How to Mix Dark Skin Tone Oil Paint
To mix dark skin tone with oil paint, combine 4 parts Cadmium Red and 3 parts Viridian. Dark skin tones are rich, not just dark. Avoid black, which makes skin look dead; deepen with complementary mixes like red and green, or burnt sienna with a little blue.
Opens the free browser simulator with these colors on the palette. Squeeze them out and blend with the palette knife.
Step by step
- Put down 4 parts of Cadmium Red. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 3 parts of Viridian.
- Blend with a palette knife, folding the paint over itself until no streaks of the separate colors remain.
- Pull a thin smear out to the side. Thin paint shows the true color better than a thick pile.
Lighter versions of dark skin tone
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#7B523F
#9C6F64
#AE837B
#C19E98
#DBC8C4
Another way to mix dark skin tone
With Burnt Sienna and Viridian: 2 parts Burnt Sienna and 1 part Viridian.
Tips for mixing skin tones
Mix a light, a middle and a shadow version of the skin tone before you start painting. Shadows on skin are usually cooler and more saturated, not just darker.
Questions
What colors make dark skin tone?
To mix dark skin tone with oil paint, combine 4 parts Cadmium Red and 3 parts Viridian. You can also mix it from 2 parts Burnt Sienna and 1 part Viridian.
How do you make dark skin tone lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #C19E98. White also cools and softens a color, so you may need a touch more of the warm color in the recipe to keep the same character.
How do you make dark skin tone darker?
Add burnt umber or burnt sienna, and a touch of ultramarine for cool shadows. Avoid black, which makes skin look grey and lifeless.