For people that start with midtones: a question about shading tiny details

[mrbspaintjobs]

http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1820393a_99800112004_DESuccubus_873x627.jpg

 

http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1820005a_99800112002_LelithHesperax_873x627.jpg

 

Any suggestions for the flesh tones on this using RMS? And would you start with mid or dark to light?

Edited April 4, 2013 by mrbspaintjobs

[klyons99]

The Power Palette (nifty online tool that tries to find a Reaper paint match to image pixels) is designed for just such things, though I will say there are mixed reviews on the accuracy.

 

When it comes down to it, pretty much any approach will work, it's all about what's comfortable for you. You'll find that you can mix up that skin tone from a wide range of combinations if you play around for a bit.

 

Having said that, you're asking for suggestions, not generic advice.

 

So, throwing out some guesses (and these are just guesses, take them with a grain of salt), I'd start with a mid-tone of Ghost White mixed with a bit of Snow Shadow, since that's pretty pale. And the ultra-high contrast shadows strike me as something around Tanned Shadow. Highlights look like they're up to pretty much Pure White, though that might be the camera.

 

Given how pale that is, and how much it looks like the shadows are being used to define the musculature, I'd tackle it with the mid first and try to keep my use of the shadows down as much as possible so that most of what I was painting was over a lighter colour. Not a ton of blending going on there, so I'd try doing it mostly through layering, not worrying about transitions too much, just focusing on getting a smooth coat.

[mrbspaintjobs]

The H/L are definitely pure white.

 

What do you think of White Leather as a base to start with?

[klyons99]

For what it's worth, I'd say you'd be fine with any of the off-whites as a base. You should be able to mix up something pretty close to that skin tone from any of a number of paints, it'll just take some experimenting. On this monitor, looks like there's a tiny touch of blue and some grey as well as some brown and white in the skin tone. I could be way off, but that's what I'm seeing.

 

A suggestion: Whatever mix you do come up with for the mid there, or really, any time you mix something up, write it down somehow. Paint a few little dots on a note card with the names next to it, jot them down in a notebook, post them on a blog or in a WIP thread. Doesn't matter how, just make sure you note the names and rough proportions of the paints you used.

 

If you ever want to come back to that skin tone for some touchup, or you let your mix sit too long and it dies on the palette, or use it or something similar on a different model, or for any of a number of other reasons, you can quickly go back and look it up. I've learned this the hard way.

[mrbspaintjobs]

Thanks for the advice!

 

I ended up getting Snow Shadow, Ghost White, and White. Looks pretty good. I think I'll just end up washing the shadow color with a flesh tone to give it that red/brown taste in the deepest crevaces.