What Colors Make Brown and How to Best Make Brown Color

You don’t always have to use Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Cobalt Blue, as seen in the color chart above. You can switch these out for different colors as well. Such as Ultramarine Blue can be substituted for Cobalt Blue, and Alizarin Crimson can be substituted for Cadmium Red. Lastly, Cadmium Lemon Yellow can be substituted for Cadmium Yellow.

There are even more different kinds of yellow, red and blue colors available. So you can also just use whichever colors you might have on hand at home to make the color brown.

Complementary colors are those that are opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, yellow and purple are both opposite each other on the color wheel and are thus complementary colors of one another. In addition, red and green, as well as blue and orange are also complementary colors.

To learn more about complementary colors and color mixing you can read ‘Color Mixing with Oil Paint’.

If you haven’t yet – Grab my FREE Color Mixing Guide for additional help with color mixing techniques in your painting!

When blue and orange are mixed together they create a wonderful brown color! Try to mix an equal amount of orange with blue in order to get brown. You can also add in a little bit more blue to make it a cooler brown, or add in a little bit of orange to make it a warmer brown. Either way – this combination is a simple way of how to make brown color.

Purple and yellow mixed make what color…

The brown color you get from mixing purple and yellow together is the most colorful of all browns you can mix.

You can use different yellows besides cadmium yellow to mix up a brown with purple. Cadmium Lemon Yellow is a brighter and lighter yellow that will help to get a lighter brown. Also, Yellow Ochre is an excellent color to use to mix up a brown – though it already is a very earth tone color on its own.

You can also use different types of purple colors to mix up shades of brown color as well, such as Provence Violet Bluish or any other violet/ purple color you may have on hand. As another option, purple is a very easy color to mix yourself, so mix together some blue and red and voila!

How to make dark brown color

You might come across instances when you need to create a dark brown color for your painting. Most of the instructions above on how to mix brown produce lighter shades of brown colors. However, there are very easy ways to darken any brown to achieve different shades of dark brown – whether it is a mixed brown or a brown straight from a tube (such as Burnt Umber).

So what colors make dark brown? Ultramarine Blue and Dioxazine Purple when mixed with brown create very dark colors. Ultramarine Blue creates a cooler dark brown than Dioxazine purple does.

How to mix a very dark brown shade

In addition, Pthalo green mixed with Alizarin Crimson creates a black color. So, when this color is mixed with brown it creates a very dark brown. In fact, it is one of the darkest browns you can get by mixing colors yourself. Mixing just Pthalo Green with brown will create a darkened and greenish brown.

What colors make light brown color

Knowing what colors make light brown, is just as important as how to mix dark brown color (as demonstrated earlier in this article). To make light brown you simply need to mix colors that are lighter in value with your brown color.

What two colors make brown lighter? It might seem obvious to mix white with brown but this is one of the quickest ways to arrive at a light shade of brown. However, you can also mix yellow with brown – which is a good way of how to make the color brown lighter, while making it a warmer shade as well. In addition, Cadmium Green Light will also help to make your brown lighter in value. It will also make your brown a little greenish.

Though neither Cadmium Green Light or Cadmium Yellow will make brown as light as white does – they do lighten your brown while also making it colorful. However, when using titanium white to lighten colors it can often have the adverse effect of making a color look ‘chalky’ and suck out the color. To counteract this, you could mix titanium white with brown and then add some yellow or green (or another color) to give the brown some color.

How to make the color brown cooler in value

Warm and cool colors are important when it comes to painting. Therefore, it is important to know how to mix different temperatures for the color brown. Here I will go over how to get both cool and warm brown colors.

Ultramarine blue mixed with brown is one of the quickest and best options for getting a great cool brown. You can also use different blues such as Cobalt blue or Prussian blue (or any kind of blue you have on hand).

Mixing Dioxazine Purple with brown will give you a brown that is not as cool as one mixed with blue. However, it is also a great option for getting a cooler temperature brown – especially if you want one that is not as cool as blue. Pthalo Green on the other hand is a very cool green and will give you a cool greenish brown.

How to mix warm shades of brown color

Now last, but not least, we cover what colors make brown warmer in value. Brown on its own is technically considered a warm color. However, you will in all likelihood run into scenarios when you need to create warmer shades of brown. The color chart below will help you to see what color combinations will help!

Alizarin Crimson is one of my favorite colors as it is extremely useful and is great for mixing warm browns. Cadmium Red is also a great option for mixing a warmer brown with. In fact the Cadmium Red will mix an even warmer brown than Alizarin Crimson. This is because Alizarin Crimson is cooler than Cadmium Red. Cadmium Orange (or an orange mixed yourself) will also help to create a warm brown.

Experimenting with different shades of brown

This article is meant to be a guideline to help you get started in learning how to mix the color brown as well as different shades of brown. However, it is not meant to act as a formula for how to mix all of your brown colors in your paintings. There are so many different shades of brown colors in the world and you need to be able to mix a variety of colors. This article would never end if I attempted to add in all the color combinations for what colors make brown!

The color charts in this article will help you to get started. However, then it is important to experiment with mixing a variety of different colors into your brown shades of color as you create them. Observe your colors closely and trust your instincts! Though, it is important not to worry about getting a color to be exactly like what you see as this is not possible. Rather, concern yourself with getting a color correct relative to the other colors in your painting.

Need help figuring out what subjects to practice mixing shades of brown colors for? Take a look at this how to paint a landscape tutorial or challenge yourself with portrait painting in oil master copy.

Want to remember this? Save this How to Make Brown Color guide to your favorite Pinterest board!