Mixing brown. Painting with acrylics for beginners., by Drawing and Painting with Toon Nagtegaal (EN) on YouTube. 7 min 54 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 54 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Put a small, equal dab of red and a small dab of yellow on your palette, keeping them slightly apart.
Pull a little of each color together with your brush or palette knife and mix until you get a clean orange.
Add a tiny touch of blue to the orange and mix it in. Stop when the color turns brown.
Adjust the mix: add more red for a warmer brown, or more yellow for a lighter, more golden brown.
To darken the brown, add a very small amount of black or a little more blue. Add it slowly.
To lighten the brown, stir in a little white or a touch of yellow. White makes it paler and more muted.
Test the color on scrap paper or canvas and let it dry, because acrylic paint dries slightly darker.
Mix a larger batch if you need to cover a big area, and keep it covered so it does not dry out.
Tips and common mistakes
Add blue in tiny amounts because it is strong and can quickly push the brown toward grey or green.
Write down the ratio of red, yellow and blue you used so you can mix the same brown again.
Use a red that leans orange for warm browns and a red that leans purple for cooler browns.
Let a test patch dry before judging it, since wet acrylic paint looks different from dry paint.
Questions
How do I make light brown acrylic paint?
Stir in a little white for a paler, softer brown, or add yellow for a warmer light brown. Add small amounts so you do not lose the brown.
Why did my brown turn purple or green?
Too much blue with a red that leans purple can make purple, and too much yellow with blue can make green. Add a little red or yellow to bring it back.
Do I have to use black to darken brown?
No. A touch of blue or more red can darken it without making it flat. Use black very sparingly because it can dull the color.
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.
