How many shades do you use for realistic flesh?

[Matthew83]

Hi all,

Being a 6mm painter moving into 28mm I'm used to using just one flesh tone on my figures, in 28mm I've begun using a tanned flesh base and going over it with a light flesh tone for detail.
It doesn't seem enough, what to do?

I reckon I can pick out detail pretty well but trying to paint realistic flesh just isn't working out for me, it's almost like painting a canvas, there's so much more to it at this scale.

Should I dip, drybrush or what, and how many tones?
I don't expect to be able to put a 5 o'clock shadow on immediately, but would be grateful if anyone has any simple, effective tips.

Many thanks

Matt

[goon3423]

I use three shades & a wash. I start w/ GW foundation flesh. Followed up with a heavy wash of Devlan Mud. The last two steps are highlights of Dwarf flesh then Elf flesh (if you use GW colors, I cant remember the Vallejo paint names off the top of my head, I'm only a recent Vallejo convert). I have found my little method good for both 28 & 15mm.

[generulpoleaxe]

Most people start with a red/brown such as gw's dark flesh, then slap some dwarf flesh over that followed by elf flesh, the foundry system allows quick and effective gaming miniatures which is what I think your after.

If I post my methods you will just cry at the amount of work involved

[Matthew83]

Great stuff, I normally use GW paints so I'll pick those shades up tomorrow.

I've been looking at the foundry system online and may give that a go once I've got the hang of things.

Cheers chaps

Matt

[Mindenbrush]

5-6 layers if you include the base colour. I have started using the Foundry "Expert" Flesh set which has 6 colours but substitute Plaka Red-Brown or VMC Red Leather for the "A" and then adding B through to E, hardly used any "E" except on female flesh.

Or

Flesh - Caucasian - Tom Weiss recipe
Base coat = Plaka Red-Brown or VMC Red Leather
Main colour = Dwarf Flesh (GW or VGC) + VMC Dark Flesh + a little bit of P Red-Brown or VMC Red Leather
1st highlight = VMC Flat Flesh + a bit of Dwarf Flesh (GW or VGC).
2nd highlight = 1st highlight + small amount of White (VMC/VGC) or VMC Ivory,
For further highlights add extra white (or Ivory) to the mix.

[Froggy the Great]

I find that the flesh triads from Reaper do quite well.
I basecoat over white with the shade color, then line with Walnut.  Then I do the eyes, and highlight up through the midtone and highlight color.

[soldieroftheline]

I've been chopping and changing a bit but lately have been using the standard (not the expert) Foundry triad with a wash of browm/sepia ink between the A & B stages.

[Chairface]

I find that the flesh triads from Reaper do quite well.
I basecoat over white with the shade color, then line with Walnut.  Then I do the eyes, and highlight up through the midtone and highlight color.

Me too. Love them

[Hammers]

For that general pale faced look I use

Base coat of IWE Flesh
Thin wash of Vallejo Air Dark Umber
Touch up with IWE Flesh
1st Hilite of Reaper Master series Caucasian
2nd Hilite of Reaper Master series Fair Maiden
A little pink on lips and cheeks and we're all done.

For Orientals, American Indians etc. I've started to use Foundry's triad and I am rather happy with the results. I used them strait of out of the  pot but  apply a wash of dark umber after the first basecoat.

[aircav]

Pick up the foundry expert flesh set, it gives you 5 shades that you can use them all or just use as many as you like & mix inbetween shades 

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Pick up the foundry expert flesh set, it gives you 5 shades that you can use them all or just use as many as you like & mix inbetween shades 

yes, that is it, though the first one of the Expert Flesh set ist too bright for my taste, I usually need a darker background. I'm taking the first one from the Mediterranean Flesh set.

[Daeothar]

Interesting to see what other people use for their fleshtones; some good ideas to pursue there.

I build up my fleshtones up quite differently though. Regardless of black, grey or white undercoat, I start off with a basecoat of GW Vomit Brown; several thin coats until it's even. Then, depending on the intended end result, I shade that with either Brown Ink, Snakebite Leather, GW Flesh Wash or (more recently) Devlan Mud.

Clean up with straight Vomit Brown, and then work up the highlights with lightening mixes of Vomit Brown and White up to the end result. So; I really only use two colours and a wash. But depending on the balance between speed and perfection, the highlighting steps can vary between 3 and 10 (or so)...

It's easy to control the final skin tone this way. For some more bronzed tones, I sometimes add a little Snakebite Leather to the Vomit Brown as well. Same goes for middle eastern types of skin tone, but then I add an ever so slight amount of Scorched Brown.

The above is of course for different shades of (near) Caucasian skin. For Asian skin, I substitute the straight Vomit Brown with a mix of a little Vomit Brown added to Bubonic Brown. I use the same mix, together with white to highlight. For African skin, I use a different recipy altogether: a basecoat of Scorched Earth, with a wash of Black. Then a first highlight with Scorched Earth, then up to the highest highlight with lightening mixes of Scorched Earth and Vomit Brown (but very subtle; don't go too high there).

Where I mentioned GW paints there, I also liberally substitute with Vallejo equivalents, but years of indoctrination with Citadel paint names mean those names are readily remembered, where the equivalents aren't...

[zemjw]

I have tried most of the paints suggested here, but I'm using the Andrea Miniatures Flesh set at the moment.

It has six colours (two bases, two shadows and two highlights) and I prefer it to the Foundry set (although I didn't realise they did an expert set, might have to try that)

The differences between the colours can be quite steep, so I find myself just using base, base + shade1, shade1 (and the same for highlight). Kindof depends on the scale of the figure and what mood I'm in 

[Kane]

Going from a white undercoat: Dark flesh - 50/50 dark flesh + bronzed flesh - bronzed flesh - 50/50 bronzed flesh + elf flesh - elf flesh - 50/50 elf flesh + bleached bone - bleached bone
And dwarf flesh for the lips. All colours are GW or their Vallejo variants.

[OSHIROmodels]

Lots of interesting blends etc. Here's mine for what it's worth.

Bestial Brown base
Mix of bestial brown/elf flesh about 70/30
Mix of bestial brown/elf flesh about 40/60
Any pale creamy colour for the finish.

All the colours apart from the base are watered down a fair bit.

cheers

James