How to Mix Yellow Ochre in Watercolor

Quick answer

To mix yellow ochre (#C8A24B) in watercolor, use 11 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Raw Umber and 2 parts Burnt Sienna. 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

Yellow Ochre

#C8A24B

Predicted dry result

89% match when dry

Mix to #C9A249 while wet. It dries to about #B89545.

Yellow Ochre in watercolor: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentPartsShare100 ml batch
Titanium WhitePW61154%54 ml
Raw UmberPBr7736%36 ml
Burnt SiennaPBr7210%10 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 muted, earthy yellow. The backbone of skin tones and warm neutrals. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #C8A24B 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. 1. Titanium White

    PW6

    54%
  2. 2. Raw Umber

    PBr7

    36%
  3. 3. Burnt Sienna

    PBr7

    10%

What colors make Yellow Ochre?

Titanium White, Raw Umber, and Burnt Sienna, in roughly a 54:36:10 ratio.

How to make Yellow Ochre in watercolor

Start with Titanium White at about 54% as your watercolor base, then work in Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #C8A24B.

Why mix Yellow Ochre instead of buying it

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

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 Yellow Ochre

#E2BB65

7 parts Yellow Ochre, 5 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Yellow Ochre

#AE892F

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

Warmer Yellow Ochre

#D39C4F

51% Titanium White, 45% Burnt Sienna and 4% Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Yellow Ochre

#BBA84C

9 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Raw Umber and 2 parts Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Yellow Ochre questions

What two colors make yellow ochre?
Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 11 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Raw Umber and 2 parts Burnt Sienna. Titanium White leads the mix. 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 yellow ochre paint lighter without losing the hue?
Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter yellow ochre (#E2BB65) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 7 parts Yellow Ochre, 5 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for yellow ochre?
Chromilla uses #C8A24B as the target for yellow ochre. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #B89545.
Can I mix yellow ochre without black?
Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 11 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Raw Umber and 2 parts Burnt Sienna.

Yellow Ochre in other mediums

  • Yellow Ochre in Acrylic: 11 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Raw Umber and 2 parts Burnt Sienna, predicted 88% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
  • Yellow Ochre in Oil: 11 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Raw Umber and 2 parts Burnt Sienna, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Yellow Ochre + watercolor 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.