How do you make ivory paint lighter without losing the hue?

Lighten in small steps and compare against the target each time. Chromilla's palette struggles with a lighter ivory (#FDF8E9) in acrylic: Chromilla's model predicts an 83% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Why does ivory 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 #F8F5DD is predicted to dry to about #E2DDC5. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for ivory?

Chromilla uses #F5F0E1 as the target for ivory. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #E2DDC5.

Can I mix ivory without black?

Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre.

How to Mix Ivory in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix ivory (#F5F0E1) in acrylic, use 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% 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

Ivory

#F5F0E1

Predicted dry result

86% match when dry

Mix to #F8F5DD while wet. It dries to about #E2DDC5.

Ivory in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Share	100 ml batch
Titanium White	PW6	97%	97 ml
Yellow Ochre	PY43	3%	3 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 soft, warm ivory white. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #F5F0E1 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
97%
2. Yellow Ochre
PY43
3%

What colors make Ivory?

Titanium White and Yellow Ochre, in roughly a 97:3 ratio.

How to make Ivory in acrylic

Start with Titanium White at about 97% as your acrylic base, then work in Yellow Ochre in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #F5F0E1.

Why mix Ivory instead of buying it

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

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 Ivory

#FDF8E9

Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre, and chromilla's model predicts an 83% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Ivory

#DBD6C7

92% Titanium White, 5% Viridian Green and 3% Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Ivory

#F8EFE1

Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre, and chromilla's model predicts an 84% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Ivory

#F2F1E2

97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Ivory questions

What two colors make ivory?: In acrylic, Titanium White and Yellow Ochre: 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make ivory paint lighter without losing the hue?: Lighten in small steps and compare against the target each time. Chromilla's palette struggles with a lighter ivory (#FDF8E9) in acrylic: Chromilla's model predicts an 83% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does ivory 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 #F8F5DD is predicted to dry to about #E2DDC5. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for ivory?: Chromilla uses #F5F0E1 as the target for ivory. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #E2DDC5.
Can I mix ivory without black?: Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre.

Ivory in other mediums

Ivory in Oil: 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre, predicted 91% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Ivory in Watercolor: 97% Titanium White and 3% Yellow Ochre, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for ivory

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

Open in mixer

Deep-dive guide

How to mix Ivory, 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.