How to Make Maroon with Colored Pencils?

What is maroon color? Maroon is a unique color and can be described as brownish crimson. It belongs to the red color family but sometimes can be hard to depict on paper. To create maroon and reach the exact shade, artists need to mix a variety of different hues. If you are curious and want to represent this shade in your artwork, I’ll share some tricks on how to make maroon with colored pencils with you.

Maroon Color Definition

So, what is maroon? I’m giving a comprehensive answer for bookworms LOL. The word “maroon” (actually, “marron”) is French and stands for “a chestnut.” Another definition of this word is “brown.” The shade is widely used by artists to portray passionate things like risk, love, courage, ambition, excitement, etc. This is a typical autumn tint represented by leaves that are changing their color.

Decorators and interior designers adore this color. It is very attractive and draws everyone’s attention, so you can see it on flags, clothing, and sportswear. As a synonym for an adrenaline boost, it is used on vehicles. It induces appetite, so maroon walls in restaurants and cafes are a common thing. Also, maroon is used during various holidays to represent solemn and sophisticated things (like Christ’s blood).

Blend the Maroon Color Using Colored Pencils

With a good set of pencils, you can enhance your artworks and make them more complicated using blending or layering techniques. It is not difficult if you know the main principles. This time, I’ll explain how to make maroon with colored pencils.

What Primary Colors Make Maroon?

Maroon tends towards reddish, brownish, and bluish shades. To get this tint, 3 primary colors – red, yellow, and blue – should be mixed in a certain ratio. First, we mix red and blue. And then, we add yellow to obtain that unique brownish undertone.

In the below section, we’ll be making maroon, using pure primary colors. If only non-primary colors are at hand, you’ll have to explore possible shade variations of your pencils during experiments because some colors may have a warm or cool bias.

The color wheel will be very helpful in this case. You blend and layer various colors in advance using this hand-made tool and refer to these samples in case of need. A pretty cool thing!

How to Mix Colored Pencils?

There is no instruction that tells the exact ratio of the primary colors used to make maroon. We’ll start with red and blue pencils. BTW, the same sequence of actions is observed when you try to make maroon by mixing paint.

Blue is darker than red, so don’t put too many layers of it; otherwise, it will overpower the red. Dark pigments tend to stick to the paper fibers, so begin with a light color. Put more red layers. Overlay them lightly and slowly starting from the middle and move progressively further.

Then, we add a bit of yellow to warm up the hue. Just make a couple of layers, and they will result in a brownish shade.

If the final tone is too dark and far from maroon, tint it with white. It will allow you to determine if the shade tends towards purple (cool) or red (warm).

If you get a light final color, tone it with grey or black, depending on the intensity.

Note that your maroon much depends on the adjacent color on your drawing. Pay attention to the context because it affects maroon and makes it look different.

The Best Colored Pencils to Blend on Amazon

Quality colored pencils play an important role in making maroon. With good tools, it is easier to do blending because you can predict the hue you’ll get. This selection of colored pencils from trusted brands will help you get the right coloring effects. The blending characteristics of these media are unsurpassed. Meet Crayola, Faber-Castell, Prismacolor, and other favorites!

Rank	Review	Name	Set size	Features	Rating
1		Faber-Castell Polychromos	24	Oil-based Round-shaped Water-resistant Break-resistant Lightfast Acid-free Come in a metal tin	10.0
2		Prismacolor Premier	24	Wax-based Round-shaped Waterproof Break-resistant Lightfast Soft, creamy core Come in a metal tin	9.9
3		Crayola Signature	24	Wax-based Round-shaped Soft gel core For dark/light paper Come in a metal tin	9.7
4		Castle Arts Botanical Collection	24	Wax-based Round-shaped Soft core Come in a metal tin	9.5
5		Staedtler Ergosoft	24	Wax-based Triangular-shaped Soft core Break-resistant Come in a plastic stand-up easel case	9.3
6		Amazon Basics Soft	24	Wax-based Round-shaped Soft core Come in a metal tin	9.2
7		TYONER Superior Soft Touch	24	Oil-based Hexagonal-shaped Come in a paper tubular case	9.1

Conclusion

I’ve tried to keep my instructions simple and hope they’ll be useful for you. Keep on experimenting until you get an ideal maroon color. In case of success (I don’t doubt it), please document your results. Maybe you will need this to make the shade again.

With each new set of colored pencils, you can get a slightly different look because the final hue depends on color pigments that can vary depending on the pencil brand. You may need another mix to get a perfect tint. Good luck with your maroon!

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