Lighter Burnt Sienna
#A45238
7 parts Burnt Umber, 5 parts Cadmium Red and 4 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Burnt Sienna in Acrylic
Quick answer
To mix burnt sienna (#8A3B21) in acrylic, use 4 parts Yellow Ochre, 3 parts Burnt Umber and 2 parts Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% 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.
Target
Burnt Sienna
#8A3B21
Predicted dry result
94% match when dryMix to #8A3D24 while wet. It dries to about #7F371E.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Ochre | PY43 | 4 | 44% | 44 ml |
| Burnt Umber | PBr7 | 3 | 34% | 34 ml |
| Cadmium Red | PR108 | 2 | 22% | 22 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 rich earthy red-brown. The workhorse warm earth for skin, wood, and shadow. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #8A3B21 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
44%2. Burnt Umber
PBr7
34%3. Cadmium Red
PR108
22%
What colors make Burnt Sienna?
Yellow Ochre, Burnt Umber, and Cadmium Red, in roughly a 44:34:22 ratio.
How to make Burnt Sienna in acrylic
Start with Yellow Ochre at about 44% as your acrylic base, then work in Burnt Umber and Cadmium Red in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #8A3B21.
Why mix Burnt Sienna instead of buying it
Mixing Burnt Sienna yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Burnt Sienna 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 Burnt Sienna
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.
Darker Burnt Sienna
#712406
6 parts Cadmium Yellow, 4 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Burnt Sienna
#8B382F
8 parts Burnt Umber, 3 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Burnt Sienna
#8B3832
7 parts Burnt Umber, 4 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Burnt Sienna questions
- What two colors make burnt sienna?
- Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 4 parts Yellow Ochre, 3 parts Burnt Umber and 2 parts Cadmium Red. Yellow Ochre leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- How do you make burnt sienna paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter burnt sienna (#A45238) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 7 parts Burnt Umber, 5 parts Cadmium Red and 4 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- Why does burnt sienna 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 #8A3D24 is predicted to dry to about #7F371E. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
- What is the hex code for burnt sienna?
- Chromilla uses #8A3B21 as the target for burnt sienna. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #7F371E.
- Can I mix burnt sienna without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 4 parts Yellow Ochre, 3 parts Burnt Umber and 2 parts Cadmium Red.
Burnt Sienna in other mediums
- Burnt Sienna in Oil: 4 parts Yellow Ochre, 3 parts Burnt Umber and 2 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Burnt Sienna in Watercolor: 4 parts Yellow Ochre, 3 parts Burnt Umber and 2 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 93% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Burnt Sienna + acrylic pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
New to browns? See what colors make brown, in plain terms.
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.