Realistic Skintones

[Syn]

I have difficulty choosing skin tones and I don't think that just looking at skin tones really helps you get a feel for chosing the right colors. I never seem to understand or grasp color selection when people explain it so... I don't really think just looking at this would help choosing skin tones, personally. I guess, if you're as hard headed as me, it wouldn't.

Choosing colors in artwork is often an instinct more then a science, and some people have worked all their lives at mastering colors. Some people are born naturally with talents to do this, others aren't. For those who do not have the talent all there is left is hard work. Seriously, I have problems with color too and I don't understand when somebody tells me or explains it. So all there is left for people like you and me is pratice, pratice and pratice. Eventually you will get it. But count me out, I don't like art THAT much to pratice enough, lol. Anyway, don't give up.

[Alex]

I fully agree with helm on the matter. I seen that picture before and others like it and have analyzed them for my own purpouses...none of which ever got completed but hey, im a lazy bitch. Anyways, skintones are pretty much everywhere my friend, study your own skin textures and tones as well as those around you, dont limit yourself to a computer screen, broaden your horizons and see that there is more colour out there instead of inside this machine. When it finally comes to choosing colours, just take your time...make it look good, dont rush it to say you did this pixel piece within a certain time frame. A time frame is understandable when it comes to a payed job but when its casual art such as this, take your damn time and play with it, come up with multiple designs and colour combinations. das'bowt oll eh gut tuh sai braw, hav phun shuvvin' dem picksalls boi!

[Mr.Modem]

Well said Helm, people should really take some time to just study someone elses art. You learn so much from it. Personally I think the best way to learn a new technique is to try to copy a pic (or part of it) as closely as possible. You can learn alot from that.

[Aleiav]

Be less hard-headed then. I didn't say 'look at this', I said 'study it'. This means, download the file, open it up in your paint program, zoom, study the shades, the dithers, the highlights, the aa and everything that goes into Made's choices. Ask yourself questions about the art. 'Why did Made do this here?' Justify choices in different ways. Find out if you agree with them, if yes, cool, add them to your skills, if not, great, you know what not to do. Nobody ever would call styding a piece by Made a waste of 10 minutes, for christ's sake.

I don't think that just looking at skin tones really helps you get a feel for chosing the right colors.

It's not the only way, but I feel studying art you like, as well as reality is a great way to memorize and codify the processes that you then use in your own art. If this doesn't work for you, and you say you don't grasp colour selection when people explain it to you either... I don't know what will help. Perhaps you shouldn't be so certain study and practise doesn't work, and you should do much, much more of them before you throw your hands up in despair?

I didnt' mean to insinuate that I was giving up, I just wasn't sure exactly what you meant by "study" or what specifically. Usually when I look at these types of peices up close I don't know really what to look at. I do think it involves more practice and I do "study" peices, but this one just seemed a bit more confusing for me personally that's all. I wouldn't call it a waste of time to do it, though.

[Turbo]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm working on another piece, trying to rationalize and interiorize (...?) all these suggestions.

I am studying Helm's suggestion (among the other edits). There's at least 25+ colors on the woman's skin, and their choices and shading type led my first reaction to "color reduced cg", and the dithering does seem a bit chaotic too, which strengthens this belief. But there is the possibility that i'm wrong, and that this is complex technique.

It's hard to see order in the way the colors are chosen, he does small hue changes between main colors then adds a huge hue leap in inbetween colors , which are used in very small areas between those larger tones - by example, two large reddish areas with a line of greenish red pixels between them. Then, there are small brightness and saturation variations, but they don't follow any pattern in increasing/decreasing. The thing is that looking at it in 1x, these shifts aren't perceivable, but the final result comes together quite harmoniously. Are they necessary to achieve this effect? Probably, but how would one figure "i need more hues in the buffer colors", specially when working from reference?
These things are puzzling, and i when i figure them i will have learned, so it does help. Thx for the pointer, Helm , and everyone.

Other people's visions help straightintg our skewed initial one.

[Conzeit]

dont over-rationalize other people's suggestions, they're just suggestions, go with what strikes you right and dont try to imagine ominous undiscovered reasons behind every fault you see in a respected member's suggestion.

use your guts a little bit, it's what really counts in the end, what makes you an unique artist, sure listen to others but because of the very respect you have for them question what they say and give them a chance to back it up.

There isnt an ideal and completly undefiable set of skintones anyway, given that the primary lightsource is colorized enough a green could be a perfect skintone, so it all depends on what other colors are dominant in your picture.  I belive you are way over-thinking this, if you are worried about skintones make a few pieces with varied color balances and bare skin on them then see what fits for you, but there's no holy grail of pure and undefiable skintones.