What is your favorite palette for nudes of all skin tones

[dcorc]

I think I may have given offence with my comment immediately above – nothing could have been further from my intentions, it was made jokingly – and I therefore wish to apologize publically to Bruce – I’m sorry, friend.

Dave

davecorcoran.co.uk

[loop]

This was one of my favorites (because it is plain jane simple):

yes the Zorn project was an eye opener re: pallets for me
I used:
flake white
yellow ochre light
vermillion hue
ivory black

but for a standard flesh pallet I normally add terra-verte and pull the black

my BLOG
"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great" - John D. Rockefeller
"even when you win the rat race you're still a rat" - Joan Collins

[A Few Pigments]

Originally posted by dcorc
I think I may have given offence with my comment immediately above – nothing could have been further from my intentions, it was made jokingly – and I therefore wish to apologize publically to Bruce – I’m sorry, friend.

Dave

No worries Dave, life goes on.

Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.

"Don't worry about the world ending today, its already tomorrow in Australia."
-Charles M. Schulz

[Titanium]

Interesting Loop,

depending on the turn of your Vermilion hue,
bluish or orangish as reds go,and also depending
on the terre verte being bluish or reddish as the
earth greens go.You have added back in the qualities
of the Ivory Black,plus the transparency[from the
terre verte.]and the earth green makes a great dark
with the red.

Never really thought to try that.Thanks muchly.

I don’t use the Vermilion[real]anymore as I find the
man-made iron oxide reds so pure and rich,that in combination with Ti02/Zn0 the skin colour works well.
That would be the fiery orange of Mars Red Light and
the cool blue red of Mars Red cold.
Until later.
Titanium

Heat -Bodied Oil is the vehicle of all Hand Mulled Paint . A very little Stand Oil is needed as medium or to oil out .
Medium is used only in the last coat/s if needed at all.
In the good company of Old and New Masters.

[Philippe]

As I can see no need for me to reply here ….
all my secrets are revealed.
As you can see in the list of the colors I tend to use , there are no mixtures.
Naples yellow en Naples Yellow Reddish are mixed pigments.
So in fact you do not need them IF you can work on your palette cause my advice is to mix the colors on the palette and not on the canvas.
The reason I use titanium white is because of his covering quality and in mixtures it stands up well to these ferocious cadmiums I tend to use a lot.

[Mac Robertson, Moderator, Figure Forum]

I don’t normally comment on these types of topics here, I wouldn’t consider myself experienced or an authority… but I asked myself a similar question last week when I was mentally preparing to tackle my third live portrait. I began looking up different artists palettes to find out what they used… before a little light went on, and I realized that this was a red herring! What I needed to do was to forget all about them, and decide on my palette based on the colours of the subject…. and just paint the colours that I could see. To pre-determine my palette based on a particular artists preference of colours and mixes, which had no relationship to my subject, was a sure way to get into trouble! I started with a warm and cool red, a warm and cool yellow, a blue, and a green for the shirt, plus white and added others colours as the need occurred.
My feeling is that it is good to have the whole arsenal of colours at the ready, but keep the painting as limited as possible, and hopefully it will be in harmony.

Mac

https://artbymac.blogspot.com

[loop]

Interesting Loop,

depending on the turn of your Vermilion hue,
bluish or orangish as reds go,and also depending
on the terre verte being bluish or reddish as the
earth greens go.You have added back in the qualities
of the Ivory Black,plus the transparency[from the
terre verte.]and the earth green makes a great dark
with the red.

Never really thought to try that.Thanks muchly.

I don’t use the Vermilion[real]anymore as I find the
man-made iron oxide reds so pure and rich,that in combination with Ti02/Zn0 the skin colour works well.
That would be the fiery orange of Mars Red Light and
the cool blue red of Mars Red cold.
Until later.
Titanium

Ti I am amazed that a painter with your knowledge and experiance finds new things to try… It is very exciting to know that painting will give me a lifetime adventure of learning

my BLOG
"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great" - John D. Rockefeller
"even when you win the rat race you're still a rat" - Joan Collins

[artbabe21]

What I needed to do was to forget all about them, and decide on my palette based on the colours of the subject…. and just paint the colours that I could see.

You make a good point Mac…:) I’m sure that’s what others do with their extensive palettes…:)

Cathleen~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~

[meshuggah]

Great thread everyone. Your palette also depends on how traditional you would like to be (would you like to imitate a historical painting approach) or if you would like to be expressive.

If you want to be traditional, I would recommend staying with the earthy tones:
Titanium and Flake white
Yellow Ochre
Raw Sienna
Cadmium Yellow
Cadmium Red Light or Vermillion
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
French Ultramarine

From this palette you can mix any of the additional colors you feel you are missing (ie. greens, purples, lt. blues, blacks, greys etc..) The Old Masters worked with a very small palette and accomplished a lot. In my opinion using black in mixing is a mistake. I think using French Ultramarine and Burnt Umber you can accomplish a lot in the way of layering and glazes. Keep in mind, as an artist, you should always ask the question you are asking. We all have things to learn. Why stay constricted to one idea for a lifetime? Good luck on your venture.

Here’s a painting I did in 2001 with a lot of flesh.

http://www.ericarmusik.com

[ripper4]

this is raw sienna, venetian red, cerulean blue and flake white.

sometimes a dab of yellow ocre or french ultrmarine blue.

Don

Gallery in Alexandria, Va

[artbabe21]

Don…awesome work, a magic moment!

Cathleen~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~

[Rosic]

I just rated this great thread and encourage others to do the same.
Bern

"I'm traveling 33 1/3 RPM's in an IPOD world..."

[artbabe21]

I agree, but have we answered the original question of the particular skin color? Sorry, forgetful mind here…:)

Cathleen~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~

[ferveriga]

I always start with some titanium white, adding cad yellow and cad red for a base. Then I add either ultramarine blue or green light depending on the model’s skin tone.
You can use pretty simple colours, as long as mixed the right amount you’ll get your tone right.

For a darker skin model. It is easier to start of with some burnt sienna, adding white, yellow, blue and green as needed. But you can still use the same palette as above and get to the right tones using a lot less white.

Mixing colours shouldn’t be as theoric as people make. If you have a good eye you just mix them as you go and achieve your final colour even with a very limited palette.

Practice, practice, practice!

here is a sample with very limited palette:
http://www.veriga.net/pages/049.html

Fer

Fer Veriga
www.fer.art.br

[Praire Rune]

All the information here is invaluable. I am taking notes! I probably will start simple and then modify as I go. My model is half black and half Creek Indian, so she has some golden highlights, but African features and darker shadows.

Another question: Do you glaze many layers of thin washes, or do you jump in and paint more opaquely?

Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions!

Heidi

[Author]

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