Red and Brown Mixed! What Color Do Red and Brown Make?

In this article, we are going to uncover what color red and brown make. We will also talk about color theory so stick around…

Discovering the importance of color mixing will help you with your art.

As an artist, understanding the concept of color mixing is important for experimentation and adding depth to your work. Not to mention, you can use the color formed for other projects.

Aside from finding out the byproduct of mixing the two colors, we will also touch on the meaning of that color as well as its use in design.

What comes to mind when we talk about red? Is it a rose? Cosmetics? Or possibly cherries or apples?

How about brown? Images that come to mind include coffee beans, cinnamon, or nuts. The color represents nature because brown is the color of the soil.

These colors on their own have characteristics that portray distinct emotions. For red, one can associate love because it is warm and vibrant. Meanwhile, for brown, one can feel a sense of strength as well as sadness.

Today, let’s find out what happens when we combine these two colors.

Keep reading…

Color Wheel Theory

In order to understand how colors are related to one another, let’s take a look at a color wheel. This visual reference shows the organization of colors from light and warm, to dark and cool.

The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. In your early schooling days, your teacher probably told you that you cannot combine two colors to create primary colors.

In reality, there are two methods of color mixing: additive and subtractive. In additive color mixing you can, in fact, create red, blue, and yellow, by combining secondary and tertiary colors.

For instance, in creating red, you need to mix magenta and yellow. For blue, you can combine cyan and magenta, then for yellow, simply combine red and green.

As you know, mixing primary colors can create secondary colors green, orange, and violet. When you mix blue and red, you can get violet; red and yellow create orange; then blue and yellow make green.

Finally, you can make tertiary colors by mixing together primary and secondary colors. The six, newly-formed colors considered tertiary are yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, and yellow-green.

Now, in subtractive color mixing, combining secondary and tertiary colors will produce brown.

The thing about color mixing is, you can end up with a brighter or darker shade if the combination of two colors isn’t equal. Its end result can look muddy or brilliant, so make sure to use equal quantities of colors.

What Color Do Red and Brown Make?

Now that you have a background on colors, let’s try to find out what color red and brown make.

As you know, brown is a darker color than red, hence, it can change the tone of the color.

By now, you can probably picture the result in your mind. As mentioned, red is a primary color, and brown is a composite color, mixing the two can create maroon, a shade of red.

Maroon in itself is a darker shade of red, which is the effect of brown. If you have a larger quantity of brown, expect that the color will be darker than normal maroon. On the other hand, if you go heavy on red for the combination, the end result will have a warmer color.

Overall, maroon is a dark color and resembles a shade of brownish crimson or claret.

Maroon in Design

When it comes to interior design, maroon certainly screams elegance and superiority. The color provides a sense of power and also a touch of femininity in a space.

Aside from walls, the color can also be used as flooring or carpet, furniture, and even accents in rooms. For instance, you can use a maroon-colored handle on kitchen cabinets for a classic touch.

Maroon also resembles the color of wine, which makes it a great color for the kitchen or dining area. It represents passion, warmth, and confidence, which homeowners can use to give their space some character.

Bottom Line

Maroon is a byproduct of mixing colors red and brown. It is a darker shade of red that represents love, passion, risk, and confidence.

As we mix the two colors red and brown, we discover how colors can affect each other. This means when you combine the two, the quantities of the two colors can make the byproduct brighter or darker.

We hope you learned a lot about the colors maroon, red, and brown today. When someone asks you “what color do red and brown make?” you can wow them with your knowledge and instantly answer maroon and explain how this happens.

Cheers!