Mixing Skin Tones: for Acrylic Figure Painting

Card 7: Mixing Skin Tones – A Guide to Mixing a Variety of Realistic Skin Tones Using Acrylics

Card 7 of 52: Acrylic Figure Painting For Beginners Card Deck

This “Mixing Skin Tones” post covers Card 7 of 52 of the Acrylic Figure Painting for Beginners: A Card Deck Guide. Why choose my art card deck tutorial over a book or YouTube video? Because cards are way more fun—especially if you have Adult ADHD like me, and flipping through them keeps things exciting!

One of the most challenging aspects of figure painting is mastering the art of mixing realistic skin tones.

Whether you’re painting a portrait or a full-body figure, getting the skin tone just right can make all the difference in bringing your subject to life.

Skin tones vary greatly based on factors like light, shadow, ethnicity, and temperature.

In this guide, we’ll dive into the techniques you need to mix a wide range of lifelike skin tones using acrylic paints.

Why Mixing Skin Tones Can Be Tricky

Skin tones are complex because they aren’t just a single flat color.

Skin tones are a mix of reds, yellows, blues, browns, and whites, often changing depending on lighting, temperature, and underlying tones.

The challenge is to balance these colours so the skin looks vibrant, realistic, and three-dimensional rather than dull or overly simplistic.

Acrylic paints dry quickly, which can sometimes add another layer of difficulty. However, with the right techniques and a little practice, you can overcome these challenges and learn to mix realistic skin tones efficiently.

What You Need to Get Started

Before we dive into the methods of mixing skin tones, here’s a list of the materials you’ll need to get started:

1. Acrylic Paints: Basic acrylic colours include titanium white, burnt sienna, burnt umber, yellow ochre, raw umber, cadmium red, and ultramarine blue.
2. Palette: A smooth surface to mix your paints.
3. Palette Knife: For mixing paints effectively.
4. Retarder Medium: Optional, but it slows down the drying time of acrylics, giving you more flexibility when blending.
5. Water & Brush Cleaner: Keep your brushes clean and hydrated as you work.

Understanding the Basic Colours for Skin Tones

When mixing skin tones, think about the key colour components:

• White: The base for lightening skin tones.
• Red: Adds warmth and blush to the skin, especially in areas like cheeks or where blood flow is closer to the surface.
• Yellow: A foundational color that gives skin tones warmth and vibrancy.
• Blue: Helps cool down the tone or add depth to shadows.
• Brown (Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber): These earth tones provide the essential base for almost all skin tones.

Step-by-Step Guide to Mixing Skin Tones

Here’s a breakdown of how to mix skin tones:

1. Start with a Base Tone

The base tone is the foundation of your skin tone, and from here, you’ll adjust it with other colors. A good starting base for many skin tones is a mixture of burnt sienna and yellow ochre.

• Start by placing a small amount of yellow ochre and burnt sienna on your palette.
• Use a palette knife to mix them into a warm, brownish-orange color. This will serve as the base for most mid-range skin tones.

2. Lighten with White

Once you have your base tone, gradually mix in titanium white to lighten it. Be sure to add the white in small amounts at a time, as white can easily overpower the mix and make it too pale.

• For light skin tones, you’ll add more white, and for darker skin tones, you’ll use less.
• If the tone starts to look too flat, you can introduce a hint of red or yellow to bring warmth back into the mix.

3. Adjust with Reds and Yellows

To add warmth and bring life to your skin tones, you can introduce small amounts of cadmium red or yellow ochre:

• Cadmium Red: Useful for creating blush tones in areas like the cheeks, nose, and lips.
• Yellow Ochre: Adds warmth and golden undertones to the skin. It’s perfect for Mediterranean or Middle Eastern complexions.

Remember, less is more. Always add reds and yellows sparingly so that your skin tones don’t become too orange or pink.

4. Cool Down with Blues

Skin tones aren’t always warm; they often contain cool tones, particularly in shadowed areas or under certain lighting conditions. To cool down your mix, use a very small amount of ultramarine blue or raw umber.

