Let’s see, my fellow artists, fashion enthusiasts, architects, interior designers, or makeup artists, you are all welcome here to check out color mixing. When we think of the fall and autumn, what warm colors that we get reminded of?
The statistics show orange and brown are the most popular ones regarding the color of their outfits, accessories, nail paints, or shoes.
But have you ever wondered what color does orange and brown make? The colors combined make the earthy shade of terracotta.
So, what reminds you when you think of the color orange? The succulent fruit orange, pumpkins, and fire leading to the idea of Halloween and autumn leaves. Again, what reminds you when I tell you about the color brown? Of course, the ground, the earth, the tree barks, and let’s not forget chocolates, leading to the idea of relaxing in nature or camping!
In this article, we will discuss the following things-
- Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors
- Color values: tints and shades
- What colors make orange?
- How to make the color brown?
- What color do we get when brown and orange are mixed
- Orange-mixture design ideas
Table of Contents
A Little Peek into the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors
Let’s refresh our memories from elementary school, where we were introduced to the color theories and color wheel for the first time. What do they do? The color wheel and theories help to explain the relationship between different colors. Besides, they also explain how closely or distantly related one color is to the other and what happens when one color is mixed with another.
Let’s take a peek into the basic hues, called the primary colors. Every other color comes from the primary colors, hence the name. So, what are these? red, blue, and yellow. These are the colors, when mixed, generate the secondary colors, namely, green, orange, and violet. And for the final turn, if we mix the hues of one primary and one secondary color, we end up with the tertiary colors. The tertiary colors with their tints and shades result in the other colors; we’ll talk about them in a while. Now, what are the tertiary colors? They are six in number that generated by the following mixture-
- Red-orange
- Red violet
- Blue-green
- Blue-violet
- Yellow-green
- Yellow-orange
Color Values: Tints and Shades
Now that we have refreshed our primary color knowledge, let’s see if we can refresh the color value.
So, what is a color value? The value determines the lightness or darkness of a color. The value of a color can be determined by making the tints and shades of the color.
Another two new terms, tints and shades! What are these now? The lighter values of color when you mix it with specific amounts of white, which is called the tint. For instance, cyan is a tint of blue, and light yellow is a tint of yellow.
On the other hand, by mixing specific amounts of black with a color, you get the shades of that color. For instance, navy blue is a shade of blue, while dark green is a shade of green.
Looking at the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, we will mostly find different shades and tints of yellow, blue, or green alongside their original hues.
So, if you want to make tints and shades yourself, it’s a piece of cake. Just sit down with white and black colors at hand and, of course, your favorite colors that you want to turn into different values. Maybe painting with these tints, shades of a specific color, you can be the next Van Gogh!
What Colors Make Orange?
Because it is a secondary color, it is created by combining the primary hues red and yellow. True orange is created by combining them in equal parts. More yellow will result in a lighter orange, while red will result in a darker orange. As a result, a broad spectrum of orange colors can be produced. Besides, you can also add white and black in specific amounts to get different values of orange.
A simple shade to attempt blending when learning what two colors compose orange is yellow-orange, which comprises two parts yellow and one part red. What two hues, then, produce orange-red? Two parts, red and one part yellow, make up red-orange. These are referred to as tertiary hues. Different colors of yellow and red can also be employed for various other options.
Orange can be made from various hues, not just primary ones. To make primary colors, other colors can be used. Green and red, for example, can be combined to generate yellow, or magenta and yellow can be combined to make red. To get to orange, you may even mix a couple of different colors. Green and red could be combined to make yellow, and then additional red could be added to make orange. You can use the color wheel mixing to better understand the mixing and making of colors.
How to Make the Color Brown?
Brown is the color of earth, the very ground we are standing on. It is probably one of the strongest and boldest colors in proximity to nature and our soul. Although it does not belong with any of the primary or secondary colors in the color wheel or one of the achromatic colors, it has a solid value. Brown is a composite or sometimes termed even as a tertiary color.
The techniques of making the color brown vary a lot and are unique, just like the color itself. You can make brown out of the primary colors by mixing all three of them, blue, red, and yellow.
You can also get the brown hue from the RGB color spectrum by mixing red and green.
Besides, artists usually mix orange and black to get the color brown. Although it might sound like a hoax, it works when you are a pro!
What Color Do We Get When Brown and Orange are Mixed?
