How to Make Tan Color Paint

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Learn what colors to mix together to make this neutral shade

Co-authored by Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: April 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Mixing Paints to Make Tan

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Mixing Different Types of Paints

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What color is tan?

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Things You'll Need

Tan paint can come in handy regardless of the artistic masterpiece you’re working on—crafting a portrait of your Jack Russell terrier, capturing the dappled light over a desert landscape, repainting your kitchen cabinets…you name it. You can always buy tan paint at your local art store, but you can make exactly the shade you’re aiming for by mixing your own tan paint at home. Get started on your tan paint by following the simple steps below!

Mixing Colors to Create Tan

Tan is a light shade of brown with warm, orangey undertones. Make tan paint by mixing together white and brown until you get a light brown. Add small dots of yellow paint for a tan color with yellowish undertones, or add red paint for a pinkish undertone.

Section 1 of 3:

Mixing Paints to Make Tan

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Use an amount of white paint equal to how much tan paint you need. Since white paint is the base of and largest component in tan paint, you should add as much white paint as you need tan paint. Add the white paint to your mixing container or pallet.
- It’s best to start with as much paint as you think you’ll need at the outset rather than to continue adding white paint in future steps. You may struggle to eyeball the right shade and get off track with your tan color.
- When you’ve added all your white to your palette, rinse the white paint off your paintbrush.
- Dry the brush in a rag or cloth and dip it into brown paint .
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Add a tiny dollop of brown paint to the white. Mix the two paint colors together until they’re completely combined. Repeat this process until you reach your desired shade of tan. ^{[1]
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- Use only a tiny amount of brown each time you add more. Just a little too much brown paint can overwhelm the white paint and ruin the shade.
- At this point, you have made a basic tan paint color. If you want to make a more dynamic tan shade or skin color, proceed to the next step.
- If you want a darker shade of tan, add small amounts of brown or black paint to your mixture until you’re satisfied with the color. ^{[2]
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Add a fingertip’s worth of red or yellow paint to create a tan skin color. Mix a small dollop of red or yellow paint into your white and brown mixture. Continue adding small amounts of the yellow and/or red paints until you’ve reached your desired tan skin shade. Adding too much at once may overpower the tan color and make it look too pinky or orangey. ^{[3]
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- Choose a burnt sienna or reddish paint to create tan skin with pink undertones.
- Choose yellow ochre paint for a tan skin shade with yellowish undertones.
- For a neutral tan that’s still warm and dynamic, add equal parts of yellow and red paint.
- If you’d like to create a darker tan skin color, add small amounts of brown or black paint until you reach your desired shade. ^{[4]
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Add red, yellow, or blue paints to create earth-toned tan shades. To create a warm, earthy tan, add a small brush’s worth of cadmium red and yellow acrylic paints until you find the right shade match. ^{[5]
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Research source} To create a paler, cool-toned tan shade, mix a deep blue acrylic shade into your brown-and-white paint mixture. ^{[6]
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- To darken or lighten your tan shade at any point in the mixing process, add a small amount of black or dark brown paint.
- These shades will come in handy if you’re painting a landscape or nature scene. For instance, you may use a blueish tan to match the pale sand on a beach or a reddish tan to match desert clay.
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Mix the paint thoroughly with a palette knife. Before applying your paint to a portrait or other art piece, make sure all colors are well distributed. Use your palette knife to scoop and turn over the paint repeatedly until it’s well-mixed. ^{[7]
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- If you have any remaining pockets of brown, white, yellow, or red paint, they will make your finished color look patchy and uneven.