
The ocher color, also called the sienna color, falls within the range of shades of the brown color. In fact, ocher is what dehydrated iron oxide is called, as well as the color of yellowish earthy minerals like bismuth or nickel.
But within the ocher color you can also get other shades: golden color, dark ocher color, light ocher … if you like artistic painting and you want to achieve these colors with mixed paint, we make it easy for you. Discover how to make ocher color step by step!
How to make light ocher color
The light ocher color, also called limonite, is a hue that is closer to yellow than any other. Being a very light tone, you have to be careful when finding it, because it is very easy to go overboard and end up creating a color that is too soft:
- Prepare the paints that you are going to use. From UNCOMO we recommend using tempera or gouache paint, as they are easier to handle to find the ocher color.
- On a shallow plate, place 10 parts yellow, one part red, and one-fourth part black. It is important that you adjust to these measurements as much as possible.
- Mix all these colors with the brush and you will get an orange ocher pulling yellowish.
- To turn it into light ocher, you must put three parts of white on it and mix them with the brush. You can also dilute the colors with a little water to get lighter shades.
- Make a brushstroke and see if it is the color and hue you want. If you want a lighter ocher, you should add a little more white.

How to make dark ocher color
Dark ocher is another possible shade within the types of brown color. Dark ocher has a semi-neutral to weak saturation, and for get the exact tonality you want, you should have the following colors on hand, take note:
- Prepare the paint you want (acrylic will be easy to handle) in yellow, black and orange.
- Put 10 parts of yellow paint, one part of black paint, and half of orange paint on your palette.
- Soak the tip of the brush in water and mix the colors until you get a dark hue.
We recommend you add black very little by littleIt is easy to go overboard and end up with a tone that is too dark. If you think the result is very smooth, you can add a little more black, but always with caution. If, on the other hand, you think that the result is too dark, can you add some white.

How to make golden ocher color
Many fine artists use blends with synthetic iron oxide to achieve a golden ocher hue. It is a color that mixes yellowish browns with chrome yellow. If you wonder how to make golden ocher color, follow these steps:
- From UNCOMO we recommend using watercolors, but you can prepare the paints you prefer.
- Mix 10 parts white, one part red and half black on a paper or palette.
- Mix these colors with the brush.
- Make a brushstroke on the canvas to observe the color.
- If you want a darker tone, you can add another half part of black paint, but always very carefully not to pass you.

How to make ocher meat
This color was notably used until the first decade of the 20th century as a natural ocher for artistic use. In addition, it is essential to achieve certain skin tones. We explain how to make meat ocher color:
- Prepare the paints that you are going to use and mix 10 parts of yellow, one part of red and one half of black and mix them.
- On another side of the palette or the paper you use to mix, join one part of black and one part of white. You will get a medium gray color.
- Now combine other portions of white with black to create various shades of gray in the palette.
- Place a part of carmine red on the other side of the plate or palette. You will find more information about How to make orange color in this other oneHOWTO article.
- Combine the previously obtained medium ocher with the carmine red color to achieve a dull orange color.
- Get various shades of orange lighter and darker by adding more or less carmine red.
- In another part of the plate, combine the different shades of orange obtained with the grays. In this way you can obtain more or less saturated colors for the flesh ocher color.
If your goal is to achieve a realistic nude color, you may also be interested in this article on How to make nude color.

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