| The topic of this article was sparked by the | | | | (I always use paper facial tissues, since a |
| plea of a reader: 'How on earth do I mix | | | | rag can too easily 'muddy' the colours.) Pay |
| flesh colours?' I make you a promise: Unless | | | | close attention to the direction of the |
| commissioned to illustrate a medical | | | | light, as this is what defines the shape of |
| textbook, you will never be called upon to | | | | what you are painting.While this layer 'sets |
| paint human flesh.Now, unless you are a | | | | up' a little, you can make the mixtures that |
| vegan, or have never been in a kitchen, you | | | | closely match the main colours of your |
| already know the colours of flesh. You have | | | | subject's skin. In a Caucasian person, these |
| seen the gray/white through pink to blood red | | | | will consist of White with Burnt Sienna, that |
| of fish, fowl and red meats - all stripped of | | | | mix with a little Yellow Ochre, the same with |
| their skin. But even in a Life class, your | | | | a very little Cobalt Blue, and with a bit of |
| models will be wearing their skins.So, it is | | | | Cadmium Red. When these are all laid out on |
| skin - not flesh - you will be painting. Does | | | | your palette, you can begin building the head |
| that make it sound less daunting? Well, be | | | | or figure in quick strokes that follow the |
| warned. A limp fillet of raw flesh, lying | | | | direction of its curves.What gives your |
| flat and featureless on a chopping board, is | | | | subject 'life' is the accurate placing of |
| a doddle to paint. Skin, however, covers a | | | | highlights, so these need careful |
| shape with myriad curves and hollows. It | | | | observation. Do be aware that, with the |
| reflects light where the underlying structure | | | | exception of that tiny flash in the eye - |
| bulges into a forehead or juts into a | | | | where the convex cornea catches the light - |
| nose.Further, that light may be cool or warm, | | | | highlights are never pure White. They are |
| depending on its source. In the depressions | | | | warm or cool, and so need a finely judged |
| of an eye socket or the inside of an elbow, | | | | addition of the appropriate pigment. Control |
| delicate shadows reveal the shapes. On top of | | | | your eagerness and allow the painting at |
| all that, the 'local' tone of your subjects' | | | | least two days before you add the glazes. |
| skin will vary immensely. And there is more: | | | | This way, you will have lively shadows that |
| You will need to be aware of those areas | | | | rest lightly on your painted figure, as they |
| where the blood flows close to the surface, | | | | do in real life.The second method is one that |
| casting a rosy glow over the ears, nose, neck | | | | took me some years to work out and perfect. |
| and so on.Enough of the frighteners. Here is | | | | It is the 'secret' of the luminous skin |
| the basic fact that will keep you on track: | | | | quality so often remarked on in my paintings, |
| All of us are coloured in some variation of | | | | but applies only to oil painting. As so often |
| orange-brown.To us painters, that means Burnt | | | | in oil painting, it demands patience during |
| Sienna. From the translucent 'white' of a | | | | the necessary waiting periods while each step |
| Nicole Kidman, through the 'yellow' of a | | | | dries. So it is a good idea to have at least |
| Chinese, to the 'black' of a Melanesian, it | | | | three paintings always in progress.As before, |
| is only a matter of adding White to lighten | | | | make your modelled sketch, but let it dry |
| or Cobalt Blue to darken the basic Burnt | | | | thoroughly. Then, (assuming the subject is |
| Sienna. (I prefer Cobalt Blue in these | | | | Caucasian) cover the entire head or figure |
| mixtures because it is cooler and more opaque | | | | with an underpainting mixed from Yellow |
| than Ultramarine. I never use Thalo Blue | | | | Ochre, Cobalt Blue and Alizarin Crimson, |
| because I find it too strong for any skin | | | | modified with White. Adjust this mixture |
| tone I have ever seen.)And there are two | | | | until it matches the undertones of your |
| methods of tackling the challenge of painting | | | | subject's skin over bony areas, checking it |
| people.The first is alla prima, the direct | | | | against such places as her/his wrist, jaw, |
| laying down of paint in one application, | | | | temples. Lay it thinly, so that the structure |
| without using glazing or scumbling | | | | of your initial drawing shows faintly |
| techniques. It is chosen by a majority of | | | | through. It will look horrible! But do not be |
| painters because it seems simpler. But when a | | | | faint-hearted. Put the work in the racks |
| painter is inexperienced in rendering the | | | | where you will not see it until at least |
| figure, this method can all too often lead to | | | | three days have passed and it is dry to the |
| a 'muddy' result as the shadow colours are | | | | touch.Now the magic begins...Make your |
| blended - or over-blended - into the wet | | | | 'local' colour mixes as we discussed above, |
| paint.So, if you choose this method and are | | | | without adding any medium. Moisten your |
| not supremely confident of your brushwork, I | | | | brushes with medium, then wipe them dry. |
| strongly recommend laying your shading on | | | | (Please do not stint yourself on brushes. |
| the nearly dry figure with glazes. A glaze is | | | | Unlike watercolours, oil paint does not wash |
| simply a small amount of transparent pigment | | | | out of even sable brushes. You must use a |
| carried in a glazing medium. Some examples of | | | | fresh brush for each mixture if you want |
| transparent pigment are Viridian Green, | | | | clean colour on the canvas, and this is vital |
| Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson, Raw Sienna and | | | | when you are working with the subtle tones of |
| so on. Glaze mediums have entire recipe books | | | | skin.)Work the brush into the colour mix so |
| to themselves but a reliable alternative is | | | | that it is evenly loaded. Then stroke it, |
| Windsor & Newton Liquin, modified with | | | | gently as if you were caressing a new born |
| distilled turps. Experiment until you find | | | | baby, across the underpainting. This is |
| the mix that suits your style. The thing to | | | | called scumbling. One of its secrets is to |
| remember is not to dilute the medium so much | | | | hold the brush lightly as if it were made of |
| that it becomes too weak to achieve a good | | | | thin glass, with fingers beneath the handle |
| adherence.I have mentioned (nagged!) before | | | | and thumb just resting on top.The thinnest of |
| that good figure painting relies on good | | | | layers build up slowly, allowing that |
| figure drawing, so I will assume you have | | | | underpainting to insinuate its presence |
| done your homework and have checked and | | | | almost imperceptibly, as you work towards the |
| rechecked proportions as you made the sketch | | | | dense, brightest highlights. Let each |
| for your painting. You will have done this in | | | | scumbled layer dry before applying the next. |
| a thin mix of Raw Umber and turps, very easy | | | | If you find you have laid the colour too |
| to adjust as you go along. Now you can take a | | | | thickly at any point, just take a painting |
| step that will be an invaluable help in | | | | knife and scrape it away before trying again. |
| keeping the three dimensional quality of your | | | | This is the beauty of giving each layer time |
| subject.With a thin mix of Burnt Sienna - do | | | | to dry, so that the underlying colours shine |
| not worry that it looks like a so-called | | | | through.The technique calls for exquisite |
| 'Red' Indian at this point - loosely model | | | | restraint, but it will achieve a result you |
| the structure of your subject, shading the | | | | can get in no other way: The illusion of |
| hollows and wiping out the main highlights. | | | | living skin laid over living flesh. |