Leave a little space between each color. This will create an open area in the middle where you can pull your paints together. Making brown from the primary colors is as simple as combining equal amounts of each.
If you’re working with watercolors, oils sticks, or a similar medium, layer your primary colors directly on top of one another in light coats until you achieve the desired shade. A palette knife makes it possible to produce more uniform colors than you would get using a brush. [3] X Research source
Introduce your white a little at a time. You can always add more if needed, but overdoing it may cause your brown to turn out dull and unsaturated. Incorporating some white into pencil, oil, and watercolor mixtures can help reduce the appearance of inconsistent blending. [5] X Research source
In order for your brown to turn out sufficiently dark, you may need to use a hint more red than yellow.
The more blue you put in, the more of a powdery, understated plum cast your brown will take on. Use ruddy browns to bring sun-drenched or rustic features to life. [8] X Research source
Purple can be a tricky color to get just right. If the finished product is a little too red or blue, just stir in a dab of the opposite color to balance it out. If your purple is too heavy on the blue, it may not look right when it comes time to add the complementary primary color. Red tends to be more forgiving.
Up the intensity of the yellow to correct an overly cool brown. You can produce a variety of brown hues ranging from a rose-tinted stoney color to a sandy desert tone, depending on how prominent the yellow is. [11] X Research source
For best results, you green should be closer to a deep cyan than a light aquamarine.
To get as close to a “true” brown as possible, your mixture needs to be roughly 33-40% red. Even in virtually equal proportions, the red still may appear slightly more pronounced.
If your brown accidentally ends up being too red or yellow, just stir in some blue to bring it back into balance. Warm browns are useful for painting details like wood surfaces, brick, soil, and the reflection of natural light sources. [15] X Research source
Adjust overly-cool browns with traces of red or yellow, keeping in mind how each color interacts with blue to create secondary shades.
A little black goes a long way. In most cases, you’ll only need a tiny bit to bring down the brightness of your brown considerably. [17] X Research source
By combining several browns, you can make subtle changes to a shade rather than transforming it altogether and fine-tune your palette in the process.
