What Colours Make Purple? Mixing Colour With Paint Guide

Are you passionate about adding a pop of purple to your masterpiece but don’t have the right colour mixing recipe? Look no further because we have a simple but comprehensive guide to all things perfectly purple!

We know when you are trying to mix a rich, vibrant purple to complete your painting, a lot of times your palette can come out looking like a muddy brown mess! We get it, mixing purple paint can be frustrating but with the right colour combinations and our handy step by step guide you’ll be mixing a perfect purple in no time!

Purple is a secondary colour on the colour wheel that combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Often associated with royalty, luxury, creativity, mystery and spirituality, in many cultures purple is historically linked with wealth and extravagance because purple dye used to be rare and expensive to produce.

What Colours Should I Mix to Make Purple?

How to Mix Different Shades of Purple:

There are various shades and tints of purple and all are mixed with variations of red and blue. It’s important to understand the temperature of different paint colours to ensure you use the correct ones for the best results.

Warm Blue + Cool red:

While mixing red with blue makes purple, the temperature and undertones of the paint determine the shades of purple you will create. On the colour wheel, purple falls in between a cool-toned red, and a warm-toned blue, so a true purple is made by mixing equal parts of a warm blue with a cool red.

Warm toned blues – Ultramarine blue, Phthalo blue
Cool toned reds – Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Magenta, Permanent Rose

The Perfect Purple:

To mix purple similar to what you would find in a premixed tube, mix equal amounts of Permanent Rose and Ultramarine blue.

How to Make a Dark Purple:

Mix the perfect purple as above and add a small amount of ultramarine blue to deepen the colour. You can also add the tiniest amount of black paint to produce a darker shade of purple.

How to Make a Light Purple:

To create a lighter purple, simply add white to your true perfect purple mix. The more white you add, the lighter shades of purple you can develop, from a soft amethyst to a lovely lilac.

How to Make a Muted Purple:

Muted shades of purple with an earthy feel can be created by adding a complementary colour to your true purple mix. Complementary colours are directly opposite one another on the colour wheel, making yellow the complementary of purple. Add a tiny amount of cadmium yellow or yellow ochre to produce a muted, brownish purple hue.

How to Make a Vibrant Purple:

For more vibrant purple, ensure you use paints with no yellow colour bias (hints of the colour on either side of them on the colour wheel) When you mix reds and blues that contain yellow, you will get a murky or brownish purple so ensure you choose those perfectly paired cool-toned reds and warm-toned blues. Use Quinacridone Magenta as your red and Cobalt Blue (or green-blue mix like Platho Turquoise) for best results!

Lavender vs Purple vs Violet

Lavender, purple, and violet are all different shades of the colour purple, but they have distinct differences in terms of their hues and tone and associations.

Purple:

Purple is a colour that falls between blue and red in the visible spectrum. It is a rich and versatile colour, ranging from deep, dark shades to lighter, more vibrant tones. Different shades of purple can evoke different emotions; for example, darker purples can symbolise luxury and sophistication, while lighter purples can represent romance and delicacy.

Lavender:

Lavender is a pale tint of purple, often described as a light or pale purple with a hint of pink or grey. It is a soft and delicate colour, reminiscent of blooming lavender flowers. Lavender is often associated with calmness, femininity, and elegance. It has a soothing and tranquil quality, making it a popular choice in interior design and fashion.

Violet:

Violet is a spectral colour, meaning it exists in the visible light spectrum and has its own specific wavelength. It is a true purple colour, without any tint of other hues like pink or blue. Violet is a bright and vivid colour, often described as a slightly bluish purple. It is associated with spirituality, intuition, and imagination. Violet is one of the colours of the rainbow and has a vibrant energy.

How to Make Lavender:

For this cool purple shade, your best bet is ultramarine violet mixed with white, but you can create a similar result with ultramarine blue, permanent rose and white.

How to Make Violet:

Mix Quinacridone Magenta with Cobalt Blue or Platho Turquoise, adding small amounts of white until you reach your perfect shade of violet.

Paint Mixing Techniques and Tips:

Gradual Paint Mixing: Start with Small Portions

One of the best paint mixing tips you can follow is to start small! Mixing in smaller portions ensures you can adjust the colour easier and save a lot of wasted paint!

Adjusting Colour Temperature:

This one is pretty simple as long as you know your warm and cool colours! Adjusting the colour temperature in your paint mixing involves manipulating the balance between warm and cool colours to achieve the desired effect.

