Help!

[Johan]

People,

I need your advice on how to paint , in oils, a very dark African skin....

The little gentlemen I'd like to paint would be an inhabitant of North africa, but originally from the more southern regions - let's say: the old French west africa, where people are said to have a skin that really has the glow and the beauty of ebony...


now: in Long Lost Ancient Figure Painting Lore, there's that story of that fabulous dark african skin tone which was once produced in oils over a GREEN undercoat...

Does any of you know that mixture? Or other good mixtures?

I eagerly await your input, my brethren....


Thank you,


Johan

 

[Guy]

Sorry Johan, that is the only skin tone that I still do in floquil. Tried it in oils.. ...went back to enamels and stayed with that mix.

guy

 

[Johan]

Hey! Regardless the medium you used there that looks damn good! Tell me more, my friend!

 

[Jason W.]

Originally posted by Johan@Feb 15 2004, 01:11 PM
Regardless the medium you used there that looks damn good!

I agree!!! That is a gorgeous Zulu Guy. Enamels !?!

 

[Guy]

The zulu's flesh was done with 3 floquil Model railroading colors.

Base color = Roof brown
deep shade = weathered black
highlight color = boxcar red

The deep shade and highlight color are blended and the final coat is a light drybrushing of boxcar red with a drop of white added and just feather the tops of the muscles with the drybrush brush.
Final coat of Humbrol satin coat.

guy

 

[mikec55]

Guy,

That's a good lookin' Zulu . Your display cabinet must be bottomless .

Mike

 

[Johan]

Thank you Guy and Geofft, that will be a great help.


.... Joe Shaw. That was the name.....

And it was someone who was once - I believe - an apprentice of him who told me about the green undercoat....

Thanks.

 

[quang]

Maybe it's about time to dispell the myth of 'black' African skin colour (and other 'ethnic' skin colours as well).

There are as many 'black' skin tones are there are 'white' complexions. Everyone would agree that a Mediterranean man (complexion, stature, etc...) is different from say, a Scandanavian. Well the same thing applies to African ethnic groups.

Zulu, for example, have a honey warm relatively light skin tone compared to say, people living in Senegal or the Ivory Coast who have a much darker, bluish tone.

More often than not, people put every effort to get a colour like 'British red' right and when it comes to the skin colour, they let their fantasy roam free.

It's a simple matter to check it out in a tourist guide or a travel magazine like Geo or National Geographic.

Like Alex would say:

SKIN COLOUR IS PART OF THE DEAL! :lol:

Quang

Sorry Alex. Couldn't resist. Hope you don't mind

 

[Elia Cid]

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, 1/8th Scale,
From Dark Horse, Work-in-Progress, by Alex Castro


Finally got my hands ,on you Eye-gor!!

Enjoy,
Alex


P.S. This new ethnic skin tone is called "Dead in the water green"

 

[quang]

Not Quang, it's Igor (eye-gor) :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[frank h]

Hi Quang
Good to see a pic of Marty Feldman as he appeared in the movie
"Young Frankenstein"one of my favourites

Hi Johan, I used the late Joe Shaw's mix(see attached pic.) I believe it is a good
starting point for any African Skintone.

Frank

 

[quang]

"Young Frankenstein". Like you said, Frank, a great movie AND a great dvd!

BTW, Eye-gore would be a perfect subject for the next sculpting challenge. At least we won't have to bother about symmetry! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Q.

 

[frank h]

Hi Johan, Here is my Zulu. Quang just printed off your pic of igor
make a great bust.

 

[Patrick Kirk]

Johan,
Like Quang has said, there is no diffinitive black skin tone...having said that, try this mix:

base: burnt umber and a bit of burnt sienna
highlight: mars orange; dramatic highlights: naples yellow
shade: winsor blue

Hope this helps...
All the best

Patrick

 

[johnbrewer]

I have used the mix that Patrick has given. It worked really well.

 

[Johan]

Thanks guys! Great help, I appreciate!

 

[Jeff]

I have tried to do the very dark African skin tone before. The one that is so dark that photos seem to show and almost blue undertone. It is really hard to pull off. And I failed completely to pull it off. I wonder what happened to that figure. There were parts that almost worked. The really dark skin tones are really a challenge to paint.