Making brown acrylic paint from primary colors is a useful skill for any painter to have. The primary colors – red, yellow, and blue – can be blended together to create secondary colors like orange, green, purple, and brown. Learning how to mix just the right shades to achieve a desired brown can take some practice, but following some basic techniques makes the process straightforward.
Understanding Color Theory
The first step is to understand some basic color theory. The primary colors are red, yellow and blue. When you mix two primary colors together in equal parts, you get the secondary colors:
| Red + Yellow = Orange |
| Yellow + Blue = Green |
| Blue + Red = Purple |
Secondary colors are extremely useful for mixing more colors. For example, if you mix a primary color with a secondary color, you start getting different shades and hues of that secondary color.
This brings us to brown – which is considered a tertiary color made by mixing all three primary colors. The combination and ratios of each primary color affects the exact shade of brown.
Starting with Primary Red, Yellow and Blue
To make brown acrylic paint from scratch, it’s best to start with the three primary colors in their purest form:
– Red – This should be a true, vivid red without orange or blue undertones. Cadmium red is a good choice.
– Yellow – Look for an intense, bright yellow like cadmium yellow. Avoid muted yellows with grey or greenish tints.
– Blue – A pure blue like ultramarine works well. Prussian blue and phthalo blue also produce nice browns.
Having these three primary acrylic paints on your palette gives you all the colors of the spectrum to work with.
Ratios for Mixing Browns
With the primary colors ready, you can start blending them together. The general guideline for mixing brown is:
– More red and yellow, less blue – for warmer, orange-brown shades
– More blue and yellow, less red – for cooler, green-brown tones
– Equal parts red, yellow and blue – for neutral medium browns
However, don’t be afraid to experiment and play with the ratios. Subtly tweaking the amounts of each primary will give you an endless variety of rich browns.
Here are some example brown paint mixing ratios to try:
| Rich golden brown: | 2 parts red : 3 parts yellow : 1 part blue |
| Earthy brown: | 1 part red : 1 part yellow : 2 parts blue |
| Neutral medium brown: | 1 part red : 1 part yellow : 1 part blue |
| Chocolate brown: | 3 parts red : 1 part yellow : 1 part blue |
Test these out on a palette to see the kinds of browns each produces. Adjust to your liking by adding more of one primary or another.
Tips for Mixing Smooth Browns
When blending the paints, it’s important to mix them thoroughly to avoid streaks of the primary colors. Here are some tips:
– Use a palette knife or painting knife to blend the colors. Mix in a circular motion.
– Add a small amount of one color into the other. Mix well before adding more.
– Alternate between adding small amounts of each primary color.
– If the brown starts looking too red, yellow or blue, adjust by adding more of the other two primaries.
– Mix enough paint to have the full amount of brown you need before applying it to your painting.
– Acrylics dry quickly, so work swiftly or spray water to keep the paint moist.
With good mixing techniques, you can achieve smooth, cohesive browns from the primary color triad.
Lightening and Darkening Mixed Browns
Once you’ve created your desired brown shade, you can easily lighten or darken it:
To make it lighter:
– Add a small amount of white paint and mix thoroughly. Add white slowly until you get the value you want.
To make it darker:
– Add a tiny bit of black paint and mix in. Keep adding black to reach your preferred darkness.
– You can also darken a brown by adding more of the dominant primary color used to mix it. For example, add more red to make a reddish brown darker.
Adjusting the value this way allows you to achieve a full spectrum of light and dark browns perfect for any painting.
Achieving a Colorful Range of Browns
Browns may seem dull compared to other colors, but they can actually be very vibrant and lively. Here are some tips for mixing rich browns with dimension:
– Use opaque paints like cadmiums for purer hues. Transparent paints make more muted earthy browns.
– Add a small amount of complementary purple or green to neutralize and deepen the brown.
– Intensify warmth with a touch of burnt sienna, burnt umber or raw sienna.
– Cool it down with blues like ultramarine, Prussian or phthalo.
– Boost luminosity with a dash of cadmium yellow, lemon or orange.
– Dull brightness by incorporating dioxazine purple, viridian or Payne’s gray.
With a palette of primary colors and some color theory know-how, you can mix infinite shades of acrylic browns. Mastering this versatile color opens up new creative possibilities.
Conclusion
Learning how to blend primary colors to create brown acrylic paint gives artists greater flexibility and control over their works. Follow the techniques for mixing red, yellow and blue paints in different ratios to achieve warm, cool and neutral browns. Adjust the values by lightening with white or darkening with black. With practice, you can become proficient at mixing acrylic browns to suit any painting needs. Approach brown as an opportunity for subtle color variations rather than a dull, muddy hue. Unlock your full chromatic palette by mastering secondary browns mixed from primaries.