If you are struggling to mix skin tones with watercolor, I got you. Mixing skin tones with watercolor is not that difficult and once you learn a few key things, you'll be mixing gorgeous, fresh, translucent skin tones that seem to glow. 

While there isn't a specific formula for mixing skin tones, all skin tones can be mixed with just 2-3 colors. Skin tones, no matter the racial background, are predominately a mix of red, yellow, and blue. This seems impossible since there are almost an infinite number of skin tones in the world but it's true. Red, blue, and yellow will mix any skin tone you can imagine. The trick lies in how much of each color and the amount of water used to mix the skin tone. That's it. 

Key Things to Remember (My Tips):

• Before you begin to mix a skin tone, really look at your reference subject. All skin tones, regardless of racial background, have an undertone that may be pink, blue, or even green. For example, a person with olive skin tones has a slightly green undertone, and a newborn baby may have a pink undertone.
• Use the largest brush suitable for the area you will be painting skin tones in. A larger brush will make smoother more even skin texture while a very small brush may produce patchy washes resulting in a blotchy skin texture. 
• ALL SKIN TONES are a mix of 2-3 colors. Primarily all skin tones are created by mixing different amounts of red, blue, and yellow. Note: some skin tones can be made with just red and yellow. Also, don't mix more than 3 different colors or your skin tone may become muddy. Mixing fewer colors make better skin tones.
• Fresh skin tones rely on using transparent watercolors to create transparent washes that create that glowing skin. If you do happen to use an opaque or semi-opaque color be sure to thin it with a lot of water.  
• The ratio of paint to water will affect the lightness or darkness of the skin tone you're trying to mix. For example, a paler skin tone would use more water and less blue. Darker skin tones may use more blue and less water. Experiment with the ratio of water to paint to learn how the mix will look.
•  Keep your paper on a tilt. Tilting your paper as you paint will enlist gravity to constantly pull your washes downward making them much smoother. 

Recipes for Mixing Skin Tones:

While most skin tones are a mix of red, blue, and yellow, some skin tones can be created with 1 or 2 colors. For example, you may use yellow ochre or raw sienna diluted with a lot of water to create a pale skin tone. Or you can use a burnt umber with less water to make a darker skin tone. You can also mix a red and a yellow with no blue to create a skin tone. To make things a bit easier for you, I put together a list of reds, blues, and yellows you can experiment with to mix skin tones. 

Pick any red, blue, and yellow from this list and experiment with mixing skin tones. Also, experiment with adding more water to make a tone lighter or use less water and more paint to create a darker tone. Try mixing just a red and a yellow to see if it makes a good skin tone. Some red and yellow mixes may be too orange and if that happens, add a tiny bit of blue. 

Earth tones can also be used to create skin tones, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, and Raw Umber can all be used either alone or with red, yellow or blue mixed in to make a nice skin tone. 

Best Advice:

Experiment, experiment, experiment! Mixing different colors and seeing what color you come up with is the best way to learn. 

To make things easier for you, I've created a cheat sheet and practice guide for FREE to download. Click on the picture below to snag your very own copy!