Short answer: maroon is a dark, brownish red. To make it, start with red and add a little brown, or add a tiny amount of black or green. To make burgundy, a dark red that leans purple, add a bit of blue or purple to red, then darken it slightly.
The two are close, so people mix them up. Below you'll find recipes for both, how to fix mistakes, and how to get the same colors with crayons and pencils.
| Maroon | Burgundy | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks like | Dark red with a brown tint | Dark red with a purple tint |
| Feels | Earthy, warm | Rich, a bit cooler |
| Mix from | Red + brown | Red + blue or purple + a touch of black |
| Think of | Brick, dried cranberries, school jackets | Red wine, plums, velvet |
If you hold both next to a plain red, the maroon will look slightly brown or orange, and the burgundy will look slightly purple or pink.
This is the easiest. Squeeze out a spoonful of red, then add a small amount of brown. Stir and add more brown until it looks right. No brown? Mix one from our guide on what colors make brown.
Green is the opposite of red on the color wheel, so a little bit dulls and darkens red without turning it black. Add green in tiny drops, because it's strong. Too much will give you a muddy brown.
A very small amount of black makes red darker. The result can look flat, so some artists prefer brown or blue instead. If you do use black, add it on the tip of a brush.
Mix a lot of red with small amounts of yellow and blue. The three primaries together make brown, so a red-heavy mix turns into a brownish red. It takes more fiddling but it's a good exercise.
Start with red and add a small amount of blue. This gives a purplish red. Add a bit more red if it looks too much like purple.
If you already have purple, mix it into red until you reach a deep wine color. Our guide on what colors make purple shows how to mix your own purple.
Once you have a purplish red, add a touch of brown or black to make it deeper. Keep adding in small amounts and test on paper.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Too bright | Add a small amount of green or brown |
| Too orange | Add a little blue or purple |
| Too purple | Add more red |
| Too brown | Add more red, and a little blue |
| Too dark | Add more red, and a bit of white. Note that white makes red pinkish |
| Too flat | Add a little of the opposite color (green for red) instead of black |
Red turns pink when you add white, which is the opposite of what you want. If you need a lighter maroon, it's better to add more red and orange than white.
Squeeze out three small piles of red. Leave the first alone. Add a pinch of brown to the second and a pinch of purple to the third. Paint a stripe of each on a scrap of paper, side by side. You'll see right away how the same red moves toward maroon on one side and burgundy on the other. Write the recipe next to each stripe so you can repeat it later. Kids enjoy doing this as a mini science project, and it makes mixing feel less like guessing.
Colored pencils. Layer a red pencil first, then a dark brown or dark purple over it with light pressure. Finish with another layer of red to bring the color back. Our colored pencil tips cover layering in detail.
Crayons. Press hard with red, then layer brown (for maroon) or purple (for burgundy) on top. Many crayon boxes also include a ready-made maroon or "brick red."
Markers. Alcohol markers blend well: red under, dark brown or dark violet over. For more on markers, see best markers for coloring.
Red sits opposite green on the color wheel, and blue-green sits close by. Mixing a color with its opposite makes it duller and darker, which is why a drop of green gives a deeper red without turning it black. Mixing red with its neighbors, like orange or purple, keeps it bright but shifts the tone. Maroon sits on the orange side (warm), and burgundy on the purple side (cool). Our warm and cool colors guide explains this idea in more depth.
Try making a gradient on one shape. Use bright red for highlights, maroon in the middle and dark burgundy in the shadow. A flower is a great place to practice; look at our flower coloring pages for petals with plenty of room to shade.
Maroon is a deeper version of red. If you're starting from scratch, see what colors make red (it's a primary color, so you can't mix it from others in paint, but the post explains how to shift it). You can also use our color mixing chart to see how all these mixes fit together, or generate your own practice page with the AI coloring page generator.
What colors make red? Red is a primary color, but magenta and yellow can make it. How to mix dark red, maroon, burgundy, crimson and pink.
What colors make purple? Red and blue. Which red and blue give the brightest purple, how to mix violet, lavender and plum, and why purple turns brown.
What colors make blue? Blue is a primary color in red-yellow-blue painting, but cyan and magenta can make it. How to mix navy, sky blue and teal.