Mix red and green
Mix orange and blue
Mix yellow and purple
Mix primary colors (red + yellow + a touch of blue)
Mix complementary colors until dark brown forms
Start with a small amount of the darker complementary color and adjust
Add black carefully to deepen brown
Add white carefully to lighten brown (create taupe/tan)
Add a small amount of red for warmer brown (chocolate/rusty brown)
Add a small amount of blue/green for cooler brown (umber/olive-brown)
Add yellow to lighten and warm brown (fawn/tan)
Add a small amount of gray to mute brown
For paint: mix on a palette, then test on scrap before applying
For colored pencils: layer light browns first, then deepen with darker complementary colors
For markers: layer in thin passes, then deepen with a darker tone
For digital: blend warm and cool browns using a color picker, then refine with saturation and brightness sliders