Chromilla paint mixing tool

How to mix

Cream paint in acrylic, oil and watercolor, compared

Real pigment ratios for cream (#F5EAD6) in acrylic, oil and watercolor. The recipes below come straight from Chromilla’s mixer, calibrated to real manufacturer paint data.

Quick answer

To mix cream (#F5EAD6) in acrylic (oil and watercolor are compared below), use 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Chromilla is a web-based paint color mixer that turns any color, from a photo, the camera or a hex code, into exact paint-tube ratios for acrylic, oil and watercolor, using Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing and aiming at the color after it dries.

Cream in acrylic, oil and watercolor, side by side (dry match by Chromilla's color model, not a measured paint-out)
MediumTubes and partsPredicted dry matchDrying
Acrylic97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre88%Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
Oil97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre88%Dries true to color.
Watercolor97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre88%Dries slightly darker and a touch cooler.

How we calculated this: Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing, then a per-medium dry shift, scored with CIEDE2000. Method and accuracy benchmark. Last checked August 2026.

Terms used here: Dry shift, Value, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Transparency, Pigment code, Tint.

Target color

Cream

#F5EAD6

Live mixer

Open this color in the mixer

The Chromilla mixer is pre-loaded with #F5EAD6. Change your brand, medium or palette and the recipe updates instantly.

Open in mixer

Recipes by medium

Checked August 2026

Generic pigment ratios, the same ones the Chromilla mixer solves for. Open the mixer to swap in your own brand and tubes.

acrylic

Pigment recipe

88% when dry

Wet mix

#F8F5DD

  1. 1. Titanium White (PW6)97%
  2. 2. Yellow Ochre (PY43)3%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

oil

Pigment recipe

88% when dry

Wet mix

#F8F5DD

  1. 1. Titanium White (PW6)97%
  2. 2. Yellow Ochre (PY43)3%

Dry-down

Dries true to color.

watercolour

Pigment recipe

88% when dry

Wet mix

#F8F5DD

  1. 1. Titanium White (PW6)97%
  2. 2. Yellow Ochre (PY43)3%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch cooler.

Common mistakes when mixing cream

Cream is white with the faintest amount of warm yellow, and the mistake is adding too much yellow too fast, which tips it into pale gold instead of cream. Add yellow a fraction of a percent at a time against a white base and stop the moment it stops looking like plain white. Cream should read as barely-there warmth, not a color in its own right.

Exact single-medium recipes

Straight-to-the-ratio versions of cream in each medium, from the Chromilla mix library.

Why the three mediums differ for cream

  • acrylic carries a 10% value shift on drying in Chromilla's model (dries slightly darker and a touch warmer), so the acrylic mix is predicted to dry to #E2DDC5.
  • oil dries true to color in Chromilla's model, so the oil mix is predicted to dry to #F8F5DD.
  • watercolor carries a 8% value shift on drying in Chromilla's model (dries slightly darker and a touch cooler), so the watercolor mix is predicted to dry to #E3E1CD.
  • In watercolor the paper is the white, so lighter versions come from adding water rather than white paint.

Acrylic recipe in detail

Cream in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentShare100 ml batch
Titanium WhitePW697%97 ml
Yellow OchrePY433%3 ml

Variations on Cream (acrylic)

Each variation is its own target (lighter and darker move OKLCH lightness by 0.08; warmer and cooler turn the hue 12 degrees toward red or blue), solved fresh.

Lighter Cream

#FFF8EA

Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre, and chromilla's model predicts an 81% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Cream

#DBD0BC

93% Titanium White, 4% Burnt Umber and 3% Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Cream

#F8E9D7

Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 97% Titanium White and 3% Burnt Umber, and chromilla's model predicts a 79% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Cream

#F8E9D7

Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 97% Titanium White and 3% Burnt Umber, and chromilla's model predicts a 79% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cream questions

What two colors make cream?
In acrylic, Titanium White and Yellow Ochre: 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make cream paint lighter without losing the hue?
Lighten in small steps and compare against the target each time. Chromilla's palette struggles with a lighter cream (#FFF8EA) in acrylic: Chromilla's model predicts an 81% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does cream look different when acrylic dries?
Acrylic binder looks milky while wet and clears as it dries, so the dried film reads darker. Chromilla's model applies a 10% value shift for acrylic, so the wet mix #F8F5DD is predicted to dry to about #E2DDC5. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for cream?
Chromilla uses #F5EAD6 as the target for cream. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #E2DDC5.
Can I mix cream without black?
Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre.

Related colors

More colours to try once you have cream sorted.