How To Mix Paint To Make The Colour Pink: 7 Steps (with Pictures)

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Mix Paint to Make the Color Pink PDF download Download Article Find the perfect shade of pink for your next painting project Co-authored by Jeanine Hattas Wilson and Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: October 3, 2024 Fact Checked

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  • Mixing Pinks in Oil or Acrylic Paint
    • |
  • Creating Pinks with Watercolors
    • |
  • Video
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  • Q&A
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This article was co-authored by Jeanine Hattas Wilson and by wikiHow staff writer, Annabelle Reyes. Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 539,412 times.

No color palette is complete without pink. While you can buy premade pink paint, it’s just as easy to mix your own. Plus, you’ll be able to adjust the formulation to get the exact shade you want. In this article, we’ll go over how to make a variety of beautiful pinks for whatever project you’re working on, whether you're looking for a muted rose or a vibrant hot pink. Keep reading for everything you need to know!

What colors make pink paint?

Red and white make the color pink. To mix your own pink paint, place some red and white paint on a palette. Start by adding a small amount of red to the white, then mix until it’s completely combined. Keep adding small amounts of red paint to the mixture until you reach your desired shade of pink.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 2:

Mixing Pinks in Oil or Acrylic Paint

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Mix Paint to Make the Colour Pink 1 Add a small amount of red paint to white paint, then mix well. Start by placing small dollops of red and white paint onto your palette. Next, add a little bit of red to the white, and mix it together thoroughly. Keep adding tiny amounts of red at a time until you reach the shade of pink you want to use for your work.[1]
    • Always start by adding small bits of red paint to white paint, not the other way around. Adding white to red will take more time and use up lots of paint.
    • For the best results, choose an opaque white (such as Titanium White). More transparent shades (like Zinc White) may only lighten the red without creating a true pink.[2]
  2. Step 2 Experiment with different red hues to create specific shades of pink. 2 Experiment with different red hues to create specific shades of pink. Each shade of red will produce a different shade of pink, so you may need to experiment to find the right shade for your work. For example, professional painter Jeanine Hattas Wilson explains that Alizarin Crimson, which is a reddish magenta color, will give you “more of a vibrant pink” than other reds will.[3] Here’s some more info on the shades of pink you’ll get from various reds:
    • Cadmium reds (light, medium, and deep) will produce a slightly orangey pink.
    • Scarlet Lake will make very bright pink.
    • Alizarin Crimson will produce brilliant pinks with hints of blue and purple.
    • Rose Madder is a transparent hue that will make thinner pinks.
    • Naphthol Red will produce bright, slightly transparent pink.
    • Quinacridone will produce a very bright pink.
    • Earthy reds (including Indian Red and Venetian Red) will create more muted, natural-looking pinks.
    William F. Powell William F. Powell, Portrait Artist

    To make a bright pink, start with a pure red like cadmium red light. Slowly add small amounts of titanium white while mixing until you achieve the desired pink tone. For a more muted pink, use an earthy red like Venetian red as your base instead.

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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Mix Paint to Make the Colour Pink 3 Add a complementary color to change the shade of your pink. Darker shade variations are technically created by adding black to a color. However, many painters find that using a complementary color instead of black creates better-looking shades. You can try adding a direct complementary color (a shade of green) to your pink paint mixture, but using a neighboring color like blue can also create nice results.[4]
    • Start by adding just a little of your complementary color. Mix well, then assess to see how close the pink is to the shade you’re going for.
    • Keep adding a very small amount of the complementary color at a time until you get the shade you want.
    • To make your pink lighter, add more white to make a brighter shade.
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Method 2 Method 2 of 2:

Creating Pinks with Watercolors

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  1. Step 1 Select a reddish watercolor shade as your base color. 1 Select a reddish watercolor shade as your base color. There are a number of readily available watercolor hues that can be used to create beautiful pinks. You can usually use these colors as they are, just thinned out with a bit of water to lighten them to your desired shade. Choose a base color such as:[5]
    • Permanent Rose
    • Quinacridone Rose
    • Ruby Red
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Mix Paint to Make the Colour Pink 2 Dilute your base color with water to lighten it. Watercolors work by allowing the white of the paper to reflect light through the transparent layers of paint applied to them. To create a lighter pink, all you need to do is dilute your base color with water, so that the layer becomes more transparent.
    • Experiment by diluting your paint with various amounts of water on your tray before applying it to your paper. This will give you a feel for the kinds of pink you can make.
    • You can also thoroughly wet your paper first, then apply a small amount of your red to create a pink wash.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Mix Paint to Make the Colour Pink 3 Add an alternate color to create different shades of pink. Try painting a wash of a color like cobalt blue over a layer of pink to create a cooler-toned pink shade.[6] Using an alternate color (rather than black) will result in richer, more vibrant pink hues.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Mix Paint to Make the Colour Pink 4 Add a warm color to brighten the pink. Applying an underwash of a warm color before painting a layer of pink will make the hue warmer and brighter. A yellow underwash can be especially effective for this.[7]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Mix Paint to Make the Colour Pink 5 Add red to deepen the pink. If your base color isn’t as rich as you would like it to be, try adding in a deeper red. Mix it with some of your pink on your palette or tray, then thin the mixture to your desired saturation with water.[8]
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Community Q&A

