What two colors make indian red?

Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 65% Yellow Ochre, 19% Alizarin Crimson and 16% Viridian Green. Yellow Ochre leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for indian red?

Chromilla uses #8C3A34 as the target for indian red. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #8D3A35.

Can I mix indian red without black?

Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 65% Yellow Ochre, 19% Alizarin Crimson and 16% Viridian Green.

How to Mix Indian Red in Oil

Quick answer

To mix indian red (#8C3A34) in oil, use 65% Yellow Ochre, 19% Alizarin Crimson and 16% Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% 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

Indian Red

#8C3A34

Predicted dry result

99% match when dry

Mix to #8D3A35. It dries true to color.

Indian Red in oil: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Share	100 ml batch
Yellow Ochre	PY43	65%	65 ml
Alizarin Crimson	PR83	19%	19 ml
Viridian Green	PG18	16%	16 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 dense, opaque cool earth red. Iron-oxide backbone of muted portraits. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #8C3A34 in oil, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for oil. 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
65%
2. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
19%
3. Viridian Green
PG18
16%

What colors make Indian Red?

Yellow Ochre, Alizarin Crimson, and Viridian Green, in roughly a 65:19:16 ratio.

How to make Indian Red in oil

Start with Yellow Ochre at about 65% as your oil base, then work in Alizarin Crimson and Viridian Green in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #8C3A34.

Why mix Indian Red instead of buying it

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

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 Indian Red

#A6514A

7 parts Burnt Umber, 6 parts Titanium White and 4 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Indian Red

#72231F

6 parts Cadmium Red, 3 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 100% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Indian Red

#8C3A31

7 parts Burnt Umber, 3 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Indian Red

#8B3843

6 parts Viridian Green, 5 parts Alizarin Crimson, 2 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Indian Red questions

What two colors make indian red?: Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 65% Yellow Ochre, 19% Alizarin Crimson and 16% Viridian Green. Yellow Ochre leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make indian red paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter indian red (#A6514A) in oil, Chromilla mixes 7 parts Burnt Umber, 6 parts Titanium White and 4 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for indian red?: Chromilla uses #8C3A34 as the target for indian red. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #8D3A35.
Can I mix indian red without black?: Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 65% Yellow Ochre, 19% Alizarin Crimson and 16% Viridian Green.

Indian Red in other mediums

Indian Red in Acrylic: 65% Yellow Ochre, 19% Alizarin Crimson and 16% Viridian Green, predicted 94% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Indian Red in Watercolor: 65% Yellow Ochre, 19% Alizarin Crimson and 16% Viridian Green, predicted 93% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Indian Red + oil pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

Open in mixer

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.