear Brights and a few other paints. Try:

 

Clear Red, Clear Yellow, Clear Green or Brilliant Green, Clear Blue, Clear Magenta

Palomino Gold (yellow ochre), Rust Brown (red oxide), Russet Brown (Burnt Umber equiv.), Intense Brown (close to brown oxide), Blue Liner (Payne's Grey equiv or close), Walnut Brown (just a great utility color)

Pure White, Pure Black

 

Mix with those and see what you can do! The important thing, in my opinion, is just to play around. It's just painting. There shouldn't be stress attached (well, except in the painting of eyeballs!). Just play with colors on a paper plate or wet palette or something. Learn what happens when you add one to another, get a feel for it. That should help bring down some of the barriers you might have about messing with the triads.

 

--Anne

[lynnaea]

But seriously, if you want to play around with mixing you can almost get all of our base pigment colors via the Clear Brights and a few other paints. Try:

 

Clear Red, Clear Yellow, Clear Green or Brilliant Green, Clear Blue, Clear Magenta

Palomino Gold (yellow ochre), Rust Brown (red oxide), Russet Brown (Burnt Umber equiv.), Intense Brown (close to brown oxide), Blue Liner (Payne's Grey equiv or close), Walnut Brown (just a great utility color)

Pure White, Pure Black

 

Anne,

 

That's fantastic information, thanks!

 

I know there are conversion and equivalency charts stickied at the top of the forum, but has anyone ever undertaken to equate the RMS with some of the standard oil colors, like phthalo blue, Davy's gray, titanium while, alizarin crimson, sap green, etc. etc. I know that those colors vary somewhat between manufacturers, but it would still be nice to have it as a further reference.

[psyberwolfe1]

Mix with those and see what you can do! The important thing, in my opinion, is just to play around. It's just painting. There shouldn't be stress attached (well, except in the painting of eyeballs!). Just play with colors on a paper plate or wet palette or something. Learn what happens when you add one to another, get a feel for it. That should help bring down some of the barriers you might have about messing with the triads.

 

--Anne

 

Absolutely spot on! I would also suggest painting historical figures. Vallejo makes the base color, but after that you are on your own. I've really found this has stretched me because now I start looking for good colors to darken and lighten military colors, and white and black don't always fit the bill.