03-13-2014, 08:16 PM
General rule of thumbs are, more greener shifted hues towards the jaw area of males, warmest reddest tones at cheeks, more yellow shifted on forehead. Notice shifted, means there is more than in the base colour but doesn't mean it's obviously so. Part of what gives skin its vibrancy is sub surface scattering and the fact that it is built up of layer upon layer of different material that light penetrates through to different degrees and varying absorption of wavelengths. Understanding this will help you build a model in your mind of how colours shift in skin. Read this to get an overview. http://douglasflynt.blogspot.co.nz/2012/...-part.html
Unfortunately he didn't finish the other posts...sound like they would have been equally awesome.
Also check out this on dA and also part two in the description for the different skin tones. http://navate.deviantart.com/art/SKIN-a-...-144294636
I slightly disagree with Madzia that simply a darker version of your base colour is a good enough approximation for the shadow areas. Colour variation is key to getting skin to look natural, so there should be hue shifting as she mentioned as well as value shifting, so make sure you do try and reflect this in your study. Nothing makes things look flat and dull like only using colours from a simple gradation from dark to light of one hue.
Also what madzia said., if you want to learn to paint a photograph along with all of its inherant biases and inability to capture light like the eyes does then simply duplicate the photograph. If you want to know how to do better skin, paint from life or the most "natural" looking images only.
I think with lips you have to pay special attention to the edges. The hardest edges are where the lips meet and the top lip shadows the bottom. Almost everything else is relatively soft, even the top lip with that classic bow shape, and in the pretty boy pout the dude has in your photo. Also pay attention the the actual shapes, forms and values you are looking at, and duplicate those, don't draw what you imagine a lip should look like. Pay close attention to the planes of the forms....these are key to getting the volume to them without outlining.
Lastly less saturation is necessary for unmade up lips. The key is correct form implied by your values and proper use of highlighting to show difference in texture and material
Unfortunately he didn't finish the other posts...sound like they would have been equally awesome.
Also check out this on dA and also part two in the description for the different skin tones. http://navate.deviantart.com/art/SKIN-a-...-144294636
I slightly disagree with Madzia that simply a darker version of your base colour is a good enough approximation for the shadow areas. Colour variation is key to getting skin to look natural, so there should be hue shifting as she mentioned as well as value shifting, so make sure you do try and reflect this in your study. Nothing makes things look flat and dull like only using colours from a simple gradation from dark to light of one hue.
Also what madzia said., if you want to learn to paint a photograph along with all of its inherant biases and inability to capture light like the eyes does then simply duplicate the photograph. If you want to know how to do better skin, paint from life or the most "natural" looking images only.
I think with lips you have to pay special attention to the edges. The hardest edges are where the lips meet and the top lip shadows the bottom. Almost everything else is relatively soft, even the top lip with that classic bow shape, and in the pretty boy pout the dude has in your photo. Also pay attention the the actual shapes, forms and values you are looking at, and duplicate those, don't draw what you imagine a lip should look like. Pay close attention to the planes of the forms....these are key to getting the volume to them without outlining.
Lastly less saturation is necessary for unmade up lips. The key is correct form implied by your values and proper use of highlighting to show difference in texture and material