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.

How to Mix Gold in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix gold (#C6A44A) in acrylic, 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.

Adjust for my paints

Target

Gold

#C6A44A

Predicted dry result

87% match when dry

Mix to #C5A347 while wet. It dries to about #B4933E.

Gold in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Titanium White	PW6	5	54%	54 ml
Raw Umber	PBr7	4	46%	46 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 metallic-looking warm gold in matte paint. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #C6A44A 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. Titanium White
PW6
54%
2. Raw Umber
PBr7
46%

What colors make Gold?

Titanium White and Raw Umber, in roughly a 54:46 ratio.

How to make Gold in acrylic

Start with Titanium White at about 54% as your acrylic base, then work in Raw Umber in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #C6A44A.

Why mix Gold instead of buying it

Mixing Gold yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Gold 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

White cools and chalks a mix as you add it, so tint in small steps and stop before it goes pastel.

Variations on Gold

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.

Gold in other mediums

Gold in Oil: 5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Gold in Watercolor: 5 parts Titanium White to 4 parts Raw Umber, predicted 88% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for gold

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

Open in mixer

Deep-dive guide

How to mix Gold, the long version

Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.

Read the guide

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.