Tan paint is a beautiful color that can be used to create many different things. But making it can be tricky. What do you need to know about how to make a tan skin color with paint? What is the best way to make tan paint?
This article will answer these questions and much more. We’ll explore how to make tan acrylic paint and show you the best tips for making tan paint. You’ll also find out some of the most common questions about this topic.
We hope you enjoy reading this article!
An Overview of the Color Spectrum
Color can be found all around us. There are so many different hues, tints, tones, and shades to choose from! Have you ever wondered how primary paint colors came about? Why is there a blue color but not an orange one?
Well, the truth is that both of these exist in nature. The two main pigment groups (primary colors) used to create every other hue are red, yellow, and blue. Orange exists because it’s actually just another name for red or yellow; if mixed together they make brown instead of orange like we see on traffic signs.
The color wheel represents each primary pigment as an opposite from another; for example blue/orange; green/red; etc… A secondary pigment would be made by mixing two primaries together such as combining violet and yellow to get green. An analogous pigment would be one next to its direct opposite like orange and purple next to/blue respectively on the wheel.
This is what the color wheel looks like:
What Color Is Tan?
Tan is not its own pigment color, but rather a mixing together of red, orange, and yellow to get a beige or light-colored tan color. Because the primary colors are mostly made from yellows and oranges you can see how they all mix together to create this shade.
Tan is a mid-tone color, which means that it falls directly in the middle of the light and dark spectrum rather than on one end or another like purple, red, green, etc…
What Colors Make Tan?
Tan paint can be made with yellow ochre paint and burnt sienna paint mixed together with white paint to create a mid-tone brownish hue that’s perfect for creating skin tones.
- White paint is the main pigment that creates tan skin color with any other colors added to it. It’s not really a primary pigment but rather just white-colored so you can see how much of each additional addition goes into your mixture before adding more white if needed.
- Yellow ochre is very similar in hue to the sun which gives us warmth and life; this makes it perfect for creating warm colors like our tan paints since they are often seen on people’s bodies or objects found outdoors!
- The final ingredient used here is burnt sienna, also called raw umber. This provides depth when mixed together with the other two pigments because its red base helps create both browns as well as purples.
The final result will look something like this depending on how much white you add:
Is Tan a Shade of Brown?
A shade of brown is created by mixing black paint with white to create a dark, warm color. It’s not quite as orangey or yellowish as our tan mixture but it has that same depth and darkness to its pigmentation.
So yes, tan can technically be considered another form of brown just like how green is the secondary pigment made from blue and yellow mixed together. However, there are still lots more colors in between! Did you know about taupe? Taupe falls somewhere between pink/tan/brown so maybe now you have some new ideas for your next painting project.
How to Make a Tan Color with Paint Out Of Primary Colors?
Making your own paint in any color that you want is easy!
Because reds, oranges, and yellows are very common colors used when painting skin tones than any other hues we can easily create our own using only those pigments even though there aren’t many colors there at all.
You will need:
- Red paint
- Yellow paint (or hansa yolo gold light)
- Ultramarine blue or cobalt paint
- White paint
- (Optional) Ivory black paint if you want to make your color darker. This is not required!
For example, let’s make different tan paints with only four colors:
- Begin by adding some red paint into your yellow until you have reached about 25% of that pigment. Mix them together until you get orange color:
- To this add white paint and mix thoroughly to get a nice peach shade. You can already use it for painting skin:
- If this doesn’t produce the desired result then try adding some blue into the mixture for more contrast:
For browns you can just do this in reverse by adding black instead of blue which will give you an analogous color rather than one on the opposite side of the wheel where tans lie!
- You can make your tan paint lighter by adding some white:
Remember that with any colors made from mixing primary pigments together they are always going to be warm tones no matter how much cold or dark secondary pigment gets mixed in there as well so keep that in mind if you want something different for example cool-toned purples or greens depending on what combination of colors you use next time!
Tips for Mixing Tan Acrylic Paint
While there is no right or wrong way to make tan paint it’s important to follow pigment order when mixing them together. This will help ensure your color isn’t too yellow (no matter which combination you use). Here are some general tips on following proper pigment order when making a tan skin tone with acrylic paints!
- Stir your mixtures frequently so that the paint mixture doesn’t separate.
- Test paints on a piece of paper first before painting on something more permanent to make sure they are what you want/expect them to be!
- Using white paint as the first pigment added is important because it helps brighten up any mixture since adding black can make colors appear darker (instead of lighter).
