Painting: How do i mix a good Skin tone?

[Jasonandyawegunorts]

I'm using Acrylic paint and i just can't seem to get it right. I've tried it by eye and using a step by step guide online, but they always seems to dry as orange, a shitty brown or too purple.

Can anyone help, I've wasted tubes and tubes of paint by keep adding colours randomly?

To create skin tones using acrylic paints I use a very limited palette.

One word of warning, the very cheapest acrylic paints tend to have garish artifical pigments that react together to produce some pretty strange colours. Look out for the better brands 'Student' range whilst you practice. I have not found a difference in using the cheapest white acrylic but I certainly have with the colours. Artist quality gives the best results but its not cheap so save it for when you have the hang of student pgments.

Burnt Umber, Crimson Lake, Naples Yellow [you can use Yellow Ochre instead] Ultramarine and White lots and lots of white.
Avoid using black it will kill the warmth of human skin tones. Blue is used with burnt umber to create tonal shadows, mix small amounts with white.

If you mix the wrong red with the wrong yellow you will get various oranges. The trick is to gradually layer the face, work out the highlights and use a small dot of ochre or naples yellow in white and marke that out. Use a small dot of burnt umber in white to mark out the shadows. There are some good 'how to paint faces' Youtube guides from professional artists that can show you how to handle the stuff. And practice lots and lots. The Range sell Winsor and Newton Galleria acrylic paper.

Some artists and artists groups offer day courses on specific subjects - if your trying to gain real skills and struggling you may find that route very helpful. Have a look in your yellow pages or local adult education under arts and crafts.

Hope that helps.

When mixing my skin tone (pale Caucasian), I start with a large blob of pure white, and then add a tiny drop of burnt umber, a tiny drop of yellow and a tiny drop of magenta. Mix, and then continue to add tiny drops (tiniest scoop of paint on a tiny brush) of colour, mixing in between, until it is right.

Thank you both, these tip have been really helpful.