how do you get realistic black skintones using acrylic paints?

Question

what colour pigements are the best for painting brown skinned people

Answer 1

I have a great book called The Oil and Acrylic Portrait Painter's Pocket Palette by Ian Sidaway. ISBN 1-85076-722-x

Answer 2

I remember when I learned this during a painting class. It was an epiphany for me because I never thought of it till we had an African-American model. I believe the teacher said (it was awhile ago!) to start with brown sienna and add some yellow ochre and a little bit of vermillion - a darker red. You will have to experiment. There are many different African-American complexions, so if you are trying to match the complexion of a certain person, it will take alot of experimenting. If you just want a generic skin tone then it won't be as difficult.

Answer 3

I second that I have mixed black acrylics and just about everything else on earth into gesso as a primer layer, the oldest one is about 8 years old now so I cant really say whether it effects permanence yet, but it does not seem as if it does, My incredible anal, and amazing 70 year old painting instructor never busted my *** about it either. You will lose some of that tooth, and it really will be grey, so black gesso is a better method.

Answer 4

Use black especially mars black
Just kidding.
When I paint any skin tones, or any other subject I don't use a predetermined formula for things I paint. I paint what I see not what I think there is. Let me explain: for example let use an apple when I paint an apple I only put pigment on canvas that is the same colors as an apple, I am not recreating an apple on canvas because that is impossible apple is 3d canvas is 2d. so for the apple to look good on canvas you have to place paint on canvas that way that everybody will think it is an apple. The lights on one side will be yellow because of the son sun hitting it going into red and blues in the shadows. with colors mixed in of anycolor that is in surrounding objects. I never think of an apple as an apple but of color that is in the object I paint.
Lets put this example into context of a dark skin persons paint colors. If I would want it to be a warm painting I would add a warm underpainting if cool than cool underpainting. For light areas I would add yellow and oranges for middle ground burned umber, yellow ochre and other earth tones for shadow blues and maybe some greens. don't forget never paint with colors straight from the tube, always mix colors on your palet before you use them, that will give them depth. always mix your greens from primary colors the same with your blacks, becaus they look flat straight from the tube the same is with paynes grey and ultramarine blue.
I hope I helped
good luck

Answer 5

I paint in oil and the best color I've found is transparent red oxide. You can add ultramarine blue for the shadowed areas, some cadmium red medium for the warmer areas, and cad red medium and cad yellow light with a bit of white for the lights and highlights.

Answer 6

uderpainting using green,red, yellow, overpaint using a mixture of red/green/blue, lighten highlighted areas using yellow/white.
use thin layers of paint to overpaint, build up the tonal shades.
coloured people are not black, its only a simlified degrogatory term,same as you are not white. LF

Answer 7

use brown,add a little white for more realisticness and more white to light reflectiveness,add a touch of black or a darker brown for shadows,just play around with it,until you get it right.

Answer 8

try getting a light brown and mixing some gray and purple.

Answer 9

I would try purples and browns. mix em together

Answer 10

Just mix until you find something that fits..