Watercolor Techniques to Paint Skin Tones

This is all the materials we used in this class, why we like them, and what you have to take into account to select yours.

Before we dive deep into how to create a watercolor skin tone mix, it’s important to practice the basic watercolor techniques, that are:

• The transparencies.

• Gradients.

• Wet on dry technique.

• And wet on wet technique.

Practicing these techniques, especially if you're a beginner, will help you understand how watercolors behave, making the painting process easier when you tackle portrait projects.

Learn the technique that great Renaissance artists used in their works. To do this we will cover topics such as:

• The color value.

• The complementary colors.

• What underpainting color should use depending on the skin tone.

• What colors apply depending on the color of the underpainting.

Get ready to create more realistic paintings thanks to this technique.

Another thing that will make your paint stand out, more interesting, and realistic is by applying different colors instead of just one, this is because the skin, as well as all the other things in the real world, are a mixture of various tints and tones.

So in this video, you’ll learn what colors you need to mix to create a light skin tone palette.

Learn what colors you need to mix to create a mid-skin tone palette.

Learn what colors you need to mix to create a dark skin tone palette.

Don't have the colors I proposed to create each skin palette? Don't worry, in this video, you'll learn about color theory and how to mix red, yellow, and blue to be able to create your own skin tone palette with these three colors.

The skin is composed of different layers and elements that make their color vary and in this video, you’ll learn what those zones are, why, and how to take them into consideration when painting.

Put your knowledge to the test with this warm-up exercise that will allow you to have a guide of the colors that you can create with your palette and applying the techniques that you learned.

In this video you will apply what you have learned into an area of the face, you'll see the difference between painting a light skin tone without underpainting and with a blue underpainting, while you learn how to paint the mouth.

In this video you will apply what you have learned into an area of the face, you'll see the difference between painting a mid-skin tone without underpainting and with a green underpainting, while you learn how to paint the mouth and nouse.

In this video you will apply what you have learned into an area of the face, you'll see the difference between painting a dark skin tone without underpainting and with a purple underpainting, while you learn how to paint the eye.

In this video, you will learn the basic notions to paint a portrait so you are able to put all you had learn together.

Congratulations! You made it to the end. Whether you have followed all the steps to create your portrait or just applied a few of the things that you had learned, please share your work! You can snap some photos and share them here in the Q&A tab. If you have any questions or need more tips, please let us know! We are happy to help!