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Which two colors make magenta? At the most basic level, you can make magenta by mixing red and blue. But there are a few ideal red and blue hues, plus tricks that’ll elevate your color mixing skills. As you get ready for your next painting project or artistic endeavor, we’ll show you exactly how to mix magenta paint and what proportions to use. We’ll even cover how to adjust the saturation and tint of your paint until you get a truly perfect magenta.
Steps
Section 2 of 3:
How to Make Magenta Paint
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Mix 50-50 ratio of blue and red paint. [2] X Research source Whether you’re using acrylic, oil, or watercolor paint, load your brush with red paint and transfer the paint onto your palette or mixing surface. Load the brush again with an equal amount of blue paint. Gently dab the blue into the red and swirl the colors together on your palette. [3] X Research source- If you’re using a strong blue like ultramarine or Prussian blue , add only a little bit at a time because those intense blues can overpower the red.
- Always experiment with your colors and ratios. Slowly add different colors until you get to the right value (how light or dark the color is) and then the right hue (color).
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Adjust the hue by adding either blue or red. Add more blue to tip your magenta more towards violet. [4] X Research source Add more red if you’re looking for a maroon or fuschia color.
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Darken magenta paint with black or dark green. Load up a small amount of the darker color onto your brush. Dab it into the magenta and mix. Keep adding more of the dark color until you get the exact shade you want. [5] X Research source
- If you don’t have black paint , mix ultramarine blue and raw umber.
- Green is a complementary color to magenta, so it will lower the saturation (or richness) of the magenta as you add it.
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Lighten magenta paint with white or yellow. You can add titanium white to make magenta lighter, but the white will also change the saturation of the color. As a result, you’ll get a weaker or chalkier magenta. To preserve the magenta’s rich hue but lighten the color, add yellow instead. Just keep in mind that adding yellow will change your magenta hue and make it warmer. [6] X Research sourceWilliam F. Powell, Portrait Artist
To make a balanced magenta, start with a 1:1 mixture of a cool red and blue. Cadmium red and ultramarine work well. Adjust the ratio depending on whether you want the magenta to skew slightly more towards red or purple. Add just a touch of white to brighten. For more transparency, mix in a gloss medium.
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Tips
- Magenta actually isn’t represented by a wavelength of visible light. It’s created when red and blue wavelengths overlap. Your brain can’t reconcile the two wavelengths, so it interprets the overlap as magenta. [9] X Research sourceThanks
- Magenta is closely associated with the red, green, blue (RGB) and cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (CYMK) models. In these additive models, you combine the base colors to get new colors.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEaddv0p9D4&t=17s
- ↑ https://www.colorpsychology.org/magenta/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/PEaddv0p9D4?t=52
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=131&v=PEaddv0p9D4&feature=youtu.be
- ↑ https://drawpaintacademy.com/color-mixing/
- ↑ https://drawpaintacademy.com/color-mixing/
- ↑ https://thefrugalcrafter.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/blog_lindays_color_substitutions.pdf
- ↑ https://www.justpaint.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/QuinViovsQuinMag.pdf
- ↑ https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/artsbrain/2020/12/02/magenta-doesnt-exist/
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