What color is Data's skin?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by Mojochi, Jul 11, 2013.

  1. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I've heard it called white, yellow, even greenish white, & Spiner himself referenced the makeup as gold, which I always took as referring more to the pearlescence than the color itself, like there was gold colored dust in the makeup or something

    If the makeup was indeed a consistent color, which it seems like it was, we ought to be able to pin point it, at least in some outdoor scenes under proper light, versus under the ship's lighting

    To me, in real light or sunlight his color appears to be Cornsilk. Whereas under the Enterprise lights, or general studio lighting, he looks to be either Eggshell or Bone

    Cornsilk
    [​IMG]

    Eggshell or Bone
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Chris3123

    Chris3123 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Apparently the book "Star Trek: Aliens and Artifacts" explains what makeup they used. Here's what a poster on another forum said the book says:

    Link to post

    So basically the makeup was a shade of beige with gold powder mixed in.
     
  3. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    A lot of it depends on the lighting he's in too.
     
  4. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    Along with the effect that lighting has, the makeup likely also has some shading variations to accent or de-emphasize facial contours and age lines.
     
  5. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    People were surprised he looked so yellow in "Generations", but that's the main difference with lighting for TV (which made him look extremely pale) and the lighting needed for motion pictures.

    When I used to perform Data at conventions, I invested in two pots of a creme makeup: blending quantities of white and canary yellow to make a pale yellow. Then I dusted with a transparent setting powder, and then a covering of fine yellow/gold body glitter.
     
  6. Gordontrek

    Gordontrek Ensign Newbie

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    I would say pure white or yellowish/goldish-white. I've also noticed a slight green tint in some places, and in others a bluish tint.
    The bridge of the Enterprise-D has a yellow tint to its lighting, as a result we think of his skin as more yellow, whereas in engineering, it is mostly yellow as well, with the exception of the light coming from the warp core, which darkens his skin tone a little bit.
     
  7. GalaxyX

    GalaxyX Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The make up on the series was 10 times better than the one on the movies. Yech!