Lighter Tan
#ECCEA5
92% Titanium White, 5% Burnt Umber and 3% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Tan in Watercolor
Quick answer
To mix tan (#D2B48C) in watercolor, use 6 parts Titanium White to 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. 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.
Target
Tan
#D2B48C
Predicted dry result
89% match when dryMix to #D7B793 while wet. It dries to about #C5A889.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium White | PW6 | 6 | 86% | 86 ml |
| Burnt Umber | PBr7 | 1 | 14% | 14 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 warm, pale tan for sand, skin, and leather. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #D2B48C in watercolor, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.
Pigment recipe
Checked August 2026
Ratios calibrated for watercolor. 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
86%2. Burnt Umber
PBr7
14%
What colors make Tan?
Titanium White and Burnt Umber, in roughly a 86:14 ratio.
How to make Tan in watercolor
Start with Titanium White at about 86% as your watercolor base, then work in Burnt Umber in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #D2B48C.
Why mix Tan instead of buying it
Mixing Tan yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Tan 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 Tan
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.
Darker Tan
#B89B74
62% Titanium White, 24% Burnt Umber and 14% Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Tan
#D8B18F
5 parts Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Tan
#D8B18F
5 parts Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Tan questions
- What two colors make tan?
- In watercolor, Titanium White and Burnt Umber: 6 parts Titanium White to 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.
- How do you make tan paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter tan (#ECCEA5) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 92% Titanium White, 5% Burnt Umber and 3% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- What is the hex code for tan?
- Chromilla uses #D2B48C as the target for tan. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #C5A889.
- Can I mix tan without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 6 parts Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Umber.
Tan in other mediums
- Tan in Acrylic: 6 parts Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Umber, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Tan in Oil: 6 parts Titanium White to 1 part Burnt Umber, predicted 95% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Tan + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
New to browns? See what colors make brown, in plain terms.
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.