Terre verte with flesh tones

Terre verte (green earth) is a cool, muted green pigment traditionally used in underpaintings, especially for skin tones.

• Artists apply it first to cool down the areas where shadows will be in the flesh. This helps balance the warmth of the later glazes of reds, pinks, and oranges used for realistic skin tones.

It creates a more natural, lifelike effect—cool shadows and warm highlights—just like real skin.