PORTRAITS- How to Mix ALL Skin Tones and Blend (Acrylics), by Gabby Wonka on YouTube. 10 min 38 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 38 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Squeeze out small amounts of white, yellow ochre, red, burnt sienna and raw umber. Keep them apart on the palette so you can adjust each mix.
Start with a base mix of mostly white plus a little yellow ochre and a touch of red. This gives a light, warm skin tone.
Add tiny amounts of burnt sienna or raw umber to darken the base for mid and deeper tones. Add colour gradually, since a little goes a long way.
Make a cooler version by adding a speck of blue or a little more white. Use this for shadows and areas out of the light.
Test each mix on a scrap of canvas or the edge of your board before painting the face. Let it dry slightly to check the true colour.
Block in the main skin areas with your mid tone, keeping the paint thin and even. Leave the lightest and darkest areas for later.
Paint the shadow shapes with the cooler, darker mix, following the planes of the face like under the chin, nose and eyes.
Add highlights with the lightest mix on the forehead, nose bridge and cheekbones. Keep edges soft where light meets shadow.
Blend the transitions with a clean, slightly damp brush while the paint is still wet. Work in small strokes to avoid streaks.
Step back to check the overall balance, then adjust any tone that looks too orange, too pink or too grey.
Tips and common mistakes
Mix more paint than you think you need so you do not run out mid-blend and get a patchy finish.
Acrylics dry fast, so keep a spray bottle of water handy or use a retarder to keep edges workable.
Skin is never one flat colour. Add subtle reds on cheeks and noses and cooler tones in shadows for realism.
Questions
Which colours do I need to mix skin tones?
White, yellow ochre, a red, burnt sienna and raw umber cover most skin tones. A little blue helps make cooler shadows.
How do I stop acrylic skin tones looking flat?
Build up several tones: a base, a shadow mix and a highlight mix. Blend the edges while the paint is wet so the transitions stay soft.
Can I mix skin tones with only three colours?
Yes. Red, yellow and white make a basic skin tone, then add a little brown or blue to adjust warmth and depth.
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.
