How to Paint Realistic Baby Skin
- 1). Mix the color for the paint. Light flesh tones should be mixed using red, yellow, white and a little bit of brown and blue. Darker flesh tones should be mixed using brown, blue, red, yellow and a little bit of white. Hold the photograph up to the paint palette as you mix the paint color, in order to compare the color of the baby's skin in the photograph to the paint.
- 2). Apply the paint to the canvas. Use a paintbrush with soft bristles, rather than a stiff paintbrush that is likely to show brush strokes. Coat the canvas with one layer of paint. Go over the paint on the canvas with the paintbrush many times until the paint is completely smooth; there should be no visible brush strokes. Allow the paint to dry. This may take a day.
- 3). Cover the paint on your palette with a lid to prevent the color you mixed in Step 2 from drying out.
- 4). Paint over the original layer of paint using a paintbrush with soft bristles. Use the same paint you mixed in Step 2. Go over the paint with the paintbrush many times, until the paint is completely smooth and there are no visible brushstrokes. This will add depth to the painting.
- 5). Add any shadows as necessary. Go over the shadows with a brush to smooth the shadows and make them a seamless part of the image. Do not use black; use brown, red, blue or green. Black will muddy your subject.