How to Mix Naples Yellow in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix naples yellow (#E5C88A) in acrylic, use 62% Titanium White, 34% Yellow Ochre and 4% Burnt 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.

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Target

Naples Yellow

#E5C88A

Predicted dry result

87% match when dry

Mix to #E3C889 while wet. It dries to about #CFB479.

Naples Yellow in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentShare100 ml batch
Titanium WhitePW662%62 ml
Yellow OchrePY4334%34 ml
Burnt UmberPBr74%4 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, opaque creamy yellow. Historically loved for skin and stone. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #E5C88A 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. 1. Titanium White

    PW6

    62%
  2. 2. Yellow Ochre

    PY43

    34%
  3. 3. Burnt Umber

    PBr7

    4%

What colors make Naples Yellow?

Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, and Burnt Umber, in roughly a 62:34:4 ratio.

How to make Naples Yellow in acrylic

Start with Titanium White at about 62% as your acrylic base, then work in Yellow Ochre and Burnt Umber in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #E5C88A.

Why mix Naples Yellow instead of buying it

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

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 Naples Yellow

#FEE3A9

Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 93% Titanium White and 7% Burnt Sienna, and chromilla's model predicts an 82% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Naples Yellow

#CBAE71

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

Warmer Naples Yellow

#EEC48C

4 parts Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 85% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Naples Yellow

#DBCD8B

12 parts Titanium White, 2 parts Burnt Sienna and 1 part Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Naples Yellow questions

What two colors make naples yellow?
Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 62% Titanium White, 34% Yellow Ochre and 4% Burnt Umber. Titanium White leads the mix. 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 naples yellow paint lighter without losing the hue?
Lighten in small steps and compare against the target each time. Chromilla's palette struggles with a lighter naples yellow (#FEE3A9) in acrylic: Chromilla's model predicts an 82% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does naples yellow 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 #E3C889 is predicted to dry to about #CFB479. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for naples yellow?
Chromilla uses #E5C88A as the target for naples yellow. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #CFB479.
Can I mix naples yellow without black?
Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 62% Titanium White, 34% Yellow Ochre and 4% Burnt Umber.

Naples Yellow in other mediums

  • Naples Yellow in Oil: 62% Titanium White, 34% Yellow Ochre and 4% Burnt Umber, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
  • Naples Yellow in Watercolor: 62% Titanium White, 34% Yellow Ochre and 4% Burnt Umber, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

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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.