When you look at your Et Voilà palette, you’ll notice two colours that don’t sit neatly on the bright, happy part of the colour wheel: Burnt Sienna and Black.
And oh là là… these two have a world of secrets behind them.
While primaries and secondaries get all the attention on colour wheels, Burnt Sienna and Black belong to a different, deeper category of colours often called tertiary, compound, or earth colours.
Different artists use different definitions, but here’s the simplest, beginner-friendly version:
🌿 What Are Tertiary (or Compound) Colours, Really?
There are two ways people talk about tertiary colours:
1. The “Classic Colour Wheel” Definition
A tertiary colour is a mix of one primary + one secondary
(e.g., blue-green, yellow-orange, red-violet).
Very straightforward… but not the whole story.
2. The “Artist’s Practical Palette” Definition
Many artists consider tertiary or compound colours to be any mixture that contains all three primaries — red, yellow, and blue — in different proportions.
This includes earthy, more complex colours like:
- ochres
- siennas
- umbers
- deep browns
- warm blacks
This is where Burnt Sienna and black step into the spotlight.
Burnt Sienna: The Warm Earth
Burnt Sienna is already a beautiful reddish-brown made from a combination of primary colour families.
This is why it feels warm, natural, and instantly harmonious in almost any painting.
It’s one of those colours artists reach for again and again — and trust me, I do too.
It’s perfect for:
- gentle shadows
- warming up a colour
- soft neutrals
- skin tones
- earthy accents
- desaturating bright colours just a little
Think of it as your palette’s spice — just a pinch adds warmth and complexity.
Black: The Strong Neutral
Black isn’t “on” the colour wheel at all — it’s technically a neutral.
But in painting, we treat it like a powerful ingredient that can:
- deepen a colour
- soften a bright pigment
- create rich shadows
- build contrast
On its own, black can sometimes feel harsh.
But paired with the warmth of Burnt Sienna?
Oh là là… magic.
When Burnt Sienna Meets Black
When you mix these two together (don’t worry, I’m not teaching mixing today!), you get a rich, warm, complex dark that feels far more natural than pure black.
Why?
Because the combination contains all three primaries hidden inside — which is why many artists classify it as a neutral tertiary or compound colour.
This mixture is perfect for:
- natural shadows
- textured browns
- neutral greys
- darkening other colours without making them muddy
- adding depth without losing harmony
It creates a dark that still feels alive — a colour that belongs inside your painting instead of sitting on top of it.
Why This Matters for Your Painting Journey
Even if you’re not mixing colours yet (we’ll do that later inside the Club), simply understanding that Burnt Sienna and black are earthy tertiary colours helps you see your palette with new eyes.
It explains why:
- Burnt Sienna feels warm and comforting
- Black feels strong, structured, and grounding
- Together, they create the perfect “friendly shadow”
And it prepares you beautifully for our upcoming Colour Wheel Mini Course, where we’ll dive deeper into how these colours influence harmony, contrast, and mood.
Coming Soon: Colour Wheel Mini Course (Inside the Et Voilà Studios Club) 🎨
If you’d like to learn:
- how these earthy colours work with your brighter ones,
- how to create natural shadows,
- how to use tertiary colours without muddying your artwork,
- and how to understand your palette intuitively…
It’s all coming soon inside the Membership.
For now?
Just enjoy getting to know Burnt Sienna and black — your quiet, powerful helpers on the palette.