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navateSKIN: a tutorial - Part 1

Published: 2009-11-21 15:24:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 579366; Favourites: 16740; Downloads: 18309
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Description UPDATE 7/31/2011: I've uploaded a slightly revised version. Content is still the same.
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This tutorial is very extensive and will be published in (at least) four parts.

IN THIS SECTION:
Skin basics: A simple but in-depth look that expands beyond the usual shadow-midtone-highlight formula, and how to use each tonal range most effectively.

SECTION II: Skin tones. how to apply the basic formula to light, medium, dark, and fantasy skin tones.

COMING SOON:
SECTION III: Background color and ambient light. How surrounding colors affect skin.
SECTION IV: Building a skin tone, blending and texturing. The technical section showing how to paint skin start to finish.
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This tutorial uses mostly digital work as examples, but the theory behind it should apply to ALL mediums. But of course it goes without saying that this is hardly the end-all-be-all of skin painting tutorials. Just my way of thinking about it.

I tried to make this accessible for artists of all skill levels. Intermediate artists will probably benefit the most. Beginners will probably find some of the principles discussed difficult to put into practice. But don’t be frustrated! The only “secret” to being a good painter is practice. And hopefully even advanced painters will be able to glean something useful.

Also-- this should go without saying, but I will say it anyway: the ONLY WAY to learn how to paint/draw anything well, let alone realistically, is to STUDY COLOR THEORY AND FORM. All the stuff I blather on about in this tutorial is meaningless unless you take the initiative to learn the fundamentals of color and figure drawing.
Color theory resources can be found HERE .

Please, any questions, concerns, criticisms, etc: comment below.

Thanks so much for the DD!


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Comments: 734

lodylood In reply to ??? [2010-01-04 01:28:27 +0000 UTC]

you are amazingly kind to share all this with ppl.. you are fantastic.. it helped me understand so much about colors of the skins wich im surely gonna practice on.. but my main problem that whenever i try to paint something myself and make lineart.. it turn to be for me.. so messed up.. i dont know i feel like i dont have bravery to draw myself any tips ? sorry for troubling u hehe *blush*

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navate In reply to lodylood [2010-01-10 17:48:09 +0000 UTC]

Keep trying is all I can say. No one is good at first. Just don't give up; the more you try the better you will be. Be fearless! Failure is only failure if you don't learn from it.

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lodylood In reply to navate [2010-01-10 17:55:35 +0000 UTC]

your words are priceless.. but u know i got another question hehe ... is there is like.. ways.. for myself to know that i've improved.. beside feeling that i did and that its looking more better ? i mean more of like.. pro standers of judging myself if u know what i mean hehe.. sorry for troubling u xD * angel look *

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navate In reply to lodylood [2010-01-10 20:02:19 +0000 UTC]

Gosh, that's difficult to answer... I think the more you learn, the better you get as telling when things don't look right. You have to teach yourself to have a critical eye. I know I look back on my old artworks now and can see a lot of mistakes, or things I did poorly. But at the time when I was making them, I could not see the mistakes I was making. As your skills improve, so do your standards. I think it also helps a lot to get feedback from other people. Because they often can see things you cannot. Listening to feedback from other people will help you learn to see what you are doing wrong.

Don't compare yourself to pros... use their standards as a goal to work towards, but never as a way to measure your own progress. If you think you have improved, then you have. So just keep improving. Never settle for where you are at, and keep raising the bar. You'll develop pro standards all by yourself that way.

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lodylood In reply to navate [2010-01-10 20:26:16 +0000 UTC]

xD maybe it was difficult to answer but u have no idea how amazingly fantastic u answered you are just amazing and once again your words are truly priceless.. ty so much for your time.. and for your sweetness and for your amazingly priceless words and for this wonderfully useful tutorial cant thank you enough really if i ever get to be a famous artist.. u one of those few who taught me so much

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navate In reply to lodylood [2010-01-10 23:39:55 +0000 UTC]

Good luck!

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lodylood In reply to navate [2010-01-11 00:11:17 +0000 UTC]

ty so much mind if i watch u ?

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navate In reply to lodylood [2010-01-11 05:32:24 +0000 UTC]

Not at all

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lodylood In reply to navate [2010-01-11 14:15:48 +0000 UTC]

yey u r amazing (:

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Amhas In reply to ??? [2010-01-01 19:03:53 +0000 UTC]

Many thanks. These skin tutorials are amazing for a student in an art school with too little love for representational figure drawing/painting.

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navate In reply to Amhas [2010-01-02 01:15:16 +0000 UTC]

I hear you. My art school was the same--total waste for the fundamentals! Just study on your own. Glad to help.

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JohnRyanByrd In reply to ??? [2009-12-22 17:49:10 +0000 UTC]

to put it simply and mildly, Thank You!

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navate In reply to JohnRyanByrd [2010-01-01 04:53:24 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome

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brennennn In reply to ??? [2009-12-22 15:04:15 +0000 UTC]

lovely work! so much time went into making this i'm sure. thank you

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navate In reply to brennennn [2009-12-31 22:23:26 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome

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yezzzsir In reply to ??? [2009-12-22 14:17:43 +0000 UTC]

Thanks man you rock!

