Skin Tones

After the frustration of colours not working out the way I wanted in my last Life Drawing watercolours, I asked a friend, the talented emmajmemma, what pigments she used for skin tones. I had been using New Gamboge (PY97), Quinacridone/Permanent Rose (PV19) and Cerulean Blue (PB35), on the advice of some very talented urban sketchers based in California. But somehow that mix was a little too intense for Irish and Eastern European skins. Emma's secret weapon, she revealed to me, was yellow ochre (PY43), mixed with PV19.

So that led to some experimentation and colour swatches. I found that adding some Buff Titanium into the mix can help me reach the paler colours without having to add as much water. And then Lavender (a mixed pigments paint from Daniel Smith) to create subtle shadows. Daniel Smith's Lavender is a favourite of mine. I use it a lot in Irish skies (with Buff Titanium actually), so I don't know why I hadn't thought of it sooner for skin tones.

So, I've made the necessary changes to my skin tones/life drawing palette and I'm all ready to test it in real life!

The colours in my palette are, clockwise from top left: ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, potters pink, buff titanium, lavender, new gamboge, perylene marroon, monte amiata natural sienna, PV19, pyrrole red, burnt sienna and cerulean blue.

And while I was at it, I tried a little self portrait, testing a number of red pencils I have. I found that the Faber Castell Eco works nicely for drawing and it stays steady with watercolour on top, and on the paper on which I tested it at least, it doesn't repel the watercolour, which some pencils or pens can do!