Skin Tones

[Susan Harrison-Tustain]

Hi Everyone
David asked why his skin tones washes are thick and opaque.

I thought it could be useful to you all if I shared my answer in this forum:
Skin tones:
No matter the subject - I always lay in a yellow tonal underwash (using my Priming Method). I let it become bone dry between applications. I begin with pale washes initially in the areas that need it and then once dry - I lay in subsequent yellow underwashes to deepen the yellow where I see I will require the darkest depths of colour. These washes are always layed in using my Priming Method. The result is equivallent to a black grey and white photograph - but in yellow.

I dry my paper between pigment layers.

The result is beautifully fine transparent underwashes.

Once the depth of yellos is complete, I then bring in my skin tones which are mixes of different hues. I would describe a typical cool skin tone by using a mix of Aureolin yellow, Alizarin Crimson and Thalo Blue.

A warm skin tone could be a mix of Indian Yellow, Scarlet Red, Translucent Orange or Thalo Green/bllue.

Remember if your subject is illuminated by outside light (whether indoors with the light coming through the window -  or outside) - then the shadows will be warm and the highlights will be cool.

If your subject has incandescent light - then the shadows will be cool and the highlights will be warm.

Do some brushouts with these different mixes and you will appreciate the difference in colour temperature. Vary the colour you favour and you will see you have the possiblity of a huge array of hues from these incredible colours.


Back to your problem:
If your work is not transparent there can only be two reasons for this:

1/ Are you using transparent pigments?

I use Schmincke pigments. My palette is transparent or semi transparent. You cannot mix an opaque colour with my palette no matter how hard to try to create mud! If I want to create an opaque appearance - I use a different technique that is quite wonderful - but that is another whole chapter!


Opaque pigments versus transperant pigments:
It is useful to know that not all pigments are equal. For instance Winsor and Newton Indian Yellow is a very different beast from the Schmincke Indian Yellow. Winsor and Newton Indian Yellow is very opaque and will not create the beautiful transparent hues I acheive with my Schmincke Indian Yellow.

Opaque pigments sit on the surface and lift when subsequent washes are used. We do not want that to happen. Transperent pigments are absorbed into the paper and do not lift and redistribute creating an unwanted mix with subsequent layers of pigment.


Take a look at my paintings. The colours glow and are jewel-like. That is entirely because I use my Priming Method and I use transparent pigments.

Many colour houses use similar names - but they are not very often interchangeable.

Transparent or semi transparent pigment is very important when you are using my methods.

Here is my palette:
Schmincke Indian Yellow 
Schmincke Aureolin 
Schmincke Translucent Orange 
Schmincke Scarlet Red
Schmincke Alizarin Crimson 
Schmincke Purple magenta 
Schmincke Thalo Blue 
Schmincke Thalo Green 

I use Schmincke because the quality of their product is superb. The pigment is so finely ground it is a dream to work with. The binder allows me to create smooth blends of hues that are seamless. It also allows me to return to a palette that has been dry for several weeks and I can still use it by simply taking a damp brush and passing it over the dried pigment. This saves a huge amount of wastage. The pigment redisperses readily with no clumps of lumps. Just evenly distributed pigment.

Now this is sounding like a plug for Schmincke! I have spent years refining what I do. You all get the benefit of all of my trial and error. I am always happy to promote a product that I find meets all of the criteria I need. My recommendations are totally unbiased and based on my own sound testing for the highest quality and suitability for my purposes.

To avoid an avanlanche of emails asking me where to get Schmincke in the US: I see Jerry's Artarama sell Schmincke.

Ellen from Art in the Mountains, Oregon (where I will be conducting my July 2009 workshops) - has also bought in Schmincke from Germany for the convenience of my students during the workshop. So for those on the workshop - please purchase from Ellen as she has been good enough to have it available for you.

2/ the only other cause of the thick opaque paint you mention, can be the amount of water you are using. If you are using Schmincke Indian Yellow - then the amount of water has to be the problem. You mentioned you have my DVD - take a look at the thin washes I use to create this tonal underwash. I use very little pigment and quite a lot of water.

I will keep your skin tone DVD comments in mind. I will release my new DVD in August - all going well. I will be in the US teaching from early-July until mid August so it may be better to hold the release off until August.


