"Painting skin?" Topic

I'm painting WW2 28mm Germans and Soviets, and am happy with everything except the skin tones, which I've been doing with various Vallejo flesh tones and a GW flesh wash which I think is too dark. Th problem I have is that the skin tones don't work well together- some are too pink; some too yellow and some too pale, which clash rather than blend.

Does anyone have any (simple) 3 colour/tone schemes for skin? What I really want to do is use colours that work well together straight from the pot with minimal mixing as I've got a lot of troops to do.

I'd prefer to use Vallejo paints as those are what I mainly use, but am open to suggestions!

:O)

Try chocolate brown for your base from vallejo. Medium flesh from delta ceramcoat for your next step then put a brown wash over that and highlight it again with the medium flesh.

I use Vallejo cork brown.

I do a cinnamon brown for undertone, medium flesh for the mid-color, and a few touches of GW elf flesh for the tip of the nose, cheeks, etc. No mixing, quick try time.

And if you insist on using a wash for the face (which I usually dont) try that new Privateer Press P3 flesh wash- its a much kinder, organic kind of flesh wash, and doesnt tend to blot out the whole face when dried.

If you dilute the wash with 2 parts water 1 part flow enhancer you won't get that blot out problem.

And 1 part wash, duh.

I agree with Pictors, dilute that flesh wash! Don't use it straight up.

Cork Browns a good way to go …

My usual recipe is all GW:
1. Basecoat: Dwarven Flesh
2. Flesh Ink
3. Dwarven Flesh again leaving the ink in the recesses.
4. Dwarven Flesh again lightened with Elven Flesh
5. Elven flesh on it's own on the highest points.

I use GW flesh wash and I always dilute it down half and half with water. I have also found that if you add a tiny amount of soap, you will get a much better finish.

-Joe

Translating Flashman recipe in Vallejo:

Dwarven Flesh = 803 Brown Rose
Elven Flesh = 815 Basic Fleshtone

I usually base with Saddle Brown or Mahogany Browm.

Marco

I also start with Cork Brown, and a second layer with a mix of 50/50 Cork Brown and Basic Flesh and then a final highlight with Basic Flesh.

(Unless it's Elves. In which case they get Basic Flesh + White).

For a simple solution try Andrea flesh paint set. Very similar to Vallejo but the bottles need more shaking.

link

(Thanks Marco!)

I try to vary Caucasian flesh tones (redheads should have lighter skin, for example; and winter-based figures should not have a deep tan), but the default from which I vary is currently (from darkest to lightest):

1 Mix of Vallejo Chocolate Brown and Citadel Dwarf Flesh
2 Citadel Dwarf Flesh
3 Mix of Citadel Dwarf Flesh and Vallejo Basic Skintone
4 Vallejo Basic Skintone
5 Mix of Vallejo Basic Skintone and vallejo Light Skintone

Adjust and omit stages according to taste and how much time you are willing to spend on a single figure.

Vallejo cork brown 843 is my first choice, (what I recommended in my SOTCW and SHQ paitn guides) then highlight with the flesh tone that best suits your mini's nationality.

Failing that Vallejo 929 Light Brown.

Depends on the contrast your after?

se :)

I personally have become fond of the Reaper Master series flesh tone paints. A base, a highlight and a shade that are designed to work as a set.

I'm one of the guys who uses a lot of craft paints but these fleshtones are great. A fair set, a rosy set, a tan set, an asian set(golden), and an African set(dark skin). Excellent paints.

Doh! I just had to verify my email due to TMP changes in order to reply to my own post!

Anyway- loads of very useful advice there so many thanks!

Right- off to order some more paints and experiment with those skin tone suggestions!

:O)

I use a red brown (from IWM) as my base coat, then Ceramcoat Ruddy Flesh for the main color and then highlight with Ral Partha Flesh.

My Ceramcoat bottle has been going strong for about 10 years now, hard to believe, but its true.

I have a bottle of Reaper Flesh Ink that is a very dark brown. I don't understand why this color is so dark because it totally darkens out the regular flesh color underneath. Hence, I don't use it.

I use GW Bestial Brown over a black undercoat , add some white for the mid colour then add some more white for a highlight.Sometimes I use a 4th even lighter highlight but thats about it.

For years I've used a Vallejo base "sunny skintone" as a base – then wash with India red oil paint, (thin to suit) , and then highlight in the same "sunny skintone"- Looks great- very simple, very fast

I'm sure this is utter heresy but I've tried the quick-drying acrylics and now I'm back using oils (humbrol and testors – yes testors!). I mix my own highlights and shadows. The oils are so much easier to blend and lighten, and you can you can work them almost indefinitely with a bit of thinner. I do use a white acrylic primer which helps the flesh tone to "glow"

Wargames Illustrated has published a painting guide for 1/72 scale miniatures with notes on painting skin.

se

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