Orange is a warm color that looks very elegant and sophisticated with brown hues; it gives royal vibes. Besides, brown also gives lovely shades mixing with charcoal black, giving off a business hue.
A terracotta hue is created by mixing equal parts orange and brown. Terracotta is distinguished by its brownish, orange-tinged tones.
Terracotta has a similar appearance to burnt clay pots. This is because the tone translates to ‘fired earth.’ Brown and orange are combined till this wonderful and earthy tone is achieved. You can easily do this with simply primary colors if you want to.
Based on our previous study of color theory, brown is just the combination of the primary hues red, blue, and yellow. As I explained a little while ago, you may achieve the same effect by adding more red and yellow to make orange.
Tips for Painting with Terracotta
Color mixing, creating new colors, and improvising on them may sound easy, but they are not that easy when you get to work on the palette. You need to go through multiple trial and error stages to improvise on it. While you go through the trial and error session, please keep track of it to see what apparent changes you are making and how the colors are looking gradually. It gives you an idea of your color-making progress, and the best part is the whole process is a fun experiment with hundreds and millions of combinations to try out!
Now, let’s look into the tips for terracotta painting-
- Terracotta falls under a nude or muted shade, so to brighten it up in a painting, you can use darker hues of blues and greens around it. The best catch is to use complementary colors to create the boldest contrasts.
- One-part orange and one-part brown create the pure hue of terracotta.
- If creating the same terracotta seems to be a little difficult every time, keep a color chart for comparing the hues, and write down the whole process to color creation. This will help you to re-create the hue easily.
- Until you are a pro in color mixing, only create colors in small amounts. Even when mixing, keep adding smaller amounts of color because you do want to waste colors, nor do you want to frustrate your calm artistic mind with color mixing.
- When creating terracotta shade, it’s better to work with pure colors than creating one color from another to make oranges and browns and then make the terracotta. It also allows you to give a better color intensity.
- Terracotta is a bold shade, don’t apply too much color in one area. Also, do not try mixing the colors on your art piece; you need to color palette whatsoever.
Orange-Brown Mixture Design Ideas
No wonder we love the terracotta shade no matter the summer, winter, or fall. However, it seems the perfect color explicitly created for the fall and autumn. If you look at the beauty industry or the interior design industry, terracotta shade is a trendy color. No matter the industry type, this color never goes out of style.
In the case of outfits, terracotta shade should make a perfect entry into your closet. Besides, the terracotta beauty products, like lipstick, can be your go-to office shade; you can even pair it up with some winter white or party lack, or even as your everyday wear!
You know you can even try the monochrome palette of terracotta shade in fashion or interior design. Wearing shades and tints of the same terracotta for a dress or top-skirt with some glittery accessories seems so trendy! And for the makeup, use a soft terracotta shade, bronze on your cheeks, and of course, dark terracotta shade on the lips. Trust me; no one can take their eyes off you.
When it comes to interior designing, terracotta seems like the perfect hue for the living room wall; warm and welcoming. You can use lighter tones for the furniture and darker tones for accessorizing the room. You can also pair it up with rusty, earthy colors like beige, burnt sienna, and so on.
Besides, if you want to create contrast with it, try adding some shades of blue, green, or purple for the color pop. With the colors from the warmer spectrum, your living room will have depth and warmth to it.
Hence, this bold and deep earthy shade lets you create different artworks and brings lifeless pieces to life!
FAQs
Do brown and orange go together?
Orange and brown are somewhat complementary colors. It makes up for a trendy yet elegant hipster look, or sometimes even a royal look if you pair it up with the perfect hues. Although brown is more dominant, orange and brown, go perfectly for the autumn, as they create the lovely earthy shade of terracotta.
What color is brown-orange?
With equal parts of orange and brown, you can make the terracotta shade. Again, a darker brown with the reddish-orange can create the russet, which classifies as orange-brown.
What color do you get mixing orange and black?
Mixing orange and black, you get a darker orange with proximity to brown if mixed in correct proportions.
Final Verdict
Mixing and combining colors is a skill that is necessary to learn if you are in the art section, no matter if it’s the beauty or the fashion industry or the interior designing and architecture. So, as now you know what color does orange and brown make, I hope this color theory helps you make different hues without any hassle.
Now, bring out your palette, start mixing colors from your imagination, and create your own colorful, lively, vivid world!