Brown Colour Tutorial | How to make Brown Colour | Acrylic Colour Mixing | Almin Creatives, by Almin Creatives on YouTube. 2 min 55 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 55 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Squeeze a small blob of red, yellow and blue onto your palette, keeping them apart. Use less blue than red and yellow, since blue darkens fast.
Mix equal parts red and yellow first to make orange. Stir with a palette knife or brush until the colour is even with no streaks.
Add a little blue to the orange and stir. Stop when you reach a brown you like. This complementary pair is the easiest brown.
Try another route: mix red and blue into purple, then add yellow a touch at a time. This gives a deeper, earthier brown.
Mix all three primaries directly for a flat, neutral brown. Keep the amounts uneven, such as more yellow than red and blue.
Adjust the warmth by adding yellow for a golden brown or red for a reddish brown. Add blue only in tiny dabs to cool it down.
Lighten the brown with a small amount of white. Add it slowly, because white turns brown into beige quickly.
Darken the mix with a speck of black or more blue. Dip just the tip of the brush and stir fully before adding more.
Paint a test stroke on scrap paper and let it dry. Acrylic paint dries slightly darker, so check the true colour before using it.
Tips and common mistakes
Add dark colours a little at a time, as you cannot take paint back out of a mix.
Mix more paint than you need and note the ratios so you can repeat the same brown later.
Rinse your brush between colours so leftover paint does not muddy the mix.
Keep the palette and paint away from your mouth and eyes, and wash your hands after handling acrylics.
Questions
What two colours make brown?
Orange and blue make brown, and so do red and green or purple and yellow. Any two complementary colours on the colour wheel mix to a brownish tone.
Why does my brown look grey or muddy?
You probably added too much blue or black, or stirred too many colours together. Start again with more red and yellow, then add the dark colour in tiny amounts.
Can I make brown without blue paint?
Yes. Mix red and yellow into orange, then add a little green or a dab of black. Green already contains blue, so it works the same way.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
