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Flat Figures Painters Forum => Techniques => Color Recipes => Topic started by: errant49 on October 01, 2013, 02:46:13 PM

Title: Flesh tone
Post by: errant49 on October 01, 2013, 02:46:13 PM
Trying to explain the way I paint flesh of so called "white people"
I choose a nice figure from Wolfgang Hafer, design Ludwig Madlener, engraving Hans Lecke, 30mm
It shows an equestrian academy in Greece and the interest for the purpose is that there are a man and a woman
See the first picture

[attach=1]

About undercoat I just put one thin coat of titanium white from the Alkyd Winsor and Newton range; as I paint with oil and rather thick there is no need of several coats; one is enough


My medium still is 1/3 linen oil mixed wiyh 2/3 clarified turpentine


The colours I will use (see the picture left to right) : titanium white, naples yellow, yellow ochre, cadmium red, flesh ochre, alizarine carmine, burnt sienna ,  burnt umber, van dyck brown, ultramarine blue; this makes a lot but some of them are used in very small quantity, for instance cadmium red for lips and cheeks, just a point; most of them are from the Lefranc Bourgeois range with some Rembrandt
I do not know if the pictures will be really significant (I am a poor photographer), but... lets go !

[attach=3]

The first step is to cover the whole figures (man and woman, w'ill deal with the horse later) with the basic flesh tone : titanium white, naples yellow, yellow ochre, flesh ochre, rather clear for the woman and deeper for the man by the addition of burnt sienna
I then start to put some light where needed with titanium white + naples yellow
Then the first shadows with pure flesh ochre for the woman and a mix flesh ochre + burnt sienna for the man
And then a new work on the highlights (same as above)


Here comes a more original way of shadowing ; I use violet made with more or less white, ultramarine blue and alizarine carmine; the violet will be redish for the woman and bluish for the man; this was one the Douchkine way


At the end of this session a little red was added on the lips and cheeks and the hair were painted


I will go back to the figures tomorrow when the paint will have dried a little; I will accentuate lights and shadows and warm the two figures (there is sun in Greece !)


A most important think : all this has been made in the wet


To be continue ....


Eric

Title: Re: Flesh tone
Post by: Roger on October 01, 2013, 03:12:37 PM
If you're going to demonstrate painting flesh naked is the way to go.  ;D

Very good Eric, I've saved this and am looking forward to the next installment.
Title: Re: Flesh tone
Post by: marko on October 01, 2013, 03:14:29 PM
This is brillant Eric though as you note I am surprised at the numbers of colors used - can't argue with the results though which are consistently first rate.


Mark  8)


P.S. I took the presumptious liberty of editing your post and moving your pictures up - the way to do it is explained here under http://www.intflatfigures.org/index.php?action=faq (http://www.intflatfigures.org/index.php?action=faq) under Displaying Images Inline with Text.
Title: Re: Flesh tone
Post by: errant49 on October 02, 2013, 05:43:31 AM
Here are the three last steps
I add highlights with a mix of white and cadmium yellow and some shadows with my two violets
Then I add a few details...
[attach=1]
[attach=2]
[attach=3]

I could keep on adding highlights and shadows for more and more relief, but I thought it was enough
Of course it is each one decision to stop the painting at a moment when satisfied


Last pictures of the finished bodies, both sides
[attach=4]




Next post : the horse


Eric




To Marko : thank you for the trick about inline pictures

Title: Re: Flesh tone
Post by: Roger on October 02, 2013, 06:37:39 AM
Excellent Eric, thank you.  :)
Title: Re: Flesh tone
Post by: Brian on October 02, 2013, 06:48:15 AM
Yep spot on ;)