How to Mix Terracotta Oil Paint
To mix terracotta with oil paint, combine 5 parts Cadmium Red, 4 parts Cadmium Lemon and 1 part French Ultramarine. Terracotta is the color of fired clay: a warm, muted orange-red. Cadmium red and yellow make the orange, and a touch of blue knocks it back to that earthy, muted tone.
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 Cadmium Red. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 4 parts of Cadmium Lemon.
- Add 1 part of French Ultramarine.
- 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 terracotta
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#BE5E40
#D17E65
#DA937D
#E2AC9A
#ECD1C5
Another way to mix terracotta
With Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna: 3 parts Yellow Ochre and 2 parts Burnt Sienna.
Tips for mixing oranges
Orange is a balance between yellow and red, and red is far stronger. Always start with the yellow and add red to it.
Questions
What colors make terracotta?
To mix terracotta with oil paint, combine 5 parts Cadmium Red, 4 parts Cadmium Lemon and 1 part French Ultramarine. You can also mix it from 3 parts Yellow Ochre and 2 parts Burnt Sienna.
How do you make terracotta lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #E2AC9A. 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 terracotta darker?
Add a touch of burnt sienna or burnt umber. Blue, orange's complement, also darkens it, but only a speck before it turns brown.