Two ways to mix brown
The easiest route for most painters is to mix an orange from red and yellow, then add blue a little at a time. The orange gives the warmth, and the blue darkens it and pulls it toward brown. Stop when it looks right; more blue keeps making it darker and cooler.
The other route is a pair of complements. Red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple each cancel out toward brown. Change the balance and you change the brown: a red and green mix that leans red gives a reddish brown, and one that leans green gives an olive brown.
| Brown | Start with | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Warm reddish brown | Red and yellow, then a little blue | More red for a chestnut color |
| Dark chocolate brown | Orange and ultramarine blue | More blue to deepen it, instead of black |
| Golden or light brown | Yellow, a little red, a touch of blue | Yellow ochre gives this almost at once |
| Grayish brown (taupe) | Burnt umber and white | A touch of ultramarine to cool it |
| Olive brown | Yellow and purple | Or red and green, leaning green |
Adjust it: warmer, cooler, lighter, darker
- Warmer: add a little red or orange.
- Cooler: add a little blue.
- Lighter: add yellow or yellow ochre first. White lightens too, but it turns brown into beige or tan and can look chalky.
- Darker: add more blue, or a dark earth like burnt umber. Black darkens as well, but it also dulls the brown, so use it in tiny amounts.
Use the browns in your set
Burnt umber, raw umber, burnt sienna, raw sienna and yellow ochre are earth colors, and most acrylic sets include a few. They are browns already, so they save a lot of mixing. Burnt sienna is a warm orange-brown, burnt umber a dark, cool brown, and yellow ochre a muted golden yellow. Nudge them with a primary to get the brown you need.
Keep brown from turning muddy
Muddy brown usually comes from too many paints in one mix. Two or three paints are enough for almost any brown. Mix on a clean part of the palette, and add the darker paint to the lighter one in small amounts, since dark paints are strong and hard to undo.
Sources and further reading
Know what each brown does
Tap any paint in PaintCue to read what it is and what it’s good for. When your mix needs to be darker and calmer, PaintCue often suggests an earth brown like burnt umber, and tells you why.
iPhone and Android · English and 简体中文 · Works offline
See how PaintCue works
Questions
What two colors make brown?
Any two complementary colors: red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple. Red, yellow and blue mixed together also make brown. The balance decides whether it leans warm, cool or olive.
How do I make dark brown without black?
Add ultramarine blue to an orange or reddish brown, or start from burnt umber and add a little ultramarine. Both darken the brown and keep it rich.