When we see the color blue we immediately think of a clear blue sky, while the color brown makes us think of earthy nature. With this unique combination for landscapes and portraits, it’s truly a wonder what do blue and brown make when mixed?
Depending on the amount and shades of blue and brown, mixing brown and blue make a teal color, shades of brown, black or even green. Between brown and blue, you can get different shades of teal and muddy brown color.
Cobalt blue mixed with Raw Sienna, Raw Umber or Burnt Umber makes teal. Most brown shades mixed with Prussian or Phthalo blue make colors close to black. Light Blue or Turquoise mixed with brown usually make steel grey or green colors.
There are different shades you can get from mixing brown and blue. So here are some essential keys you can take note of.
Table of Contents
Brown and Blue on Color Wheel
Mixing brown and blue make a teal shade, a deep-toned blue color. In the RYB color wheel, blue is a primary color, together with other primary colors like red and yellow.
On the other hand, brown is a neutral color and doesn’t exist in the RYB color model.
Mixing yellow, cyan, and magenta, which are the same as the primary colors blue, red, and yellow give us a color brown shade.
Leran about mixing acrylic paint and basic color theory –> How To Mix Acrylic Paint? – Your Complete Color Mixing Guide
In the color wheel, the primary color blue is considered a cool color while brown is either warm or cool because it’s a neutral color and it will depend on pigments used to mix this brown.
It can be difficult to create a blue color from scratch since the it is a primary color. But you can try create some shades by mixing cyan and magenta. I do recommend just buying blue paint.
Neutral tones
Neutral colors are often used to create different shades, tones, and tints of other colors. They are also used to balance other color combinations. These neutral colors are the following:
- brown (there are a few ways to mix brown)
- grey
- white
- black (you can also make your own black)
So brown is one of the neutral colors and can be warm or cool depending on the shades of colors mixed to make brown.
What do blue and brown make?
Mixing primary color blue and brown results in a teal shade or muddy brown color, still depending on the shades of blue and brown that you’ll use.
For example, if you use a dark blue color and brown, you will get a shade of muddy brown color. If you use a warm brown color like burnt umber and mixed it with ultramarine blue, you may get a black color with dark blue undertone.
For example, if you mix cobalt blue and raw sienna you will get a shade of blue-grey or cobalt grey.
Mixing the primary color blue and reddish brown will give you a darker brown with a hint of violet undertone. So there’s no reason to be afraid and explore different shades.
Read also: How to Make Black Paint and Shades of Black. 9 Easy Tips Mixing Black
What do Chocolate Brown (Vandyke) with Different Blue Shades make?
Depending on the shade of blue you are using, Vandyke brown mixed with blue will make shade of black and grey.
- Vandyke brown with Prussian Blue make black
- Vandyke brown with Phthalo Blue make black
- Vandyke brown with Cyan make black
- Vandyke brown with Cobalt Blue make dark grey close to black
- Vandyke brown with Ultramarine Blue make black
- Vandyke brown with Cerulean blue make very dark grey
- Vandyke brown with light Blue make grey
What do Burnt Sienna and blue make?
- Burnt Sienna with Prussian blue make brown
- Burnt Sienna with Phthalo blue makes dark brown close to black
- Burnt Sienna with Cyan makes dark green khaki
- Burnt Sienna with Cobalt Blue make grey
- Burnt Sienna with Ultramarine make brown
- Burn Sienna with Light blue make light brown
- Burnt Sienna with Cerulean Blue make teal
- Burnt Sienna with Turquoise in 1:1 ratio make grey with muddy green undertone
- Burnt Sienna with Turquoise in 1:2 ratio make green blueish green khaki.
What do Raw Sienna and blue make?
Mixing Raw Sienna with different shades of blue will make shades of green and teal.
- Raw Sienna with Prussian blue make black
- Raw Sienna with Phthalo blue make dark green with blue undertones
- Raw Sienna with Cyan make green
- Raw Sienna with Cobalt Blue make teal
- Raw Sienna with Ultramarine make dark brown close to black
- Raw Sienna with Light blue make light brown with green undertone
- Raw Sienna with Cerulean Blue make green
- Raw Sienna with Turquoise in 1:1 ratio make green with blue tones
What do Raw Umber and blue make?
Mixing Raw Umber with different shades of blue will make shades of black, green with blue undertones, and teal.