Search Add New Question
  • Question How can I make a greyish pink? Tove Askham Tove Askham Community Answer White with a little red and a little ocher will make a beautiful, pale grey-pink. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 15 Helpful 45
  • Question How do I make a golden color? Community Answer Community Answer You could mix orange paint, yellow paint, and a shimmering white paint. This should make relatively golden paint. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 16 Helpful 39
  • Question How can I make dark pink from poster colors? Community Answer Community Answer Mix red and white poster colors, and you'll get pink. You can try adding a touch of blue or green to make it darker. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 22 Helpful 38
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Video

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Tips

  • If you need a large amount of pink as a house color, you may want to order it from a professional mixer. It can be very hard to get an exact match on your own if you run out before you finish your job.[9] Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Some color combinations can make a pinkish hue without the use of white. For example, Quinacridone and Hansa Yellow mixed together can make a salmon color. Experiment to see if you can develop a pink you like.[10] Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • In general, the same principles for mixing acrylics or oils apply when mixing house paints as well. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

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References

  1. ↑ https://startstudioarts.si.edu/2013/11/tips-and-techniques-getting-started-with-oil-painting.html
  2. ↑ https://willkempartschool.com/how-to-choose-the-right-white-for-your-acrylic-painting/
  3. ↑ Jeanine Hattas Wilson. Professional Painter. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ https://willkempartschool.com/how-to-mix-the-perfect-pink-paint-with-acrylics/
  5. ↑ https://www.dorisjoa.com/paint-pink/
  6. ↑ https://www.dorisjoa.com/paint-pink/
  7. ↑ https://www.dorisjoa.com/paint-pink/
  8. ↑ https://www.dorisjoa.com/paint-pink/
  9. ↑ https://www.housepaintingtutorials.com/custom-paint-colors.html
More References (1)
  1. ↑ https://www.justpaint.org/color-mixing-you-cant-get-it-unless-you-do-it/

About This Article

Jeanine Hattas Wilson Co-authored by: Jeanine Hattas Wilson Professional Painter This article was co-authored by Jeanine Hattas Wilson and by wikiHow staff writer, Annabelle Reyes. Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces. This article has been viewed 539,412 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 15 Updated: October 3, 2024 Views: 539,412 Categories: Mixing Paints Article SummaryX

To mix oil or acrylic paint to make the color pink, place red and white paint on your palette. If you want a natural pink, start with an earthy red, choose a bluish red for very bright pinks, or pick a cadmium red for a pink with hints of orange. Gradually add the red paint to the white, stirring with a stick, spoon, or palette knife, until you get the shade of pink you want. If you need to tone down your pink, add a little green, blue, or black paint to the mixture. If you want to learn how to mix watercolor paints, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • Mary D.

    Mary D.

    Sep 13, 2020

    "It helped a lot to see how the colors changed when they put on to or added to the color before. I experimented with..." more
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Yes No Advertisement If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Jeanine Hattas Wilson Co-authored by: Jeanine Hattas Wilson Professional Painter Click a star to vote Co-authors: 15 Updated: October 3, 2024 Views: 539,412 Mary D.

Mary D.

Sep 13, 2020

"It helped a lot to see how the colors changed when they put on to or added to the color before. I experimented with..." more Danyel Yu

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Jan 16, 2019

"I was looking what colors to mix to get an antique rose color, but as I read the comments, someone asked the same..." more Simiyu Sifuna

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"It was enjoyable, as I had asked of which colors can enable me get pink I went further and did other tests, which..." more Anonymous

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"It helped me a lot to see what colors work together to make my dream color in the video, wording alone could not..." more Peppa P.

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"Wow, I thought pink was made from yellow and green! This is very life-changing." Rated this article: Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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