[JerryH]

I just finished a carving of an indian bust and need suggestions on how to get a realistic color for the face. Paint....stain.....or what? How do the 'experts' do it?
Jerry

[BasketballJones]

Check out Greg Wilkerson's site. http://www.wilkersonwoodcarving.com/ He is one of the best and frequently offers tips. Perhaps by looking at his gallery you may be able to get some ideas. His work is amazing.

[wade clark]

Jerry,
What kind of wood is it? Please post a picture and we'll be able to give you better info. There are Folks here that can give you incredible guidance and will give it freely!
Wade

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

also depends on whether you are using oils or acrylics. one method is mix a little burnt umber with some linseed oil and wash down the hold carving, let it dry and then come back with the rest of the painting. There are some real outstanding painters/artists/carvers on here that can answer you, Lori Corbett, Laura Irish, Mottles , except you might end of up ghosts. lol

[Irish]

Hey Jerry,

I have posted the following formulas before on the Wood Carvers Digest and at the Wood Carvers Companion E-Zine ... so I will go ahead and be bold and post them here.

---

For light peach colored skin try a mixture of:
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow
Madder Brown (this is a deep off tone red)
Use Raw Umber for the shadow tones.

For a light brown or coffee colored skin use:
Titanium White
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Use a mix of Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber for the shadow tones.

For a chocolate colored skin tone try:
Titanium White
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Use Burnt Umber for the shadow tones.

All three skin color mixes use an orange hue for the blushing. If I am working in acrylics I do the painting first, then add the oil stain. Once the oil stain is dry mix some cadmium yellow and cadmium red oil paint to create a nice bright orange. Pick up a little on a clean cloth then blot that cloth very very well on a towel so there is very little color left in the cloth. Now pat that cloth where you want the blush ... cheeks, tip of nose, and top of the chin. The patting means you will have no brush strokes and since it's done in oil colors the acrylic and staining work shows through the blush.

The shadow tones go along the sides of the nose, under the mouth where it meets the chin, in the depths of the eye lids, and if appropriate along the edge of the face where it meets the hair.

---

All skin colors are a shade of orange. There are no cream, pink, or black skin tones! If you think in orange your Indian's face coloring will go much easier. What you are looking for is a medium brown tone that falls on the orange side to give that "red" look. So I would use the medium (light brown-coffee) mix then add just a little cadmium orange. Just a little! When you do the blushing I would go with a mix of two parts cadmium orange with one part cadmium red to move it into the red-orange shade.

The color names work whether you are using watercolors, acrylics, or oils. The paint manufacturers stick to the same names matching the same colors no matter what media they are in.

Hope this helps.

Susan

[JerryH]

Thanks for the information! I should have mentioned that it is basswood.

Jerry

[Hugh]

Thanks Susan, I've always had a problem painting flesh tone. I printed the instructions, great stuff!!!!! much appreciated.

[Donna_T]

Even when I'm using a bottle pre-mixed paint (Ceramacote), I never never use it just like it comes. I always tone it down or spice it up with other mixtures. They have several "flesh" tones and depending on the subject, I add orange, sienna, br umber, raw umber, or other colors to get it closer to my subject's real skin color.

I also like to use pastel chalks to brush on color for highlighting on my completely dry carving. Just rub the brush across the chalk (and I sometimes use 2-3 colors of it to get the shade I want) and dust it on the cheekbones, tip of nose and chin and sometimes forehead--just like Susan said. I have a little plastic box that will hold 6 different pastel sticks, and usually the dust that flakes off in the bottom of the box is just what I want. If you get too much on, you can blow off some, and lightly rub off more.

This whole process that I use is pretty much like using real "blush" when putting on makeup (I know---some of you guys don't put on make-up, but I'm sure you've watched someone do it while you're waiting for them to get ready...)

Donna T