How to Make Your Own Raw Umber Dark

Understanding why raw umber dark is essential for acrylic glazing & the step-by-step mixing colors to achieve raw umber dark

It’s a wonderful pigment for creating rich, dark values, shadows, and skin tones in your acrylic portrait. But, to my knowledge, you can only buy it at Nova Color. So, many artists following my method don’t have this color to use. I’ll show you how to make your own raw umber dark.

As an artist, finding the right materials for your painting technique is crucial, especially when working with the acrylic glazing method. One of the key colors often used for building shadows and depth in classical or pseudo-classical styles is raw umber dark. Unfortunately, not all artists have access to this pigment, particularly those living overseas where shipping can be a challenge. In this guide, we’ll show you how to mix your own raw umber dark using commonly available pigments.

Why Raw Umber Dark is Essential

Raw umber dark is a rich, chocolatey brown pigment that is darker and more versatile than regular raw umber. It’s particularly useful for creating realistic shadows and adding depth to your artwork, especially in the glazing technique. But, if you’ve ever found yourself without raw umber dark, or unable to purchase it, don’t worry! Because you can always make a substitute at home with a few simple colors.

Materials You’ll Need

• Raw Umber (regular)
• Ultramarine Blue
• Alizarine Crimson
• Matte Medium
• Ivory Black (optional)
• Palette or canvas for mixing
• Palette knife or brush

Tip: But always make sure that you have a clean, organized palette for easy color mixing and consistency in results.

Step-by-Step Process for Mixing Raw Umber Dark

Before we dive into the process, it’s important to note that while this mixture is not a perfect replica of raw umber dark, it’s a close substitute that will work well in most acrylic painting applications.

1. Set up your palette: Start by placing a small amount of regular raw umber on your palette. This will be the base color for your raw umber dark mix.
2. Apply Raw Umber Dark as a reference: If you have a small amount of raw umber dark left, apply it to your palette or canvas to compare the shade. This will help you better match the tones as you mix your new color.
3. Add Ultramarine Blue: To darken the raw umber, add a touch of ultramarine blue. This will deepen the brown and make it more neutral. Start with a small amount and gradually mix it into the raw umber until the color becomes noticeably darker.
4. Balance with Alizarine Crimson: Ultramarine blue alone can make the mixture appear too cool or greenish. To balance it out, add a small amount of alizarine crimson. This warm red pigment will neutralize the blue and help create a deep, rich tone.
5. Test the mix: Once you’ve combined the pigments, test the mixture by applying it to your canvas or palette. Compare it to the raw umber dark sample you applied earlier. If the color is still too light or cool, adjust the mixture by adding more ultramarine blue and alizarine crimson in small amounts until you achieve the desired shade.
6. Optional: Use Ivory Black: If you want to make the color even darker, you can experiment by adding a small amount of ivory black. This will push the value further towards a deep, shadowy tone, which can be useful in very dark areas of your painting. However, be careful not to overdo it, as black can overpower the mixture.
7. Glaze Test: Mix your new raw umber dark with matte medium (about 70% medium to 30% paint) to create a translucent glaze. Apply this to your canvas to see how the color behaves in thin layers, which is essential for the glazing technique. Compare the opacity and darkness with the original raw umber dark glaze.

Tip: Always mix pigments gradually. It’s easier to darken a color than to lighten it once too much pigment has been added.

Understanding the Color Profiles

When comparing raw umber, raw umber dark, and the new mixture, you’ll notice distinct differences. Regular raw umber has a lighter, slightly yellowish tint, while raw umber dark is much deeper and richer. The new mixture you create will closely mimic this, but, making it a suitable substitute for shadows and depth in your artwork.

Here’s how the colors break down:

• Raw Umber: A medium brown with a yellowish tint.
• Raw Umber Dark: A very dark brown, ideal for shadowing and glazing.
• Mixed Raw Umber Dark: A custom blend that sits between the two, close to the deep richness of Raw Umber Dark.

Tip: Keep your mixtures balanced. Too much ultramarine blue or alizarine crimson can throw off the shade, so adjust slowly and test frequently.

Practical Uses of Raw Umber Dark in Acrylic Painting

1. Building Shadows: Raw umber dark is perfect for deepening shadows in portrait and landscape paintings. Its dark tone adds a layer of realism, creating more depth and dimension.
2. Acrylic Glazing: As a translucent glaze, raw umber dark can build up shadows gradually, allowing for a more natural transition between light and dark areas. It’s especially useful in the glazing technique, where thin layers of color are applied to create luminosity and depth.
3. Creating Neutral Tones: This pigment mix can also be used to neutralize overly vibrant colors. Mixing it with bright hues will tone them down, creating more subtle and realistic shades.

Tip: Always test your glaze on a scrap piece of canvas before applying it to your painting. This will help you gauge how transparent and dark your mixture is.

By making your own raw umber dark, you can continue painting without interruption even if the store runs out of your favorite pigment. The process is straightforward, requiring only a few readily available colors. With some practice, you’ll be able to mix a close replica that will serve you well in your acrylic paintings.

Watch my tutorial to learn more about how to make your own raw umber dark.

LEARN MORE

• Adding highlights to your acrylic painting
• 5 Excellent Reasons to Use Aluminum Foil
• Paint Realistic Wrinkles in Acrylic
• Painting Clothing in an Acrylic Portrait
• Paint a Cloudy Sky Acrylic  
•  How to add Semi-Opaque Highlights
• How to Enhance the Contrast in Your Acrylic
• How to Add Glaze to Your Acrylic Painting
• Paint Realistic Reflections on Eyeglasses in an Acrylic Portrait
• Build Up Depth on Your Acrylic Portrait Backgrounds
• How Do You Do Layers With the Glazing Technique?
• Learn How to Paint Wrinkles in Acrylic

Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

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