Warm: reds, oranges, yellows

Cool: blues, greens, purples

The perception of colour temperature can be influenced by the hues surrounding it, so it’s a good idea to mix your paint on a neutral surface like white. To adjust the colour temperature of your paint, add its opposite in small amounts until you achieve the desired result:

Too warm = add a cool colour

Too cool = add a warm colour

Mixing Styles:

Stirring:

Use a brush to stir the colours together, kind of like stirring your dinner on the cooker. This method is useful for blending small amounts of paint.

Folding:

Use a palette knife to fold the colours over each other. This technique helps mix the colours more thoroughly and can create interesting marbled effects.

Layering:

Apply one colour on top of another. This method is useful for creating glazes and translucent effects.

Working With Different Types of Paint:

Mixing Acrylic Paint:

Gather Supplies:

Acrylic paints
Palette – any material
Brushes or palette knife
Water

Squeeze Out the Paint:

Start by squeezing out the colours you want to mix onto your palette. Place them a few inches apart to give yourself space to mix in between.

Start Mixing:

Use a clean brush or a palette knife to begin mixing the colours. Start with small amounts of paint, adding more as needed to adjust the colour.

Observe and Adjust:

As you mix, observe the resulting colour and use the tips above to adjust.

Add Water:

If your paint is feeling too thick you can add a little water to your paintbrush and mix it in so your paint flows easier.

Mixing Oil Paint:

Gather Supplies:

Oil paints – various brands often have different pigment concentrations and consistencies.
Palette – wood, glass or acrylic.
Painting Medium – Linseed oil, walnut oil, or other painting mediums to modify the consistency and drying time of your oil paint.
Brushes and palette knife – have a set just for your oil paints
Paint solvent – Turpentine

Squeeze Out the Paint:

Start by squeezing out the colours you want to mix onto your palette. Place them a few inches apart to give yourself space to mix in between.

Mix in the Medium:

Pour some of the medium on to your palette and mix a tiny bit in with your oil paints. Use a palette knife to mix the colours.

Observe and Adjust:

As you mix, observe the resulting colour and adjust accordingly. Oil paints allow for subtle colour adjustments because they dry slowly, giving you time to work with the paint.

Clean Tools Between Mixing – NO WATER!:

Clean your brushes and palette knife thoroughly with a suitable oil paint solvent before switching to a new colour, wipe dry with a clean rag.

Mixing Watercolour Paint:

Gather Supplies:

Watercolours – these come in tubes or pan sets
Watercolour palette – specifically designed with deeper wells (sections) to hold and mix the paints.
2 x jars – 1 for cleaning and one for mixing
Brushes: Watercolour brushes are made from gentle fibres with fine tips

Squeeze out the Paint:

Ensure colours are in their own sections or wells.

2 Start Mixing:

Mix the paint on a flat area of the palette by gently stirring the colours together. Clean your brushes thoroughly between colours to avoid mixing unwanted hues. Rinse your brushes in clean water and gently blot them on a paper towel.

Test the Colour:

Before applying the mixed colour to your artwork, test it on a scrap piece of paper to ensure it matches your desired shade.

Keep Practising:

Watercolour mixing requires patience and practice. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore different combinations on scrap papers to achieve the desired mixes.

Can I Mix Different Types of Paint?

Mixing different types of paint can be done, but it’s important to understand the characteristics of the paints you’re working with to achieve the best results. Generally it’s best to stick to mixing paints within the same category (water-based with water-based, oil-based with oil-based) to ensure compatibility and stability.

Water-Based Paints:

Acrylic and watercolour paints are both water-based, so they can be mixed together without any issues. However, keep in mind that acrylic paint dries to a plastic-like texture, while watercolour can reactivate with water, even after drying. Mixing them might result in a surface that is not entirely predictable but can make for some beautiful and unique art.

Oil-Based Paints:

It’s generally not recommended to mix oil paints with acrylic. Oil paints dry through oxidation and have a different chemical composition. Mixing them can lead to issues with drying, adhesion, and stability over time.

Oil and watercolour paints should not be mixed. Watercolour is water-based and contains additives that allow it to dissolve in water, while oil paints repel water. Mixing these two types of paint will not produce a stable mixture.

Experimentation and Testing:

If you’re curious about mixing different types of paint, it’s a good idea to conduct small-scale experiments on a separate surface before applying them to your artwork. This way, you can observe how the paints interact and whether the mixture provides the desired result.