How to Mix Tan Oil Paint
To mix tan with oil paint, combine 5 parts Raw Sienna, 3 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Raw Umber. Tan is a light, warm brown. Lighten an earth color with white; raw sienna gives a golden tan, while adding umber makes it more neutral.
Opens the free browser simulator with these colors on the palette. Squeeze them out and blend with the palette knife.
Step by step
- Put down 5 parts of Raw Sienna. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 3 parts of Titanium White. White lightens the mix but also cools and softens it, so add it gradually.
- Add 2 parts of Raw Umber.
- Blend with a palette knife, folding the paint over itself until no streaks of the separate colors remain.
- Pull a thin smear out to the side. Thin paint shows the true color better than a thick pile.
Lighter versions of tan
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#C7A177
#D5B796
#DCC3A8
#E3D2BC
#EDE5D8
Another way to mix tan
With Raw Umber, Titanium White and Cadmium Orange: 2 parts Raw Umber, 2 parts Titanium White and 1 part Cadmium Orange.
Tips for mixing browns and neutrals
Browns are complementary mixes. If a brown looks too red, add a little green; too yellow, add a little violet or blue; too cold, add sienna.
Questions
What colors make tan?
To mix tan with oil paint, combine 5 parts Raw Sienna, 3 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Raw Umber. You can also mix it from 2 parts Raw Umber, 2 parts Titanium White and 1 part Cadmium Orange.
How do you make tan lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #E3D2BC. White also cools and softens a color, so you may need a touch more of the warm color in the recipe to keep the same character.
How do you make tan darker?
Add a little ultramarine or black. Ultramarine with a brown gives a deep, cool dark that still looks like color.