What Colors Make Tan? What Two Colors Make Tan

Are you wondering how you can mix colors to make tan? If you are, then you are in the right place as we are going to answer the question, “what colors make tan?”

Whether you are trying to add skin color to your painting or blending foundation in your makeup, learning how to get the right mixture to make tan color is essential.

What comes to your mind when you think of the word “tan”? Most people think about skin, flesh, sand, and sunbathing.

Some even associate this color with a morning cup of coffee or the stems of trees, as the color tan creates a feeling of warmth and coziness.

You’re probably curious how tan differs from brown and beige. Tan may seem similar to brown and beige, but it actually differs based on its shade and undertones.

To help explain how color shades work, we’re going to do a quick recap of the color spectrum.

Keep reading…

An Overview of the Color Spectrum

In order to fully understand how to make the color tan, you need a refresher course on the color wheel and its spectrum.

In your elementary school days, you were taught how to mix primary colors – red, blue, and yellow.

Upon mixing these two primary colors, you will be able to create new ones called secondary colors. The secondary colors are comprised of the colors purple, orange, and green.

Combining primary and secondary colors will result in tertiary colors across the spectrum, which results in red-orange, yellow-orange, blue-violet, and blue-green.

Neutral hues such as black, and gray, may also be achieved by mixing primary, and secondary colors. As you can see from the color mixing chart below when you combine these colors you get black.

Another neutral hue is the color brown. You can mix the colors Blue, Red, and Yellow can together to make Brown.

As you can see different tones and hues can be created when you mix colors together.

Understanding basic color theory will help you know how to mix colors together and know the original source of each color.  Next, let’s talk about what colors you need to mix together to make a tan.

What Two Colors Make Tan?

Now that we have reviewed color theories, you might have an idea of how to make the color tan.

This neutral hue falls in the family of colors between brown and beige. Thus, if you already know how to make brown then you’re already one step closer to making the color tan.

What two colors make tan you ask? You can create a tan by mixing brown and white together. You can see by the color chart below that you can achieve different hues of tan by using different levels of brown or white in your mixture.

If you’re looking for a more golden tan color then you can mix brown and yellow together.

If you’re looking to make other shades of tan then you can use a combination of brown, white, and yellow.

If you do not have brown then you can mix blue, red, and yellow together. Thus, in theory, you could make a tan by mixing blue, red, yellow, and white together.

Now that you have learned how to make a tan, let’s talk about how you can lighten or darken up your color if you need to.

Want a Lighter or Deeper Tan?

The color tan can take on lighter or deeper shapes depending on the number of colors added to it. Putting in more brown allows the tone to take on a deeper and more prominent shade.

Meanwhile, adding in more white can make the overall result lighter. You’ll have to play around with the quantities of color to get your desired look.

Tan in Design

Tan has a neutral tone, which makes it easy to pair with almost any other color. In interior design, tan is used to provide a soft, neutral background either as a solid color or against other dramatic designs. It serves as an anchor for all other existing pieces within the same room.

Often associated with coziness and warmth, neutral paint color is linked to a feeling of security and stability. Because of its subdued hue, it provides a sense of relaxation and comfort to users thanks to its soothing tones.

Bottom Line

The color tan is present all around us, whether we intentionally notice it or not. Now that you know how to create this color, you can experiment with color combinations to get your desired tan look.