How to Make Sepia
Dark, warm brown - the colour of vintage photographs, iron-gall ink, and antique parchment.
Recipe: Burnt Sienna + Black (3:1)
The cleanest sepia recipe uses burnt sienna at 75% plus ivory black at 25%. The black darkens the burnt sienna without destroying its warmth. From primaries, mix red + yellow + blue at 3:2:2 (more blue than chestnut) and add black at 10-15%. For warmer photographic sepia, increase the burnt sienna proportion; for cooler iron-gall-ink sepia, substitute Payne's grey for ivory black and add a touch more blue. The classic Victorian sepia for photo toning is warmer than the iron-gall sepia used for early modern ink writing.
What Is Sepia?
Sepia takes its name from the Latin name for cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), whose ink sac produces a dark brown pigment used historically for ink and watercolour wash. In Victorian and Edwardian photography, sepia toning replaced silver in the print emulsion with silver sulphide, producing the warm-brown image associated with antique photographs and family albums. Today sepia survives as a digital filter and as a paint colour that sits between burnt umber and dark brown - darker than chestnut, warmer than black coffee, with a slight orange undertone that distinguishes it from the cooler raw umber. CSS lists no named sepia; Wikipedia gives #704214 as the canonical web sepia, which is the value the site uses. In ink wash and calligraphy, sepia is one of the three classic dark colours alongside Indian red and bistre. The most authentic single-tube sepia in modern watercolour is Daniel Smith Sepia, which uses a synthetic iron oxide rather than cuttlefish ink.
Variations of Sepia
Photographic Sepia
#7B5436
Burnt Sienna + Yellow Ochre + Black (3:1:0.5)
Iron-Gall Sepia
#5C3617
Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine + Black (2:1:1)
Light Sepia
#A07050
Burnt Sienna + Yellow Ochre + White (3:1:1)
Making Sepia in Different Media
Acrylic Paint
Full guide →Burnt sienna plus ivory black at 3:1 is the simplest acrylic recipe. For longer-lasting sepia, replace ivory black with Payne's grey or a small amount of burnt umber - both preserve warmth better than pure black. Liquitex Sepia Ink (sold separately) is the cleanest single-jar option for ink-wash effects.
Oil Paint
Full guide →Old Holland Sepia or Michael Harding Vandyke Brown are pre-mixed oil sepias that avoid the dulling effect of black. Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton both offer sepia in oil paint as well as watercolour. Glaze over a yellow ochre underpainting for Victorian-photograph sepia depth.
Watercolour
Full guide →Daniel Smith Sepia (PBr7) is the canonical watercolour sepia and the closest match to traditional cuttlefish ink. Winsor & Newton Sepia is a slightly cooler synthetic iron-oxide blend. For ink-wash sepia, dilute heavily on hot-press paper for the smooth Victorian-letter appearance.
Food Colouring
Full guide →Sepia is not a common food-colouring target, but for antique-looking wedding cake fondant: 4 drops red + 2 drops yellow + 2 drops blue + half a teaspoon of Dutch-process cocoa. Sepia frosting reads slightly muddy on a bright cake; better suited to antique-themed sugar work than primary buttercream.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- 1Using too much black - sepia is a warm brown, not a brown-black. Black above 25% of the mix kills the warmth.
- 2Substituting raw umber for burnt sienna - raw umber is cool and slightly green; sepia must be warm. Use burnt sienna or burnt umber.
- 3Treating sepia like a single shade - photographic sepia (warm) and iron-gall sepia (cool) are visibly different. Decide which you are targeting before mixing.
- 4Mixing sepia with Payne's grey at full strength - shifts toward blue-grey-brown rather than warm sepia. Limit Payne's grey to 15% of the mix.
Try It in the Mixer
Tan
RGB(195, 129, 132)
Paint mode uses an approximate RYB subtractive model. Results are a close approximation - actual pigment mixing varies by brand and opacity.
Pre-loaded with the Sepia recipe. Adjust the sliders to fine-tune.
Related Shades
Colour recipes are approximations. Real pigment mixing varies by brand, opacity, and surface. Always test on a sample first.