Sienna

Sienna is a color name and an earth pigment derived from iron oxide minerals found in clay deposits, most notably near the city of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. The pigment range is typically a warm, earthy brown that can vary from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, depending on processing and lighting.

Raw sienna is the natural, unheated form of the pigment and typically appears as a pale yellowish-brown. Burnt sienna is produced by heating raw sienna, which drives off water and changes the mineral structure, yielding a deeper, more reddish-brown hue. The two forms have long been used by artists for underpainting, skin tones, shadows, and earth terrains within a wide range of media.

In art and design, sienna is valued for its neutral, versatile warmth and good covering power. It appears in oil, acrylic, tempera, and watercolor palettes and is often mixed with other earth tones or cooler colors to create natural-looking shadows and midtones. The color is considered relatively lightfast and stable for a natural earth pigment, though stability can vary with different binders and exposure conditions.

Beyond painting, sienna-inspired tones appear in interior design, fashion, and graphic design as warm, grounding neutrals. Modern pigments include both traditional mineral-based siennas and synthetic equivalents, which aim to replicate the color while offering consistent performance. Related colors in the earth family include raw umber and burnt umber, which differ in mineral composition and hue.