Why does amber 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 #C6812E is predicted to dry to about #B57427. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for amber?

Chromilla uses #C4802B as the target for amber. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #B57427.

Can I mix amber without black?

Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 6 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Burnt Sienna.

How to Mix Amber in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix amber (#C4802B) in acrylic, use 6 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% 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.

Adjust for my paints

Target

Amber

#C4802B

Predicted dry result

89% match when dry

Mix to #C6812E while wet. It dries to about #B57427.

Amber in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Yellow Ochre	PY43	6	86%	86 ml
Burnt Sienna	PBr7	1	14%	14 ml

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: Tinting strength, Dry shift, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Pigment code, Gamut.

A warm orange-gold amber. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #C4802B in acrylic, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for acrylic. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

1. Yellow Ochre
PY43
86%
2. Burnt Sienna
PBr7
14%

What colors make Amber?

Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna, in roughly a 86:14 ratio.

How to make Amber in acrylic

Start with Yellow Ochre at about 86% as your acrylic base, then work in Burnt Sienna in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #C4802B.

Why mix Amber instead of buying it

Mixing Amber yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Amber across paint brands whose factory tubes differ, and rebuild the exact color when you run out mid painting. The recipe above is the working starting point.

Common mistakes

Overshooting on Yellow Ochre is the usual failure, add it in 5% steps and compare against the target between each pass.

Variations on Amber

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 Amber

#DF9948

1 part Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Amber

#A66A1A

2 parts Cadmium Yellow, 1 part Burnt Sienna and 1 part Raw Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Amber

#CC7A3C

95% Yellow Ochre and 5% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Amber

#CC7A3C

95% Yellow Ochre and 5% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Amber questions

What two colors make amber?: In acrylic, Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna: 6 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make amber paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter amber (#DF9948) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 1 part Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does amber 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 #C6812E is predicted to dry to about #B57427. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for amber?: Chromilla uses #C4802B as the target for amber. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #B57427.
Can I mix amber without black?: Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 6 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Burnt Sienna.

Amber in other mediums

Amber in Oil: 6 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Burnt Sienna, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Amber in Watercolor: 6 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Burnt Sienna, predicted 90% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Amber + acrylic pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

Open in mixer

Technique guides for this color

Related mixing guides

Pigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.