Mixing guide
What colors make grey: warm, cool and chromatic greys
Grey is not black plus white. The greys that hold up on a canvas come from mixing two complementary colors, like Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna, so the grey carries a hidden warmth or coolness instead of reading flat and dead.
Warm grey vs. cool grey
Same three tubes, different ratio. Lead with the earth tone for a warm grey that leans toward the wall or the shadow side of a form. Lead with the blue for a cool grey that recedes.
- #B9A9A7
Warm grey
- Titanium White60%
- Burnt Sienna25%
- Ultramarine Blue15%
Reads as a warm stone grey, good for skin shadow and worn wood.
- #AEA8B2
Cool grey
- Titanium White60%
- Ultramarine Blue25%
- Burnt Sienna15%
Recedes into the distance. Good for overcast sky and background stone.
Chromatic grey (the complementary method)
Push the same two complements further and skip the white for a darker, more saturated grey with real colour underneath. This is how old-master shadows stay alive instead of going dead.
- #5D506A
Deep chromatic grey
- Ultramarine Blue50%
- Burnt Sienna40%
- Titanium White10%
A near-black with colour still visible in the mass. Use in place of black for a shadow that doesn't go flat.
- #CDBFB3
Living grey
- Cadmium Red Light15%
- Phthalo Green15%
- Titanium White70%
A pale grey with just enough red-green tension to feel warm in some light and cool in others.
When flat black-and-white grey is actually fine
For a quick value study or an underpainting nobody will see, Mars Black plus Titanium White is a perfectly reasonable shortcut. Save the complementary method for greys that stay in the final piece.
Why your grey goes green, purple or muddy
A grey that drifts green or purple usually means the two complements weren't matched in temperature, a warm blue against a cool red, for example. A grey that goes muddy instead of neutral usually means a third pigment snuck in. Rebuild with exactly two complements plus white, and adjust the ratio in small steps rather than adding a third tube to fix it.
Try it on your tubes
Get a calibrated grey for your tubes
Paste your target hex and pick your brand. Chromilla returns the complementary pair and ratio tuned to your paint.
Open Chromilla →Frequently asked questions
- What two colors make grey without using black?
- Any complementary pair: Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna, or a red and a green. Mix them close to equal parts and the colors cancel each other toward neutral. Add white to lighten.
- Why does my grey look muddy instead of neutral?
- Muddy usually means a third pigment is in the mix, even a trace left on the brush. Wipe clean and rebuild from exactly two complements plus white, adjusting the ratio in small steps.