- Next use yellow if brown or red are also being used; this step ensures that your final result doesn’t become too dark or muddy by mixing in the wrong order. Also, remember to add a touch of black for brown and white for red before mixing completely.
- Mix well! Over mixing can cause colors to become muddy so don’t mix too thoroughly or else risk losing some vibrancy in your paint mixture by overdoing it with the mixer stick/spoon.
- Each brand has its own set of unique pigments which may alter the final tan skin tone color slightly. This makes it difficult to get an exact match when mixing different types of paint together.
If using more than one brand then always add your lightest pigment first before adding in any darker counterparts because this will help prevent muddying colors while ensuring that they stay vibrant enough.
For more information about acrylics read our How to Blend Acrylic Paint: Detailed Beginner’s Guide.
Want a Lighter or Deeper Tan? How to Make a Tan Color of Your Own
Lighter Tan
Lighter tan paint can be made by adding white paint to your mixture. You can make a very light tan color this way or even create your own unique flesh tone
Sometimes less really is more especially if you’re new to painting on skin tones so start off small first before making big batches just in case anything goes wrong mixing/painting etc.
Darker Tan
Don’t forget about black paint when making darker colors because this helps darken up anything without sacrificing vibrancy either unlike how overusing brown makes things muddy looking (even though they are technically related).
Make sure you are using enough pigment when creating dark colors because sometimes all it takes is one extra drop which could turn an ok paint mixture into something much better without losing quality in its vibrancy/opacity either!
Adding Ivory Black pigment really deepens any color mixture especially ones containing blue. It’s one of the best pigments for making darker hair colors too (especially when using black paint).
Warmer Tan
Yellow is the first color that needs to be added to any mixture you are creating. Adding yellow will give your tan paint a warmer tone.
Orange can be added next for a lighter shade of warmer tan. However, if you wish to achieve an even darker color then adding some red may also help.
Cooler Tan
Adding more blue to your tan mixture will help give it a cooler tone. If this is what you are looking for then remember that the light brown or red mixtures can also be used instead of black/white too!
This works especially great if making cool-toned tanned skin tones where having warmer undertones mixed in would ruin any attempt at achieving an accurate color representation.
If using more brown then add some blue for contrast before mixing completely to get a nice neutral tone! Be careful not to overdo it though because too much of either white or black can result in an undesirable shade so always start off with less and build up pigment levels gradually until you reach the desired results.
Creating neutral tones using acrylic paints isn’t difficult but it takes patience and practice since every brand has its own unique formula for their colors which may alter final results slightly.
Mixing it Up!
Want more variety? Try mixing together different brown/tan colors that are already premade into your own unique mixture! This is sure to produce interesting results which will make painting skin tones much easier since many artists struggle with creating their very first flesh tone paint mixtures accurately enough the first time around.
Fortunately, this problem is easily solved by using pre-mixed paints instead; simply pick out ones that match closest and experiment from there making any necessary adjustments as needed until perfect!
Advanced Tips for Painting Tan Skin Tones
- Staying within certain color boundaries is important because otherwise it could turn out patchy or splotchy looking which no one wants! Using tints and shades is useful here since they produce more natural results than pure hues do.
- Test paints on a piece of paper first before painting onto something permanent; this will allow you to see how well different mixtures work together as well as find any unwanted surprises along the way! Sometimes test pieces can also be good for practicing on too.
- Using thinned paints is great for achieving deeper shades without losing vibrancy; applying them with either sponges, brushes, q-tips, etc allows an artist to achieve unique results like never before! Just remember not to overdo anything once you’ve achieved the desired effect.
- You can also use other pigments like purples/blues to create various shades of purple for painting veins; this is especially useful when working with dark skin tones because it helps make them look more natural without losing vibrancy either.
Tan in Design
Tan looks great when combined with bright colors like reds/yellows because it helps make them pop more than usual!
Since tan works well across the board with so many different tones then you might want to experiment on using other hues too since they can create some very interesting effects, especially if contrasting enough against one another.
Using tints of brown mixed with white allows artists to paint shadows that work best for creating lighter shades that appear illuminated by lights or natural sunlight making your artwork look realistic instead of flat colored.
Bottom Line
There are many ways to paint skin realistically using acrylic, oil, and watercolor paints and the color of your choice! If you’re having trouble painting skin tones then try making your own unique mixtures by adding various colors together as needed.
Remember that practice makes perfect when learning to mix paint correctly for painting skin tones. Always make use of tints, shades, and other color variation techniques in order to achieve more natural results because they are your best bet at making everything look much better.
