Writing About Skin Colors

[ysabetwordsmith]

 Here is a lovely article with ideas on how to describe skin colors.

Comments

[cmcmck]

Still doesn't manage to describe those of us with the Morticia Addams look! Pallid, perhaps? :o)

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Pallid, ghostly, fish-belly, pearly, moonlit, nacreous, blanched, pasty, ashen, doughy, waxen, snowy.

[clare_dragonfly]

Ooh, I like "nacreous." It manages to sound both deathly and jewelled.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It's a word for white that encompasses all the other colors, something swirly and shifting, beautiful but a little dangerous.

[stardreamer]

"Nacreous" implies a certain amount of iridescence; it's derived from "nacre", the material that pearls and mother-of-pearl are made of. I would use it to describe a fae or a water creature, but would be hesitant to apply it to a human. In fact, there's a strong mental picture associated with it, the origin of which I can't recall, but the being involved is somewhat predatory -- she has nacreous skin, pointed ears, and very sharp teeth.

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yes. It's rare in humans. Most don't have that 'moonpearl' look to their skin.

[clare_dragonfly]

You know, that does sound awfully familiar. The mental image I have is one of the merpeople from Harry Potter, but they're not described as nacreous, from what I can find via google.

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

Excellent post.

I describe Lyria as having skin the color of fertile soil. Fertile soil is a brown so dark it's nearly completely black.

In another story I'm working on, one of the Ah'Koi Bahnis characters is described as having skin like malachite; bands of various shades of brown and green.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>I describe Lyria as having skin the color of fertile soil. Fertile soil is a brown so dark it's nearly completely black.<<

Nile earth! :D

>>In another story I'm working on, one of the Ah'Koi Bahnis characters is described as having skin like malachite; bands of various shades of brown and green.<<

Ooo ... pretty.

I use all different descriptions. Yes, including food, which I used for white people (milk-pale, peaches-and-cream) as well as dark (kola nut, turmeric).

Re: Thoughts

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

That reminds me, another AKB character in the same story is described as having skin like coffee with creamer added to it.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

One of my favorites is vanilla latte: the palest possible shade of brown, that color you see in some people from northern Spain who have very fair skin and usually dark hair and eyes. Occasionally Turkish too; it's considered hawt on a bellydancer.

Re: Thoughts

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

Ah'Koi Bahnis come in so many different amazing colors. I have another character, same story, with skin as black as coal, eyes as yellow as sunflowers, and moss green hair. Then another with a human shade of light brown skin, and aquamarine spots.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite things about haikujaguar's Jokka is their exquisite skin tones and markings. "Cream of egg" is such a lovely image.

[marina-bonomi.livejournal.com]

Interesting indeed, some of the comparison terms later in the article, though seem a bit stretched: for instance, 'calla lily' on its own makes me think of this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zantedeschia_aethiopica, not the colored cultivars, which are quite new.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Calla brings up 'creamy white' in my mental database too, and next down is 'flame orange.' Bat flowers are black, but very few flowers are only black.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Bookmarking that for later.. I got some upcoming characters I'll need it for.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I could help. Characters of color deserve rich vocabulary.

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

What siliconshaman said. I haven't started writing (and may never do so), but this is exactly one of the things I've been thinking about for Glazier.