How To Mix Skin Tones Using Only 4 Colours!, by Emma Jane Lefebvre (EmJ Watercolour Studio) on YouTube. 19 min 7 s.
- Video length
- 19 min 7 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Put a warm red, a cool red, a yellow and a blue on your palette. Leave space between each one so you can pick up colour with a clean, damp brush.
Start with a pale base: a small puddle of yellow plus a touch of warm red. Keep it light and test it on scrap paper first.
Add a very small amount of blue to the base. Blue cools and dulls the orange mix, which is what makes it read as skin rather than peach paint.
Warm the mix with more red for cheeks, noses and knuckles. Push it cooler with a little more blue for shadows and shaded areas.
Deepen the tone by adding more cool red and a little blue to the base. Skip black, which greys the mix and makes skin look muddy.
Control the value with water. A wet, watery mix gives a fair skin wash, while a thicker mix with less water gives medium and deep tones.
Paint a row of swatches on the same paper you will use for your artwork. Label each one so you can match a tone later.
Let the swatches dry completely before you judge them. Watercolour always dries lighter than it looks when wet, so adjust the mix after drying.
Tips and common mistakes
Pick up paint with a damp brush, not a dripping one, so you control the water in the mix.
Rinse the brush between colours, because a dirty brush adds grey and spoils a clean skin tone.
Keep your labelled swatch card nearby so you can repeat the same tone on another painting.
Add water to lighten and blue to cool. Avoid white and black for skin, which flatten the colour.
Questions
Why does my skin tone look grey or muddy?
Usually there is too much blue in the mix or the brush was dirty. Rinse the brush and add a little warm red or yellow to bring the colour back to life.
Can I mix skin tones with only three colours?
Yes, a warm red, a yellow and a blue will get you close. The fourth colour, normally a cool red, widens the range of pinks and deeper shadow tones.
How do I make darker skin tones?
Build a stronger base with less water, then add more cool red and a little blue. Keep testing on scrap paper so the mix does not tip into grey.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
