Mixing purple paint may seem simple at first glance—just combine red and blue, right? Not quite! In our third and final tutorial on paint mixing, Jess is diving into the secrets of achieving both soft and vibrant purples, and it turns out there’s a lot more to it than just two colours.
The reason purple is one of the trickiest secondary colours to mix lies in the pigmentation within the tubes of paint. While red and blue do technically make purple, you won’t get that rich, vibrant purple you’re after using only these two primary colours straight from the tube.
The Secret: Use Magenta!
To achieve a vivid, saturated purple, you need to introduce magenta into the mix. Magenta has the ideal balance of coolness and saturation to create those bold purple tones that red and blue just can’t deliver. You can experiment with different shades of magenta, like Quinacridone Pink or Permanent Rose, depending on the brand and type of paint you’re using.
Whether you’re working with acrylics, oils, or watercolours, this principle remains the same. Different brands and types of paints will offer slight variations in the final shade, so it’s worth experimenting until you find the perfect combination for your painting.
Tips for Mixing the Perfect Purple
- Start with the right colours: Avoid using traditional reds when trying to make purple. Instead, use magenta to achieve vibrant results.
- Test with different brands: The pigmentation quality can differ from brand to brand, so test various paints to find which purple tones you like best.
- Experiment with tones: Once you’ve mixed your vibrant purple, you can easily adjust the tone by adding white for softer hues or using more magenta for depth.
Understanding how to mix vibrant purple can open up a world of creative possibilities for your artwork. Give it a try!
Want to learn more about colour theory? Read our previous colour-mixing posts:
How to Mixing Green Accurately Using the Colour Wheel
How to Mix Orange Using the Colour Wheel