Why does vermilion 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 #D93C26 is predicted to dry to about #C63620. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for vermilion?

Chromilla uses #D93A20 as the target for vermilion. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #C63620.

Can I mix vermilion without black?

Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red.

How to Mix Vermilion in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix vermilion (#D93A20) in acrylic, use 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red. 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.

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Target

Vermilion

#D93A20

Predicted dry result

89% match when dry

Mix to #D93C26 while wet. It dries to about #C63620.

Vermilion in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Yellow Ochre	PY43	4	57%	57 ml
Cadmium Red	PR108	3	43%	43 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 vivid, warm orange-red. Iconic in classical oil painting. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #D93A20 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
57%
2. Cadmium Red
PR108
43%

What colors make Vermilion?

Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Red, in roughly a 57:43 ratio.

How to make Vermilion in acrylic

Start with Yellow Ochre at about 57% as your acrylic base, then work in Cadmium Red in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #D93A20.

Why mix Vermilion instead of buying it

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

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 Vermilion

#F6573C

3 parts Cadmium Red to 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Vermilion

#B7260D

3 parts Cadmium Yellow to 2 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Vermilion

#D9382C

6 parts Cadmium Red, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Vermilion

#D93448

6 parts Alizarin Crimson, 5 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Vermilion questions

What two colors make vermilion?: In acrylic, Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Red: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red. 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 vermilion paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter vermilion (#F6573C) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 3 parts Cadmium Red to 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does vermilion 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 #D93C26 is predicted to dry to about #C63620. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for vermilion?: Chromilla uses #D93A20 as the target for vermilion. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #C63620.
Can I mix vermilion without black?: Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red.

Vermilion in other mediums

Vermilion in Oil: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 97% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Vermilion in Watercolor: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Vermilion + 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.