What Colors Make Brown? 5 Ways to Make Brown From Natural Colors

The most interesting thing about the color brown is that it is the most naturally abundant color ever. This can only mean that there are plenty of primary and secondary colors out in our natural world that often combine to give us the color brown. Do you ever wonder what two colors make brown? We will cover that today and some more on what primary colors make brown.

Just to narrow things down, by natural things, I am actually referring to most plant-based sources which if extracted properly and mixed in proportion with each other, may give rise to the brown color. These plant-based natural sources can include leaves, flowers, fruits, tree barks, and even seeds. 

If you are thinking of what colors make brown, I am here to help you. Here is a list of ways by which you can use natural colors in order to come up with the color brown. Now remember there are different shades to the color brown and each shade will require different ingredients.

 

1. Basic Brown

We have to start with the most obvious shade of brown in the color palette which is known as the basic brown. If you are thinking what colors make brown, especially basic brown, the answer to that will be a combination of all three primary colors – red, blue, and yellow. You can also mix the color orange as well as the color blue in this mixture. What you have to keep in mind, is that all these colors have to be added in equal amounts. It is this proportion that will determine whether or not the end result gives you the color brown.

Now to the main question, where can you get all these colors from the natural world? Well for the color red you can use beetroots, the hibiscus flower, or even berries. You can boil the beetroot or put the hibiscus flower for long in water or even crush the berries in order to get the red color. For yellow, you can obtain the color from cactus fruit or chards. And for blue, you can use blueberries, blue corn, and even red cabbage. Once you have all these colors, you will have to mix them together and wait for it to turn basic brown.

2. Tan

The next shade of brown that we have to deal with is a slightly lighter shade than the basic brown that we just discussed. It is called tan and it can be obtained if you mix the basic brown with a lighter color. Once again, the million-dollar question arises, what colors make brown, especially its lighter shade of tan? 

What two colors make brown

In order to create the tan shade of the color brown you will need to mix the brown color with lots of yellow color. The natural sources of yellow color have been discussed previously which includes the cactus fruit and the chards. Another source of yellow that you may use in order to create tan, is by boiling the woody stems of the broom bark shrubs.

3. Chestnut

From a very light shade of the color brown, we arrive at a rather darker shade also known as chestnut. This shade is significantly darker than the basic brown we discussed previously. If you are thinking what colors make brown, particularly its chestnut variety of shade, the answer to that is once again the two primary colors that we discussed previously – red and yellow. In order to obtain the color red naturally, you will have to resort to the beetroot which you will have to boil and then remove its skin in order to collect as much of the red color as possible.

What colors make dark brown

To obtain the yellow color, you can use either of the three natural sources mentioned previously – chards, cactus fruit, and broom bark shrubs. What you have to have to remember while making the chestnut color is that you cannot mix both the colors in the same proportion. Start with adding a little yellow, which will be followed by a little red. Continue this procedure as long as you do not see the desired chestnut shade. One caveat that you must remember is that under no circumstances should you use any orange color, or else the entire mixture will go to waste.

4. Espresso

If you are thinking about the coffee that you have every morning and/ or evening let me clarify that it is not what I am going to discuss here. Instead, I shall be talking about an even darker shade of brown, darker than the chestnut shade that we just discussed. To answer your question what colors make brown, especially the espresso shade, you will have to think of colors with extremely dark shades. So, all the yellow and the orange color will have to be removed from the table. Instead, we will require lots of red, blue, and yes even purple to make the espresso shade.

What colors make brown paint espresso brown

In order to get the purple color, you need to extract it from sources such as grapes, pansies, violets and other natural occurring purple pigmented plants. You need to boil them in order to retrieve the color from their skin. You can also use the juice of a purple cabbage in order to get the color of the same shade. Another color that you can mix with the red, blue and purple, is the color black. The natural source of this color is a tree known as butternut. The roots of this tree, especially the young roots can be used to make the color black. What you must remember while making the espresso is that if you add too much purple in comparison to black, it may not look too bright.

5. Beige

The final shade we shall be discussing is once again a lighter version of brown, also known as beige. To answer the question one final time, what colors make brown, specifically the beige shade, the answer is brown and white. In order to obtain this white color naturally, you cannot go around looking for plant-based sources. 

what colors make brown beige brown

Instead, you will have to use talcum powder or chalk in order to create this shade. Mix the powder in water and keep stirring it or else it will settle down. Add the brown color in little amounts until you finally get that desired shade.

There you have it – 5 different yet powerful ways to get the colour brown. Try these at home and let us know which one worked best for you in the comments! 

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