- Raw Umber with Prussian blue make black
- Raw Umber with Phthalo blue make very dark green, almost black
- Raw Umber with Cyan make dark green with some dark blue undertones
- Raw Umber with Cobalt Blue make teal
- Raw Umber with Ultramarine make black
- Raw Umber with Light blue make light grey with greenish undertones
- Raw Umber with Cerulean Blue make very dark aqua green
- Raw Umber with Turquoise in 1:1 ratio make green with blue tones
What do Burnt Umber and blue make?
Mixing Burnt Umber with different shades of blue will make shades of black, green with blue undertones, and teal.
- Burnt Umber with Prussian blue make black
- Burnt Umber with Phthalo blue make black
- Burnt Umber with Cyan make very dark blue
- Burnt Umber with Cobalt Blue make teal
- Burnt Umber with Ultramarine make black
- Burnt Umber with Light blue make grey
- Burnt Umber with Cerulean Blue make very dark teal
- Burnt Umber with Turquoise make grey with blue tones
What do Yellow Ochre and blue make?
You may consider yellow ochre as yellow or brown shade so I made a swatch for you:
Mixing Yellow Ochre with different shades of blue will make shades of green, from light to muddy.
- Yellow Ochre with Prussian blue make muddy dark green
- Yellow Ochre with Phthalo blue make green
- Yellow Ochre with Cyan make green
- Yellow Ochre with Cobalt Blue make light green
- Yellow Ochre with Ultramarine make muddy green
- Yellow Ochre with Light blue make light green
- Yellow Ochre with Cerulean Blue make green with blue tones
- Yellow Ochre with Turquoise make light green
Where to use blue and brown mixed?
The teal or dark blue color created by mixing blue and brown is best for various kinds like in interior designs. The different shades of teal you can get from mixing blue and brown are also suited as shadows in paintings and drawings.
Furthermore, you can use teal shades for fashion too. For instance, in a formal suit, the brown color can balance the intense color of a navy blue suit.
So even if the mixture of brown and blue can be tricky, you can actually use it in different aspects. Considering the tones, and shades of brown and blue can give you different moods in your room or artwork.
How to make blue and brown mix lighter tints
Start by mixing an equal amount of blue and brown paint, this will give you a teal shade. Add a little amount of white paint to lighten the color. This will give you a tint of teal or a lighter version of teal.
Aside from adding white, you can lighten a teal shade by adding more blue to the mixture. Depending on the amount of white and blue you use, you can get the following tints:
- teal
- aqua
- turquoise green
- turquoise blue
How to make blue and brown mix darker shades
Shades are darker versions of colors, so usually in painting adding a touch of black paint can darken a color. It’s important to control the amount of black you put in because it can ruin the color you’re trying to create.
In mixing brown and blue, it’s safer to use a dark brown color like burnt umber to darken the teal color. Continue adding this dark brown shade until you reach the desired color you want.
However, be careful in adding too much dark brown to your mixture since it can give you a muddy brown color.
Aside from teal and muddy brown color, there are plenty of various shades that you can discover from using different shades of brown and blue.
So it’s not a crime to be messy and try various color combinations, after all that’s what color mixing is all about, enjoying ourselves in discovering color combinations.
How much blue or brown to add?
If you mix an equal amount of blue and brown you will get a teal color. If you add more blue paint like ultramarine blue in the mixture, you will get a bluish tint of teal, though it still depends on how dark and light blue paint you use.
On the other hand, if you add more brown paint to the mixture, you will get a muddy brown shade, or black, still depends if you’ll use a light or dark brown color. If you’ll use a lighter brown shade like sandy brown, you can get more pastel shades of brown.
If you want to lessen the muddy color you get, you can use a light blue hue to balance the mixture between brown and blue colors.
Thus, mixing blue and brown will give you various shades, depending on the amount you used between blue and brown colors.
Brown and Blue in painting and drawing
Blue is usually used to paint or draw the sky, ocean, butterflies, and blue roses. While brown is used for drawing or painting mountains, brown-fur animals, and the natural color of brown hair. The neutral color brown and its different shades give features to painting people’s portraits.
In short, it serves as a neutralizer or gives balance because its tints and shades tone down other colors in painting and drawing. Also, warm brown light is good to use for cool shadows.
On the other hand, the blue hue gives a calming atmosphere in every painting or drawing, especially if you use a pastel blue hue like baby blue. Its cool light is suitable to use for warm shadows in painting and drawing.
