What are your mixes for painting flesh in oils?

[D.Lesko]

Hi guys. If you guys have the time could you please post your oil mixes for painting flesh (base, shadow and highlight)? Along with some thoughts on your technique? I think this would really help me to come up with my own mixes. I havent painted in over a year and really want to get back into it. Thanks guys!

 

[btavis]

Dave,

I think using the Mars colors produce the best flesh tints for caucasian skin. Mars Red, Mars Yellow and Ttitanium White. I shade the flesh mix with burnt umber or sepia. I think keeping a simple palette is also beneficial. You will probably want to use a dash of Cad Red Medium for the rosier parts such as lips. I stopped using Burnt Sienna in flesh mixes as it tends to go too orange.

 

[D.Lesko]

Thanks Bob. What do you use for highlights? Just add more white to the base mix? Also, do you do wet on wet? Thanks!

Come on guys, post your flesh mixes

 

[btavis]

Yes, I add white with a little more cad yellow to give it a warm feeling. I rarely do wet in wet as there is too much chance to overblend. If I do though it is only at the edges where the color transitions meet and it is more of stippling.

 

[KeithP]

If anyone cares to check, all my flesh mixes are listed in my work bench threads.

I personally really like Burnt Sienna. The concern about orange (pumpkin face disease ) can be reduced by adding a touch of WN Blue (red tint) to the mix. This really cools the BS to a very useable shade. I don't quite get the same effect with Mars red or mars orange. Personal preference here only...

I also like to mix indian red + cad red deep + flesh base as the blush at cheeks, ear lobes, nostril and nose tip!

I like Liquitex Deep Parchment Pink as the base for the oil. It gives a very smooth base for the oil to cover!

Keith

 

[Don Freeman]

I use a little bit more complex mixture: Cadmium, Ochre, Juane Brilliant, Burnt Sienna and a dash of Viridian Green, use white to get the right tone. Highlight with Naples yellow and Cadmium and white--white for the "hot spots". You can tone to suit with a little red and white and blend. Shadows are Mars Orange and for deep shadows I use Burnt Umber and Venetian Red.

Of course, with this basic mix, you can tone to suit.

Everyone finds their own way to skin the poor cat.

D

 

[Sambaman]

David,
for what it's worth: I always undercoat in acrylic paint first. I use Testors "skin tone shadow" mixed with a touch of white to begin (I vary the white depending on the skin tone light/dark I'm going for). As you may well know, a smooth consistent base coat is paramount in painting with oils.

I use a very abreviated oils pallet much as Bob does. I use Raw Umber, Cad Red, Yellow Ochre and Titinium white. I ususally start with the shadow or mid-shadow tone, adding white for the highlights and a bit more umber for the deepest shadows. A touch more cad red is added in the darkest shadow color for the cheeks and lips as needed. I have been known to use straight raw umber for some of the deepest shadows. Never straight white for the last highlights, always a very light flesh, this then is used for the "whites" of the eyes as well. I always work wet-on-wet. I probably "over blend" as Bob mentions, but it seems to work for me. I think it's all in what your comfortable with. HTH, good luck, post some progress as you start to get your feet wet!

If you get a minute, my web site (link in my signature "www") does have some pictures of a flesh tone pallete that I used on one of my projects, the "Barbary Brigand" Latorre Pirate bust. This might help give a better idea of what I'm trying to explain.

Jay H.
OKC

 

[Angaliel]

Hello,

some time ago I posted a SbS on the Figuralia Richelieu Bust.
There is some explainations about my oil paint style and skintones I use.

Figuralia Richelieu Bust Step by Step

have a look

JP

 

[Kisifer]

Personally I use a rather common base mix. Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre and Titanium white in a 5:3:2 ratio. From that main mix, i take a small portion and add some more sienna for my mid shadows, for the highlights some more white. Deep shadows straight sienna, highlights not straight white, but very close to it. I always blend those wet-on-wet with a 000 brush, mostly at the edges of shadow and highlight.
Then when it gets well dried (nearly an hour in my 60W bulb oven), i add a light touch of burnt umber in the deepest shadows, and glazes of extra highlight mix in the appropriate spots.
While the face is still wet, I add a very small dot of Alizarix Crimpson on the chicks and by stippling create the rosy effects.

Xenofon

 

[Kisifer]

Double post... Sorry!!

 

[Mongo Mel]

Hi Dave,
Check out this article. It has several oil mixes i've used in the past. Maybe one of them will be useful to you.
Craig

 

[Bluesking]

For Europeans I stick with good old Titanium WHite, Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna, shade with Raw or burnt Umber and highlight with white.