What Colors Make Brown?
Red and green make brown. You can also mix all three primaries — red, yellow and blue — or start with orange and add a little blue.
Red + Green = Brown
Red
2 parts
Green
1 part
Brown
The classic route: green is red’s complement, so mixing them neutralises both into brown.
Red + Yellow + Blue = Brown
Red
2 parts
Yellow
1 part
Blue
a touch
Brown
All three primaries together always dull down to a brown. Add blue slowly — too much turns it grey.
Orange + Blue = Brown
Orange
3 parts
Blue
1 part
Brown
Orange and blue are complements, so this gives a warm, controllable brown.
Adjusting your brown
To lighten: Add white or a little yellow for tan, beige and caramel tones.
To darken: Add a small amount of black or extra blue for chocolate and espresso browns.
To mute or soften: Add a touch of its complement (blue-green) or grey to knock back the intensity.
Mixing paint vs. mixing light
The recipes above describe subtractive mixing — how paint, ink and pigment behave. Each pigment absorbs part of the spectrum, so the more you add, the darker the mixture gets.
Screens work the opposite way, using additive mixing with red, green and blue light: the more you add, the brighter it gets. With light (RGB) there is no true brown — brown is simply a dark, low-intensity orange. On screen it is made from a mix of red and green light at low brightness, e.g. #7B4A2D.
Frequently asked about making brown
What colors make brown?
Red and green make brown. You can also mix all three primaries — red, yellow and blue — or start with orange and add a little blue.
What two colors make brown?
Red + Green makes brown. The classic route: green is red’s complement, so mixing them neutralises both into brown.
How do you make brown lighter or darker?
Add white or a little yellow for tan, beige and caramel tones. Add a small amount of black or extra blue for chocolate and espresso browns.
Is mixing brown paint the same as mixing brown light?
No. Paint mixes subtractively while light mixes additively. With light (RGB) there is no true brown — brown is simply a dark, low-intensity orange. On screen it is made from a mix of red and green light at low brightness, e.g. #7B4A2D.