What color do brown and white make?
Brown and White make tan.
Brown and White make tan, #c2a991. That is the result in equal parts, mixing pigment rather than light - paint, ink and dye all behave this way.
Equal parts brown and white · #c2a991
Change the ratio
Very little of a mix is ever half and half. Shifting the balance moves the result along the range between the two colours.
3 parts brown, 1 part white · #a3713d
Equal parts · #c2a991
1 part brown, 3 parts white · #e0d0bf
Lighter and darker
With white added - a tint · #d6c6b6
With black added - a shade · #705438
Why it works
Adding white to brown makes a tint. The hue does not change - only its lightness does, which is why you get tan rather than a different colour altogether. Keep adding white and it keeps moving towards plain white.
Frequently asked questions
What color do brown and white make?
Brown and White make tan, #c2a991. Mixed in equal parts that is the result you get with paint, ink or any other pigment.
How do I make the result lighter or darker?
Add white for a tint - here that gives lavender. Add black for a shade, which gives brown. Add white a little at a time, because it takes far less than people expect to shift a mix.
What happens if I use more brown than white?
Three parts brown to one part white gives brown. Reversing it to one part brown and three parts white gives pink instead.
Does this work the same way on a screen?
No. Screens mix light additively, so red and green light make yellow there. These results are subtractive - paint, ink, dye and pigment - which is what people mean when they ask what two colours make.