What color do blue and brown make?
Blue and brown make near black (dark slate). Brown is a dark orange, the complement of blue, so the two cancel into a very dark neutral. With ultramarine and burnt umber it is the painter’s favorite mixed near-black; with a greener blue it leans dark slate green.
Blue + brown = near black (dark slate)
Why blue and brown make near black (dark slate)
Brown is a dark, dull orange, so blue and brown behave like blue mixed with a darkened orange: the result is earthier and darker than either bright color alone.
Paint mixes subtractively: each pigment absorbs part of the light, and the mix reflects only what both let through. That is why paint mixes get darker and duller as you add colors, while light mixes get brighter.
Change the ratio
Equal parts are only the middle of a range. More blue pulls the result toward blue, more brown toward brown. Mix a small test batch, note the parts you used, and scale up once you like it.
All three are mixed with the same spectral paint model. Dark paints are strong, so a little of them changes a mix a lot; light paints such as white and yellow need more parts to show.
Blue and brown on a screen
Tips for mixing blue and brown
- Start with equal amounts on the palette, mix one small test patch, then adjust with the color you want more of.
- Mix thoroughly with a palette knife; streaks of unmixed blue or brown change how the color reads from a distance.
- Let a test swatch dry before judging it. Acrylics usually dry a little darker, while watercolors dry lighter.
- Write down the ratio that works (for example 2 parts to 1) so you can mix the same color again.
- To match a color on screen, compare the paint swatch against the hex code here on a calibrated display, and remember print and paint cannot reach every screen color.
More blue color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue + red | purple | equal parts | #483A4B |
| Blue + orange | dull gray-green (neutral) | 2 blue : 1 orange | #276155 |
| Blue + yellow | green | equal parts | #4D954A |
| Blue + green | blue-green (teal) | equal parts | #1B6C56 |
| Blue + purple | blue-violet (indigo) | equal parts | #3B3A9F |
| Blue + pink | lavender (light purple) | 1 blue : 2 pink | #808EC2 |
| Blue + black | blue-black (dark navy) | 2 blue : 1 black | #212D33 |
| Blue + white | light blue (sky blue) | 2 blue : 3 white | #7CB7EB |
| Blue + gray | slate blue (blue-gray) | 1 blue : 2 gray | #5A7D8F |
More brown color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown + red | reddish brown (rust) | 3 brown : 2 red | #8B3C29 |
| Brown + orange | burnt orange | equal parts | #A76427 |
| Brown + yellow | golden brown (ochre) | equal parts | #B8872F |
| Brown + green | olive (dark olive green) | 3 brown : 2 green | #58582D |
| Brown + purple | plum brown (aubergine) | 1 brown : 2 purple | #6F3856 |
| Brown + pink | rosy brown | equal parts | #AE734E |
| Brown + black | dark brown (espresso) | 2 brown : 1 black | #312C22 |
| Brown + white | light brown (beige, tan) | 2 brown : 3 white | #D3AF82 |
| Brown + gray | taupe | 1 brown : 2 gray | #89795D |
Frequently asked questions
What color do blue and brown make?
Blue and brown make near black (dark slate) in paint (about #38503D, mixed equal parts). Brown is a dark orange, the complement of blue, so the two cancel into a very dark neutral. With ultramarine and burnt umber it is the painter’s favorite mixed near-black; with a greener blue it leans dark slate green.
Is blue and brown the same in paint and on a screen?
Not exactly. Paint gives near black (dark slate) (about #38503D at equal parts), while a 50/50 digital blend in a design tool gives #545473, because screens mix light rather than pigment.
How do I make the mix lighter or darker?
Add white to lighten it into a tint, black (a little at a time) to darken it into a shade, or gray to mute it. Changing the ratio of blue to brown shifts the hue itself.
Mix any two colors
The color mixer blends up to five colors by weight in a spectral paint model, OKLab or linear light, and exports the steps.