• Ultramarine Blue: A tiny dab can cool down the skin tone and make shadows more natural.
• Raw Umber: Another cool tone that is excellent for balancing out warm skin tones and adding depth to shadows.

5. Darken with Burnt Umber and Raw Umber

When mixing darker skin tones, you’ll want to incorporate burnt umber or raw umber into your mix:

• Burnt Umber: This warm, rich brown works well for deep skin tones and adding warmth to shadows.
• Raw Umber: A cooler brown, perfect for creating darker, cooler skin tones and adding depth to shadows in darker areas.

Gradually darken your base tone by adding these earth tones bit by bit, ensuring you don’t make the mix too dark too fast. You can also blend in some blue to add richness to darker skin tones.

How to Mix Different Skin Tones

Now that you’ve got the basics down, let’s look at how to mix specific skin tones.

Light Skin Tones

1. Start with a mix of titanium white and yellow ochre for a warm undertone.
2. Add a very small amount of cadmium red to bring life to the skin.
3. To adjust the tone, add burnt sienna to warm it or ultramarine blue to cool it down.
4. Lighten the mixture with more white if necessary.

Medium Skin Tones

1. Start with a base of burnt sienna and yellow ochre.
2. Add a little white to lighten and cadmium red for warmth.
3. Use burnt umber to deepen the color and give it more richness.
4. Adjust with small amounts of blue if the tone needs cooling.

Dark Skin Tones

1. Begin with a mix of burnt umber and raw umber for a strong, dark base.
2. Add a tiny amount of yellow ochre for warmth and balance.
3. Introduce small amounts of blue or ultramarine to cool the skin tone or create natural-looking shadows.
4. Adjust with white sparingly to lighten if needed, but be cautious as this can make the tone appear unnatural.

Red and Blush Tones

Skin tones often include subtle hints of red, particularly in areas like the cheeks, nose, and lips. To create these blush tones, follow these steps:

1. Use your base skin tone and add a tiny dab of cadmium red.
2. Mix thoroughly, then test on a small area of your canvas.
3. If it’s too bright, tone it down with a bit of yellow ochre or burnt sienna.

Blending Skin Tones on the Canvas

Once you’ve mixed the skin tones, it’s important to know how to apply and blend them on the canvas.

Here’s how you can do it effectively:

1. Work in Layers

Acrylic paint dries fast, so working in thin layers is key. Start with your mid-tone (the average tone of the skin) and layer in highlights and shadows afterward.

2. Blend While Wet

While acrylics dry quickly, you can extend your blending time by using a retarder or a wet palette. This will give you more time to blend the tones smoothly, especially when working on facial features or areas with soft transitions between light and shadow.

3. Use a Dry Brush Technique

Once your first layers are dry, you can use a dry brush technique to softly blend lighter or darker tones into the skin. Dip your brush in a tiny amount of paint, wipe off the excess, and lightly brush over the skin areas to add subtle transitions.

Correcting Mistakes

Mixing skin tones is an art form in itself, and it’s normal to make mistakes. Luckily, acrylic paint is forgiving.

If your skin tone turns out too pink, too yellow, or too dark, you can correct it easily by layering new paint over it.

Here are a few tips:

• Too Pink: Add more yellow ochre or burnt sienna to balance out the red.
• Too Yellow: Mix in more burnt umber or a touch of blue.
• Too Dark: Lighten up with titanium white—but do so gradually to avoid a washed-out appearance.

Mixing Skin Tones: Free YouTube Video Tutorials

Video tutorials to help you master mixing skin tones:

• How to mix skin tones in acrylic paint
• Mixing flesh tone acrylic painting
• How to mix & match skin tones in painting

George’s Conclusion: Mixing Skin Tones

Mixing skin tones with acrylics is one of the most rewarding skills to develop as a painter.

By understanding how to combine colors and adjust them based on lighting, shadow, and ethnicity, you can bring your figures to life with depth and vibrancy.

Practice is key!

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations until you find the perfect mix.