Mixing the Red and Yellow Skin Tones:
Your red and yellow skin tones are mixed just like your base skin tone. A mix of Vermillion and Yellow Ochre Knocked back slightly with Ultramarine Blue. When mixing your red tone use more Vermillion and for your yellow tone use more Yellow Ochre. If after adding Ultramarine your color is too bland just add more Vermillion or Yellow Ochre respectively. Finally using a mixture of Titanium White and Flake White mix your gradation.

Mixing the Gray Tones:
Most people starting out will say "gray, what the heck do I need gray for?" Trust me, you need gray. Without grays your figure will look too vibrant- like the person you're painting ate too many carrots. You rarely want to use straight gray on your painting (sometimes you will though) but you will be using it quite a bit with all of your colors. To mix a good neutral gray you will use Raw Umber with a hint of Sap Green (just a touch) in it. Once again I suggest using a mix of Flake White and Titanium White to mix your grays but it's not as important here as it is on your other flesh tones. Another thing worth pointing out here is- you should never use any kind of black when working on your paintings. Blacks (such as Lamp Black) kill all color and make your mixtures look muddy or dirty. Throw out all of your blacks when painting the figure (or anything for that matter), trust me!

Mixing the Dark Tones:
When mixing my dark tones I like to use two variations, one set darkened with Raw Umber and the other with Burnt Umber. Select a mid value from your base tone and mix a gradation using Burnt Umber, then do the same using Raw Umber. If your figure has a very red or pinkish tint to their skin you may wish to use your red skin tone in place of the base tone in this step.

The Final Pallet:
So that's it, you're now ready to jump right in and start painting. Remember that your pallet is a very personal creation and there is no one way to go about it. This pallet is meant to be a starting point for you. I encourage all who follow this tutorial to experiment and deviate from this pallet in order to find that pallet that is perfect for you. I am interested in the pallets that all of you have come across for yourselves, visit our Forum and share your pallets with the rest of the community.

Now go paint something great and share your art with the rest of us!