Q&A for How to Create Realistic Flesh Tones

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What's a good assortment of paint colors to have for mixing flesh tones?

Jeanine Hattas Wilson
Professional Painter
Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces.

Jeanine Hattas Wilson

Professional Painter

Expert Answer

I would have Naples Yellow, Venetian Red, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Ultramarine Blue, Phtalo Blue, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Ivory Black, and Titanium White. You might even want to include Alizarin Crimson.

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Question

Can I use these tips with pencil crayons?

Community Answer

No, pencil crayons do not mix the same way that acrylic paints do. You're better off just finding a pencil color that's close to the color of flesh. However, using blue, red, purple, and yellow pencils can definitely add dimension to the skin.

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Question

I know it says to mix the three primary colors to get brown, but it just didn't work for me. Other than buying a bottle of brown paint, how else could I make the color brown?

Community Answer

Mixing complementary colors can also make a brown if primary color mixing didn't work.

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Question

How do you paint portraits?

Community Answer

Have a photograph or the actual person nearby. Sketch a general outline and then work from the darkest areas to the lightest. There are whole books on painting portraits in your chosen media. I highly recommend getting a few books or taking a portrait class.

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Question

In term of using cream, which cream is good for someone with dark complexion?

Community Answer

You can try mixing brown with a hint of orange. Or, you can try using brown, mixing it with black and then mixing white (based on what you want the color of the complexion to be).

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Question

What two colors mix to create a flesh color?

Community Answer

Mix equal parts of the primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and add white according to the desired tone.

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Question

How do I create realistic flesh tones using sketch pens?

Community Answer

It's sort of the same as paints but using sketch pens. Maybe layer them carefully and using the right colours, don't use too dark of a colour, such as blues and reds. Maybe use pale blue and a rosy colour.

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Question

What do I do if I add too much of a color when making realistic flesh tones?

Community Answer

Add more of the opposite colors to even it out. If you add too much red, add more yellow and blue to even it out.

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Question

Is there a way to make a white flesh tone?

Marie Britt

Community Answer

There certainly is. Mixing titanium white, cadmium yellow and brown madder or burnt sienna in different ratios can get you tones of cream to light tan. It can take a little experimentation, but Largilliere had great success painting Madame DuClos as Ariadne, and she was truly pale.

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Question

Can I do this with clay?

Yaritzi Mejia

Community Answer

Yes you can use clay for this. You will have to mix brown and white clay (for a white skinned tone). If you don't have brown, then you can mix red, blue, and yellow ( primary colors). Sometimes, clay sets have skin tone colors.

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Question

Can I do this on digital art?

Vishalakshi3626

Community Answer

It could be difficult for the first time ones but, if you practice daily, then you will be able to do it. I recommend that you should first try on a sheet of paper the more you practice, the more you will get better at it. And if you think you are ready to show your talent on digitalization, then you must do it.

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Question

How do you make it less red?

Vishalakshi3626

Community Answer

As noted above, if you've mixed equal parts of each color, the blue in particular has probably made the color mix quite dark. Initial adjustments will be clear: if you need to make the skin lighter, add white and/or yellow. If you need to make it more reddish, add more red.

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Question

Is there ready made flesh color watercolor paint you can buy in a tube?

Vishalakshi3626

Community Answer

Yes, sure you can. There are readymade flesh skin tones in a tube or a whole color palette from a company like Doms TM, Kukoyo Camlin TM and many more. Either you can buy it in a tube or you can buy it in a whole color palette.

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