I am contemplating doing a DVD that focuses on methods rather than one subject. But that will be at least a year away. I could easily include skin tones etc in that.

Hope that answers your questions David

[Renee]

Susan, you said, <If I want to create an opaque appearance - I use a different technique that is quite wonderful - but that is another whole chapter!>  I would sure love to learn this chapter! 

[Susan Harrison-Tustain]

Hi Renee
It would take me hours to put the information you are seeking into text - hence my comment. There are so many variables! There are also restrictions such as how does one interpret the words: "damp", "moist", "wet" - to name just words that can confuse more than they can help. Just those words demonstrate how the power of words alone cannot hope to communicate 'degree' of wetness. We each have our own interpretation of the words. You see the degree of water used has a great impact on the way the paint will settle and the feeling it will give. So it is one of the most important concepts in watercolour painting.

We can cover opaque textures in my Oregon workshops - so you will see it then Renee. Once my new DVD is released in July/August - I will then give some thought to a DVD which covers all of these specific mini demos and specific skill projects. I could spend my days typing information on the forum - but seeing is the best way to learn and retain informtion. Seeing, along with listening and then practice is the key!

That DVD will be at least a year away.

See you in Oregon!
Susan

[Renee]

Thank you Susan! I certainly would not expect you to type in all that information here. There is so much to learn and to much to explain. Much really has to be learned by experience, that I understand well. But, I can sure see another book inside you. Maybe when you are not so busy?
Thanks so much for your inspiration!
I am looking forward to the workshop in Oregon. See you there!

[Renee]

It was so wonderful to meet you and to be with everyone at the workshop. You covered allot of stuff!
Thank you Susan for your lessons. You have supurb teaching skills.
There was not room in my brain for any more!
Still, I do want to learn to create an opaque appearence using your technique that you said was quite wonderful. If you showed us this, I missed it. I had my notebook for half of the workshop then lost it. Its ok though....
I will happily wait for that DVD that is a year away Susan.   
Bless you.

[D.Saile]

with skin tones, you want your magenta and yellow tones to be almost equal in values with yellow just a hair higher than magenta when needed.  Cyan should be 1/4 to 1/3 the amount of your yellow and magenta.

For example:
pull up your info window in Photoshop.  You will see numbers for RGB and numbers for CMYK.  An ideal combination for coloring would be for yellow to be 39 and magenta to be 36.  Then you want your cyan to be 10-15.  To get these numbers to change, pull up your curves dialog box.  Under the pull down menu in curves, you have the option of RGB, Red, Green, or Blue.  If you want to increase your yellow tones, select blue and decrease your blue tones.  To decrease your yellow, increase your blue.  To increase your magenta, decrease your green and vice versa, to increase your cyan decrease your red and vice versa.

For more details on this, go check out this book:
Skin The complete guide to digitally lighting, photographing, and retouching faces and bodies by Lee Varis.  It gives all the tonal values for all skin types as well as amazing lighting technics and other photo editing technics

[BoiseNiz73]

Skin tones are a very subjective thing. Depending on the time of day, if youre shooting with natural light and depending on the direction of it, the colour temperature of the light can change. This will obviously effect the colour balance of the subjects youre shooting.

So the question is, do you try and balance the colour and make it neutral probably hiding the time of day from view or do you allow the tones to change? In reality if you want to nail skin tones and make things neutral, you need a grey card or something like an expo-disc. If you dont do this, everything else is a guessing game. If youre trying to set the tone for just one image, try and find something that should be neutral within that image and balance from that.

I think the most important thing in shots like this, is that if youre shooting a series, they are all balanced the same so there is no shift between images.

[BoiseNiz73]

I apologize in advance if this has been asked before but I didnt see it in my search.

In my color shots there may be slight differences in shading on the face.  However, when I convert it to b&w these shade differences just make the face look splotchy/pixelly.  What can I do to make the skin tone look even in b&w?

[BoiseNiz73]

One of the key things to remember is if you are doing an album or a wall arrangement, whatever you select for a skin tone should be identical for all the images.  Or they will all look "off".

[roy]

Hi Susan thank you for the info on skin tones being new to portraits and water colour I cant wait to try them out.
Any advice on how to handle dark or even negro skin?
Also what is the best way to handle the area of face where a man would shave or even a 5'o clock shadow??
Thanks for any tips,look forward to yr next dvd

Roy