How to Mix Skin Tones

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Mixing skin tones doesn't have to be hard.  In fact,  mixing skin tones is easy!  All you have to do is remember this-"Red, yellow, brown, and white-that is how you mix your skin tones right."  It's true, just about every skin tone in the world can be made by mixing a combination of these colors.  Watch the video below and see.

There are so many websites and books out there that make mixing skin tones overly complex. Many websites that I've seen say that you have to have about 7 or 8 different colors to mix a good flesh tone. That's absurd! No wonder so many people run into problems when they are mixing skin tones.

Practice mixing your skin tones first, and then you can move on to more advanced concepts involving skin tones.  For example, you may play a bit with complementary colors to create a dynamic contrast between highlights and shadows. Adding cool colors to the shadow areas adds to the natural illusion of light. When you are learning however, just remember the saying-"Red, yellow, brown, and white- That's how to mix skin tones right." You can't go wrong with that. 

The following video art lesson shows you how to mix skin tones using red, yellow, brown, and white.

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