SKIN: a tutorial - Part 2
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© 2009 - 2020 navate
Whew… okay. This section is very long, and a little intense. I realize I am simultaneously telling you to choose a unified palette, AND throw color all over the place. It’s definitely the most difficult and advanced section of the entire tutorial.
DOWNLOAD THE SUPPLEMENT CHART HERE 
Import it into a program with a color picker, and go nuts. Compare the swatches, look at how the colors, saturation, and values changes. It will help, promise.
_
IN THIS SECTION:
Skin tones: how to achieve a range of skin tones (light, medium, dark, and fantasy) using the basic formula laid out in Section I.
This tutorial is very extensive and will be publish in four parts. If you just found it, please be sure to start with Section I!
SECTION I: Skin Basics. Expanding beyond the usual shadow-midtone-highlight formula, and how to use each tonal range most effectively.
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.
_
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.
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.
You can find color theory resources here in my journal.
Please, any questions, concerns, criticisms, etc: comment below.
follow me:
Instagram :: Tumblr :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Prints & Originals Store
DOWNLOAD THE SUPPLEMENT CHART HERE Import it into a program with a color picker, and go nuts. Compare the swatches, look at how the colors, saturation, and values changes. It will help, promise.
_
IN THIS SECTION: Skin tones: how to achieve a range of skin tones (light, medium, dark, and fantasy) using the basic formula laid out in Section I.
This tutorial is very extensive and will be publish in four parts. If you just found it, please be sure to start with Section I!
SECTION I: Skin Basics. Expanding beyond the usual shadow-midtone-highlight formula, and how to use each tonal range most effectively. 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._
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.
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.
You can find color theory resources here in my journal.Please, any questions, concerns, criticisms, etc: comment below.
follow me:
Instagram :: Tumblr :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Prints & Originals Store
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Comments776
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THANKS A MILLION
Thank You
EvilCookiieProfessional Digital Artist
This has been incredibly helpful! Thanks so much!
thanks! very helpful owo
ToshiroHoshiHobbyist Traditional Artist
Thank you for this! 
mystissiaProfessional General Artist
merci
You are amazing! What a lot of work you have gone to just to help others like me and I am extremely grateful that you did, Thank you!
Thank you!
The-LegendaryExtremeProfessional General Artist
Disappointed that after 8 years part 3 and 4 aren't completed. :< Part 4 is what I was looking forward to!
navateProfessional Digital Artist
Me too! If you are eager for the next part please help fund the tutorial on Patreon. I am working on it now. I have never made a single cent on these original two parts, despite the intensive hours and work I did to create them. The chief reason for the delay initially was I cannot afford to work for free. The current reason for the delay is I am chronically ill, and my illness capsized my career and made it almost impossible to paint at all for several years. I am doing better but still deal with daily, unpredictable symptoms that make it difficult and sometimes physically impossible to work. So I REALLY can't afford to work for free. I want nothing more than to be healthy again, able to work normal hours, but that is not my current situation. I hope you can understand that. <3
With crowdfunding, I finally have a way to be paid for the work required to create tutorials. And I look at this 8 year gap as a good thing: I'm a hell of a better artist now than I was when I originally made these. I have a lot of extra things to teach. I miss doing tutorials and am excited to return to them! I plan on doing many other tutorials beyond my original plans for this skin tutorial.
You can help fund the tutorials by pledging on Patreon. More Patreon supporters => more reliable income => I'll be able to take fewer commissions => more time to work on tutorials and personal work => the sooner they get done!
patreon.com/navate
Thanks for understanding. I hope the new tutorials will be worth the wait.
With crowdfunding, I finally have a way to be paid for the work required to create tutorials. And I look at this 8 year gap as a good thing: I'm a hell of a better artist now than I was when I originally made these. I have a lot of extra things to teach. I miss doing tutorials and am excited to return to them! I plan on doing many other tutorials beyond my original plans for this skin tutorial.
You can help fund the tutorials by pledging on Patreon. More Patreon supporters => more reliable income => I'll be able to take fewer commissions => more time to work on tutorials and personal work => the sooner they get done!
patreon.com/navate
Thanks for understanding. I hope the new tutorials will be worth the wait.
The-LegendaryExtremeProfessional General Artist
I'm sorry to hear that you've been unwell! I hope you recover swiftly. It sounds like you are motivated though, and that's great! I think that's the hardest part of getting started.
I am mostly unemployed at the moment and doing freelance illustration to compensate, so unfortunately I'm limited on the funds I can spend every month, but I hope that once I get paid a few more times I'll be able to make a pledge. I'd really love to be able see your tutorials and the extra goodies you are offering!
Thanks for getting back to me. Good luck!!
I am mostly unemployed at the moment and doing freelance illustration to compensate, so unfortunately I'm limited on the funds I can spend every month, but I hope that once I get paid a few more times I'll be able to make a pledge. I'd really love to be able see your tutorials and the extra goodies you are offering!
Thanks for getting back to me. Good luck!!
twocupsofbanchaHobbyist Digital Artist
Thank you so much for sharing this! It's hard to find a more detailed explanation on how to paint different types of skintones, so this tutorial is very appreciated.
MariaEnzianiaKober General Artist
Thank you for providing this!
DANKDLELStudent General Artist
God! This is amazing! Thanks for this!!
This is so amazing.. I wanna say thanks for sharing this.
AmarthrienProfessional Digital Artist
Thanks for this awesome tutorial, it helps a ton
MaryKaoruHobbyist General Artist
This is sooo great!! 
angela-sparkleHobbyist Digital Artist
Wow, you really covered it all! Thanks <3
JoyChaosHobbyist Traditional Artist
one of the only people who also made one for different dark shades and not just white skin and olive tones. thank you so much
CadaverCraftsHobbyist Artisan Crafter
This is seriously so useful and great for me right now, you have no idea how much this helped me!
Burning-Heart-BronyHobbyist Digital Artist
Thank you very much for the tutorial, it explained lots!
So helpful! Up until now my skins looked bland and flat. Ton of help! Thanks!
thank you, thank you, thank you- so much!! This is what I was looking for to help me past a plateau.
nuhyaminHobbyist Digital Artist
where is part 3
navateProfessional Digital Artist
I created the first two parts as a gift to my fans while I was in college. Now, I cannot afford to do free work, so while I plan to finish this series I need to set up some sort of crowdfunding to make it happen.
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