For dark shadows, the teal color or dark blue color like deep navy is best to use. If you’re looking for acrylic mediums, I recommend Liquitex products or Apple Barrel. For your drawings, we suggest using brown colored pencils for a softer and more natural shade of colors.
Brown and Blue in design
Mostly, a blue-brown color pattern is used for an earthy nature atmosphere. If you use brown and blue colors with antique and wood room designs, you will get a cozy ambiance.
Brown is good to use for room walls and floors because it gives a vintage mood to the room. Brown-colored cabinets are popular to use in kitchens, while chocolate sofas and pillows are preferable as highlights in the living room.
Blue goes well with neutral colors (white, grey, beige). So a brown and blue color pattern with neutral colors will give you a modern feeling. Though other colors go well with brown and blue as well which are the following:
- Yellow
- Turquoise
- Green
- Purple
Darker blue like navy blue shade paired with a brown color will give an elegant color combination. Darker shades are best to use for depth and a dramatic mood in a room.
For wall paints, it’s common to use blue paints for walls, matching it with dark brown furniture like a sofa or table.
Although brown and blue are unique pairs, they might not be good to match with warm colors since they might just contrast with brown and blue colors. Thus, neutral and cool colors are best to pair with a blue-brown color combination.
FAQs
Does blue and brown make black?
Yes, if you mix blue and brown like an ultramarine blue and mix it with burnt umber then you can get a black color since ultramarine blue and burnt umber are both warm colors.
Does brown and blue make green?
Yes, brown and blue make green, although not totally green. However, if you’ll use a yellowish brown paint and mix it with blue then you can have a greenish-brown shade.
Do brown and blue go together?
Yes, the bright color of blue mixed with the neutral color of brown makes it best to use for casual occasions. You can also use the blue-brown color combinations for modern and vintage interior designs.
What color does light blue and brown make?
If you’ll use a light blue shade like a cerulean blue and mix it with brown like burnt umber then you will get a shade close to hunter green, more on the green side of the color.
What color does brown and turquoise make?
Since turquoise is near to teal shade, brown shades and turquoise make colors from teal to green.
What color does brown and navy blue make?
Depending on how dark brown color you use, you can get a muddy color if you mix it with navy blue because navy blue is considered a dark blue color as well.
What color does blue, yellow and brown make?
If you mix blue, yellow, and brown, the result will depend on the shades you use. For example, if you use shades like burnt umber, ultramarine blue, and yellow ochre and mix them, you can get a shade similar to mahogany brown, depending on the amount you’ll use as well.
What color does blue, green and brown make?
Mixing blue, green, and brown will depend on the shades you use. For example, if you mix burnt umber, ultramarine blue, and emerald green, you can get a similar shade to the chocolate torte or deep red color.
Read also: Green and Brown Make What Color? Forest Green Guide
What is the meaning of teal and brown?
A mixture of brown and blue make a teal or dark blue-green shade that can symbolize sympathy, freshness, and logic, though it can also portray anxiousness and private characteristics. While brown can symbolize simplicity, reliability, and resilience.
What goes with brown and blue?
Blue goes well with neutral colors like brown, white, and grey, as well as its complementary color orange. Be mindful though in pairing warm colors with blue-brown color combinations because they might just contrast with each other.
Read also: What Color does Orange and Blue make?
What color does red, blue and brown make?
Mixing red, blue, and brown depending on the shade you use. If you use burnt umber, crimson red, and cerulean blue and mix them, you can get a burgundy shade. The shade can vary though depending on the amount of paint you’ll use.
Read also: What Does Red and Green Make? Easy Mixing Guide
Wrap Up
There’s no definite answer that mixing brown and blue make an exact shade of teal. However, you can get a similar shade or close to a teal shade if you add more blue paint. Adding more brown paint will just give you a muddy brown color.
All in all, there are no limitations on what other shades you can get, so don’t be afraid to explore and mix blue and brown colors. Have a good day everyone!
Masha Eretnova, born in 1991, is a Buenos Aires-based certified teacher, artist, and member of the Professional Artist Association with 20+ years of personal painting journey.
She started painting and drawing very early and is now an international abstract artist and educator passionate about acrylic painting, gouache, and crafts.
Her works are part of international exhibitions and contests, including ArtlyMix (Brazil), Al-Tiba 9 (Spain), Exhibizone (Canada), Italy, and many more.
Besides her artistic pursuits, Masha holds a post-grad diploma in Teaching Film Photography and 2 music school diplomas: piano and opera singing.