What color do brown and black make?
Brown and black make dark brown (espresso). Black shades brown into dark brown, espresso and chocolate.
Brown + black = dark brown (espresso)
Why brown and black make dark brown (espresso)
Adding black makes a shade: the same hue, darker. Black is very strong, so a little goes a long way, and with some colors (yellow especially) it shifts the hue as well as darkening it.
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 brown pulls the result toward brown, more black toward black. 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.
Brown and black on a screen
Tips for mixing brown and black
- 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 brown or black 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 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 + blue | near black (dark slate) | equal parts | #38503D |
| Brown + purple | plum brown (aubergine) | 1 brown : 2 purple | #6F3856 |
| Brown + pink | rosy brown | equal parts | #AE734E |
| Brown + white | light brown (beige, tan) | 2 brown : 3 white | #D3AF82 |
| Brown + gray | taupe | 1 brown : 2 gray | #89795D |
More black color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black + red | dark red (maroon) | 1 black : 4 red | #602B30 |
| Black + orange | dark brown | 2 black : 3 orange | #383627 |
| Black + yellow | olive green | 1 black : 2 yellow | #5B5D36 |
| Black + green | dark green (hunter green) | 1 black : 2 green | #2A372C |
| Black + blue | blue-black (dark navy) | 1 black : 2 blue | #212D33 |
| Black + purple | deep purple (eggplant) | 1 black : 2 purple | #312632 |
| Black + pink | dusky gray-mauve | 1 black : 2 pink | #504C4F |
| Black + white | gray | 1 black : 3 white | #888888 |
| Black + gray | dark gray (charcoal) | 1 black : 2 gray | #3C3C3C |
Frequently asked questions
What color do brown and black make?
Brown and black make dark brown (espresso) in paint (about #312C22, mixed 2 brown : 1 black). Black shades brown into dark brown, espresso and chocolate.
Is brown and black the same in paint and on a screen?
Not exactly. Paint gives dark brown (espresso) (about #312C22 at 2 brown : 1 black), while a 50/50 digital blend in a design tool gives #452E1F, 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 brown to black 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.