What Colors Make Pink? A Guide to Mixing Different Shades of Pink

Pink is made by mixing red and white, but there are several ways to create this color, even if you don’t have white. In this article, we’ll teach you what colors you can combine to create your perfect shade of pink, whether you’re looking for a bright fuschia or dusty rose. We’ll also explain how to make pink using a variety of mediums, including paint, watercolors, and food coloring. So, if you’re ready to create the pink of your dreams, read on!

What Colors Make Pink?

Mix red and white together to make pink. Use a warm-toned red to create a coral or salmon shade, or use a cool-toned red to create bright, vibrant pink. If you don’t have white, try diluting red with a bit of water, or by mixing red with pale yellow.

Section 1 of 4:

Making Pink Paint

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1
Choose your red paint. Different shades of red produce different shades of pink when mixed with white paint. Warm undertones in red paint give you a coral or salmon shade, while cool undertones create a brighter, magenta pink. According to professional painter Jeanine Hattas Wilson, you can combine “alizarin and white to get a vibrant pink.” ^{[1]
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Jeanine Hattas Wilson
Professional Painter

Expert Interview. 5 May 2021.} Here are some other common paint color combinations to create various shades of pink:
- Vermillion and white: pure pink
- Brick red and white: muddier, peachy-pink
- Alizarin crimson and white: purple-tinged pink
- Cadmium red light and white: salmon pink
- Cadmium red dark and white: blue-tinged pink
- Cadmium red medium and white: orange-tinged pink
- These mixing tips work for oil, acrylic, and house paint.
Adding more white lightens a color, but it does not brighten a color. If you want a brighter pink, combine white with a cool-toned red. To make your pink more muted, you can mix it with green-yellow (the complementary color of pink) ^{[2]
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Mix a 50-50 ratio of red and white paint. Squeeze equal amounts of red and white paint on your palette or mixing surface, then swirl the colors together with a brush or knife. You can always experiment with your colors and ratios, and slowly add different colors until you get to the right value (how light or dark the color is) and hue (color). ^{[3]
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- When mixing paint, always add your lighter colors to your darker colors. This saves you from making your white paint too dark and wasting it.
- How to make pink without white paint? You can mix red with a lemon yellow to create a salmon pink, or dilute red with lots of water to create a light pink.
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Adjust the shade by adding light, dark, warm, or cool-toned paints. Once you’ve created a base pink, you can add a small amount of another color to get the exact shade of pink you want. Adding more red makes a darker pink, while adding more white makes a lighter pink. You can also experiment with warmer and cooler colors to create brighter and muted shades: ^{[4]
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- What colors make pink lighter? White or cadmium light yellow
- What colors make pink darker? Red, magenta, burnt umber, or a mix of red and phthalo green
- What colors make pink cooler? Blue, blue-green, blue-violet, purple, or black
- What colors make pink warmer? Red-orange, yellow-orange, or green-yellow

Section 2 of 4:

Making Pink Watercolor

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If you’re using wet watercolor from a tube, squeeze out as much red and white as you need. If you’re using dry watercolors, you can use your brush to paint red onto the surface of your project and mix there.
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Dilute the red watercolor with white watercolor . Dip a clean brush in your water container and press it against the bottom to open up the bristles. Run it against the rim to release excess water, then stroke the damp brush over your white watercolor. Swirl the brush into the red watercolor on your palette to lighten the red. If it’s still dark, clean your brush in your water container, dip it in the white watercolor and swirl it back in the red. ^{[5]
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- Repeat the process to mix more white pigment into the red until you achieve pink.
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Mix in other colors to create the perfect shade of pink. Whether you’re using wet or dry watercolors, you can also get different shades of pink by adding a mixing purple, yellow, or orange watercolor, or by adding more white or red. Experiment with different amounts to create the right shade for you: ^{[6]
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- To get softer shades of pink, swirl in some yellow. This will eventually give you a peach color.
- A little bit of violet or blue will give you a hot pink. Add more to get a shade such as magenta.
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Alternatively, dilute red with lots of water for a light pink. If you don’t have white, you can simply add water to the red paint on your palette to make pink. Any red tint on a white canvas looks pink, but you can experiment with different shades of red to get your perfect hue. ^{[7]
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- A fan favorite is diluting Quinacridone Rose (PV19) in water for a rosy pink.
- You can also dilute red or magenta with a light sienna or yellow ochre for a warm-toned pink.

Section 3 of 4:

Making Pink with Food Coloring

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You can do this with frosting, glue, hair conditioner, or anything else you want to dye pink. The amount you set out should be the total amount of pink coloring you wish to make. Put it in a mixing bowl so you’ll have adequate space to work in the dye.
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Add the red food coloring and stir well. Dip a toothpick into the red food coloring , then dunk the same toothpick into the white substance to transfer the dye. Mix until evenly blended. Remember, you can always add more coloring, but you can’t extract it. Start off by using small amounts to create your perfect shade of pink. ^{[8]
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- Add more food coloring and stir to get a darker shade of pink.
- You can also use a rose food coloring , instead of pure red, to create a dusty shade of pink.
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Mix in other shades of food coloring to change the hue. To create the tint of pink you desire, try adding drops of food coloring other than red. Add it into the frosting, glue, or hair conditioner one drop at a time, or by dipping a toothpick into the color and stirring it in. ^{[9]
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- Add a lighter color, such as yellow, to turn your pink into a peachier shade.
- Using a food coloring such as blue, violet, green, or even brown will darken your pink, making it into a hot pink and then a fuchsia or magenta.

Section 4 of 4:

How can I make pink without white?

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Mix red with another light-colored paint, such as yellow or blue. If you don’t have white paint, you can still make pink by mixing red with a light yellow, orange, purple, blue, or green. Here are some popular paint color combinations to get various shades of pink: ^{[10]
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- Red and light blue = fuschia
- Red and light yellow = salmon or coral pink
- Red and light purple = warm, dusty pink
- Red and light orange = salmon pink
- Red and light green = muted pink

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What colors make pink?

Kelly Medford
Professional Artist
Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.

Kelly Medford

Professional Artist

Expert Answer

Mix red and white to make pink. For your red, choose permanent alizarin crimson or quinacridone red. For your white, choose titanium white.

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How do I make pink clay?

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Get white clay and add a little red food coloring until you get the pink shade you want.

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If I mixed orange and blue, what would it make?

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If mixed in equal amounts, it would make brown. If you add just a touch of blue to orange, it will make your orange darker; if you add a bit of orange to blue, it makes the blue darker.

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The hex code for pink is #FFC0CB, and its RGB values are 255, 192, 203. ^{[11]
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If you want to make a dye-free frosting, you can add a few drops of beet or blood orange juice to get a pale pink color. Or, pulse freeze-dried strawberries or freeze-dried raspberries in a food processor until they turn into a fine powder. Then, mix it into your frosting until you reach your perfect shade of pink. ^{[12]
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Jeanine Hattas Wilson
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What Colors Make Pink? A Guide to Mixing Different Shades of Pink