Color Blending Paints for Skin Tone

So many people will tell me that they’re intimidated by any painting where they have to try to paint skin tones. Today I am going to share with you some tips and techniques that will be helpful to blend for skin tones in your next painting. 

The secret to realistic skin tones often lies in a technique called color blending. By combining different colors, you can create a wide range of skin tones that are perfect for any subject. Let’s dive right into the basics of color blending paint for different skin tones. 

Choosing Your Paint Palette

Before we begin blending, let's discuss the color palette. I'll be using the following:

• DecoArt Burnt Umber: To add depth and shadows.
• White: To lighten colors and create highlights.
• Folk Art Pink: To introduce warm, rosy undertones.
• Folk Art Yellow Ochre: To add yellow undertones, often found in olive skin tones.

These colors will be blended with various browns (seen at the top) to achieve a range of skin tones. These are paint colors that I conveniently have on hand, but feel free to experiment with any colors you have available.

How to Blend 

To begin blending, select a base color that closely resembles your desired skin tone, whether it's light, medium, or dark. Once you have your base, introduce burnt umber to deepen the color and create shadows. Experiment with different amounts of burnt umber to achieve the desired intensity. If you don’t need to deepen the color, you may add white with the base color. The more white you add, the lighter the color will become. 

Next you can adjust the undertones. You can incorporate pink for a warmer tone or blue or purple for a cooler tone. Yellow ochre can be used to create a yellowish undertone.

Tips for Successful Color Blending

Don’t be afraid to try different color combinations and techniques when it comes to color blending. The more you practice, the better you will become at color blending. Pay attention to variations in skin tones, from warm to cool and light to dark, oftentimes referencing photos can help you accurately match skin tones as well. Finally, I would say to just keep trying and have fun with it! 

If you’d like to see where I came up with this media pad of color blending, check out this video. For more tips and techniques just like this, join my membership, the Artsy Moon Paint Club. If you're ready to create artwork you are proud of and enjoy painting a lot of great, trendy, and well organized painting tutorials in one spot with 24/7 access then my monthly membership is the perfect place for you! Come join us and get access to over 120 painting tutorials today!