Chromilla paint mixing tool

How to mix

Gold paint in acrylic, oil and watercolor, compared

Real pigment ratios for gold (#C6A44A) in acrylic, oil and watercolor. The recipes below come straight from Chromilla’s mixer, calibrated to real manufacturer paint data.

Quick answer

To mix gold (#C6A44A) in acrylic (oil and watercolor are compared below), use 5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% 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.

Gold 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
Acrylic5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber87%Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
Oil5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber99%Dries true to color.
Watercolor5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber88%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

Gold

#C6A44A

Live mixer

Open this color in the mixer

The Chromilla mixer is pre-loaded with #C6A44A. 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

87% when dry

Wet mix

#C5A347

  1. 1. Titanium White (PW6)54%
  2. 2. Raw Umber (PBr7)46%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

oil

Pigment recipe

99% when dry

Wet mix

#C5A347

  1. 1. Titanium White (PW6)54%
  2. 2. Raw Umber (PBr7)46%

Dry-down

Dries true to color.

watercolour

Pigment recipe

88% when dry

Wet mix

#C5A347

  1. 1. Titanium White (PW6)54%
  2. 2. Raw Umber (PBr7)46%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch cooler.

Common mistakes when mixing gold

True metallic gold relies on actual metallic particles catching light, which no flat mixture of standard pigments can replicate, if you need real shimmer, you need an actual metallic paint, not a mixed recipe. What Chromilla can get you is the flat color equivalent, a rich yellow-orange that reads as gold in a matte sense. Know which one you actually need before you start mixing, since they solve different problems.

Exact single-medium recipes

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

Why the three mediums differ for gold

  • 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 #B4933E.
  • oil dries true to color in Chromilla's model, so the oil mix is predicted to dry to #C5A347.
  • 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 #B49643.
  • In watercolor the paper is the white, so lighter versions come from adding water rather than white paint.

Acrylic recipe in detail

Gold in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentPartsShare100 ml batch
Titanium WhitePW6554%54 ml
Raw UmberPBr7446%46 ml

Variations on Gold (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 Gold

#E0BD64

10 parts Yellow Ochre, 6 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Gold

#AD8B2E

61% Raw Umber, 33% Titanium White and 6% Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Gold

#D19E4D

12 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Raw Umber and 1 part Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Gold

#B9AA4D

7 parts Titanium White, 5 parts Raw Umber and 2 parts Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Gold questions

What two colors make gold?
In acrylic, Titanium White and Raw Umber: 5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make gold paint lighter without losing the hue?
Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter gold (#E0BD64) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 10 parts Yellow Ochre, 6 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does gold 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 #C5A347 is predicted to dry to about #B4933E. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for gold?
Chromilla uses #C6A44A as the target for gold. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #B4933E.
Can I mix gold without black?
Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber.

Related colors

More colours to try once you have gold sorted.