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navate In reply to yezzzsir [2009-12-31 22:22:21 +0000 UTC]

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Jacket-ful-of-danger In reply to ??? [2009-12-20 07:42:06 +0000 UTC]

ooohhh my god this is great!! this is the kind of tutorial that just makes me want to start drawing straight away heeeee

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navate In reply to Jacket-ful-of-danger [2009-12-31 22:22:08 +0000 UTC]

Thanks

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Creative-Theory In reply to ??? [2009-12-20 06:40:05 +0000 UTC]

I'm excited to try out this tutorial! I'm thinking of getting the special deal of the wacom tablet with painter 11 Since i actually have the money XD and its a good deal i think. It looks very helpful! Thank you for contributing this amazing and polished looking tutorial!

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navate In reply to Creative-Theory [2009-12-31 22:21:58 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome! Both Wacoms and Painter are great. If I didn't already have both I would have jumped on that deal.

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themorani82 In reply to ??? [2009-12-18 02:57:52 +0000 UTC]

i wont sead if you wont dating with the life you must get aclothc

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Xixikal In reply to ??? [2009-12-17 02:15:41 +0000 UTC]

Wow, I was looking for something exactly like this ! One of the reasons I do mostly fan art is because I can NEVER get skin tones right! Thank you, you're a real life saver

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navate In reply to Xixikal [2009-12-31 19:37:51 +0000 UTC]

Glad to help!

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Dreagon-emperor In reply to ??? [2009-12-17 02:07:14 +0000 UTC]

this is a great tutorial! I have been doing everything right, except the "warmth tone". this will be a big help

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navate In reply to Dreagon-emperor [2009-12-31 19:35:16 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, the warmth is what sort of brings it all together. Keep on truckin'.

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saadansari In reply to ??? [2009-12-14 00:10:18 +0000 UTC]

i am a complete painter now
thank you

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navate In reply to saadansari [2009-12-15 18:49:07 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome!

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Studio-Snafu In reply to ??? [2009-12-13 14:31:47 +0000 UTC]

I am so grateful for this tutorial. It's probably the most thorough skin tutorial for digital artists I've seen on dA.
I referenced your tutorial throughout making this image , and I've shared this with my friends. Thank you so very much for selflessly sharing your expertise with us less-experienced artists!

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navate In reply to Studio-Snafu [2009-12-15 18:53:45 +0000 UTC]

Awesome job! You're really nailing the concept of color variation. I'd like to see some deeper shadows and a touch of warmth on the cheeks, but it's looking great.

Also, something I'll cover in the two remaining sections: it helps a LOT to paint in the background colors before you start blending the skin tone. Starting on white can be very problematic unless you're already a color whiz.

Keep it up!

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FavoriteofDragons In reply to ??? [2009-12-13 02:15:27 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for making this It's very helpful.

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navate In reply to FavoriteofDragons [2009-12-15 18:48:46 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome

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z33r0 In reply to ??? [2009-12-11 22:34:58 +0000 UTC]

I just used this to try and struggle through my first ever time trying to correctly convey skin tone. I don't think I did a very good job but this helped a LOT! thanks so much!

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navate In reply to z33r0 [2009-12-15 18:47:58 +0000 UTC]

Keep practicing! You'll do a little better every time. If you'd like critique, just link me and I'll be happy to help.

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z33r0 In reply to navate [2009-12-19 03:48:09 +0000 UTC]

thanks! haha this tutorial was for painting I know, but the piece I worked on was a super simplified portrait kinda haha.

have a lookie I'd appreciate it. I got to a point where I'd been working in it for hours straight and just wanted to be done with it. I'm kinda proud though, I've never attempted proper skin tones and shadows and stuff like that.
[link]

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navate In reply to z33r0 [2010-01-10 17:56:10 +0000 UTC]

I am sooo sorry for taking this long to get back to you. Holidays + flu. D:

I think you're stuck on the two things I said not to do: your color range is very narrow, and your shadow tones are desaturated. Try using a shadow tone that is darker and more colorful than what is there right now. It will help things "pop" a bit.

Keep it up!

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b-r-o-w-n In reply to ??? [2009-12-06 17:54:26 +0000 UTC]

Very precise help! Thanks

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navate In reply to b-r-o-w-n [2009-12-07 18:06:10 +0000 UTC]

Welcome!

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c-quence In reply to ??? [2009-12-06 12:53:39 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for this, looks quite useful.

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navate In reply to c-quence [2009-12-07 18:06:02 +0000 UTC]

Glad to help

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MartaVasques In reply to ??? [2009-12-05 21:32:10 +0000 UTC]

Wonderful! Thank you so much!

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navate In reply to MartaVasques [2009-12-07 18:05:50 +0000 UTC]

Welcome again

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priscellie In reply to ??? [2009-12-04 07:03:29 +0000 UTC]

This is an excellent resource! I can't wait to start implementing these techniques in my own work. I look forward to exploring the next parts of your tutorial!

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navate In reply to priscellie [2009-12-05 23:58:41 +0000 UTC]

Thanks very much

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Himmels-W In reply to ??? [2009-12-04 00:16:03 +0000 UTC]

thanks a lot!
very helpful!

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navate In reply to Himmels-W [2009-12-04 01:00:32 +0000 UTC]

Your welcome!

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planetremulon In reply to ??? [2009-12-03 21:41:23 +0000 UTC]

This is a really amazing tutorial, I must say, as is part 2, I eagerly look forward to the next sections!

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navate In reply to planetremulon [2009-12-04 01:00:24 +0000 UTC]

Thank you

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Otacon144 In reply to ??? [2009-12-03 05:24:19 +0000 UTC]

You, miss/madam, have my eternal gratitude.

I've both added this to my favorites/resources list, and joined the group.

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navate In reply to Otacon144 [2009-12-04 00:58:17 +0000 UTC]

Glad to help!

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