Trying to paint North American Indian skin, opinions appreciated

[Verderer]

I am trying to figure out how to paint the skin on my Plains Indians, and after reading some tips, I tried out the recipe which uses Vallejo Cavalry Brown as base. This is the result.



I am trying to get a strong and dark enough tone, so that the warpaints and bucksin clothes contrast nicely with it. So maybe this isn't 100% realistic, but does it look the part? I put in a fig painted in my normal Caucasian skin method for comparison (done with Dwarf Flesh as a base).

[Regulator]

In my opinion it looks good 

[Super_Gibbon]

I think it looks good. What is the recipe exactly?

[Cory]

It's a good paint job but it is too red.

With several enrolled members of northern plains tribes in our game group this is a really touchy subject around here and the closest I've found is a medium brown skin tone with medium caucasian highlights.

[Bako]

Considering the local Kootenai here, the color looks appropriate.

[keeper]

Looks good to me

[Aaron]

I think it looks good. I would bet that skin tones looked darker back then than it does today because they spent almost all of their time outdoors. I know you are talking plains tribes, but I have seen F&I Eastern Indian re-enactors who look pretty close to that and I know a couple of part-Cherokee who are if anything darker.

Come to think of it, that is a very close tone to my Hungarian relatives after a little sun.

[Verderer]

Thanks for the opinions, people. I tried to get that sort of deep bronze tan, in daylight it isn't really all too red. I think I would paint white skin the same way, if I wanted to get the tanned look. I think I will vary the colour a bit on individual figs, so some will look darker and some lighter.

The base colour was Cavalry Brown (VA MC) mixed with a bit of Dwarf Flesh (VA GC).

[Aaron]

I love that VMC Cav Brown myself! You might also try VGC Beast Brown as a base and/or Bronzed Flesh as a highlight. Those are the colors Eric from Conquest suggested to me a few years back and they work well for me.

[Faust23]

For me, the color isn't what is distracting my eye; its the texture.  I suggest you add a little more water to your paint brush to smooth out the skin's texture. 

I'm 1/16th Creek Indian, and when I'm well tanned, I'm dark olive brown.  Can't see my Kraut genes then!