Hello all trust everyone is well and busy painting ..............

Can anyone offer some advice in
1. Base coating for a Zulu Warrior
2. Colour mixes to get to the right colour

As always advise comments and suggestions very much appreciated

Afternoon OSS

You don't say if it's oils or acrylics, but given you ask about a base coat I'd guess oils?
Plenty of natural variation, but I'd suggest burnt umber as a dark base lightened with a burnt sienna and then highlights added with a touch of 'flesh' added. Not a Zulu, but here's a dark skin painted using those sort of colours - hopefully helps
Cheers
Paul

ps - don't forget the skin on teh soles and palms of the hands is a noticeably lighter tone

Thanks Paul I think I posted in the Oils section so yes oils although of course a base coat in acrylic is used at times.......so you would mix the two burnt umber and a burnt sienna as abase coat ? what colour would you use to prime grey or black ? then a base coat u mentioned ?

I always use a white primer. Base coat was a dark red brown from the Andrea brown set (No reference I'm afraid) Basic colour was Burnt umber which I then lightened progressively using burnt sienna and flesh. shadows were made by adding Prussian blue I think (although it may have been Paynes Grey) No black anywhere because I think it deadens colours and you can mix a cracking 'black' with dark blue and dark brown which gives life to shadows
Cheers
Paul

Figure is 54mm by the way

Hi OSS,
The base coat will depend on the type of finish you are going for, i.e. lighter African skin tone to a very dark skin tone. There is a post on my vbench called Natal Pioneer there was some useful advice from other members in there.
cheers
Richie

Morning OSS
When I do darker skin I mix up a purple tone I undercoat in humbrol enamels darker the tone darker the skin I find it gives a good depth to the skin tone as for colour mix
Raw Umber
Burnt Sienna
Titanium White
for the basic skin tone shade with cobalt blue and ivory black highlight with cadmium orange alizian crimson and white
I would suggest a book Color Mixing Recipes for portraits
By William F. Powell
its for both oil and watercolour
Publishing Co : Walter Foster
its good for basic recipes that you can then alter as you go along
Cheers
Chris

Thank you sir will have a look for that