How to Make Magenta Paint: Magenta Color Mixing Guide

When you see the color magenta, you see pink, red, violet, and purple altogether. It is one of the most popular colors among painters and crafters. Unfortunately, the magenta color does not have any wavelength. Therefore, you won’t see it in the visible spectrum or rainbow.

How to Make Magenta Paint

Also, Magenta is a secondary color according to the RGB system. For its constant demand and beauty, people want to make the color on their own. Thus, how to make magenta paint is a common question asked by them.

When your brain cannot identify if the color is red or blue, your eyes see it magenta. You can make the color by mixing an equal amount and high intensity of blue and red colors together. So, this can be said that magenta is a color between red and blue.


What Colors Make Magenta?

Well, we have already mentioned, red and blue colors together make magenta. Most probably this is the easiest way but not the exact way. It is true that with a ratio of fifty-fifty of both colors, you can make your own magenta. But it will be somewhat closer to it not entirely the color magenta. Later, however, you can add more red or blue to bring your desired color for magenta.

  • In the case of mixing red and blue, the result becomes more likely violet than the color magenta. It happens since the red color contains yellow in it. Yet, you can balance it with red color to make a proper magenta. If you take the lighter shade of these two colors, they will make magenta.
  • Many painters out there have many collections of paints including cobalt blue and cadmium red. These colors together make perfect magenta paint.
  • Also, you can go for purple color instead of blue. Purple and red colors also make magenta together. However, the final color will be a monotone of purple.
  • Violet and red can also make magenta if they are combined with equal intensity. These colors belong to the visible spectrum and sit exactly on opposite ends.

Also, magenta is considered the primary color if you consider dyes or pigments along with the color cyan and yellow.

Read Next: Full guide on making lime green paint


What Two Colors Make Magenta?

Simply, the answer is red and blue and you can predict it seeing the RGB colors. We know that red has a higher wavelength whereas blue has a smaller wavelength.

When they are mixed together both the high and low wavelength of the color hits the eye cone receptors. Then the brain faces trouble balancing the color and wavelength.

The middle receptors, however, take it as the color green. Thus, the brain mixes up the color and sees it as magenta. Magenta is considered as a complementary of the color green. Also, many compare it with the color pinkish purple. So, if you want to lighten up the color you can add a white color to it.

Nonetheless, there would be a huge difference in color if you do not consider the amount of red and blue while mixing.

  • If you add more blue than red then the mixture will result in a more like violet color instead of magenta.
  • Also, if you add more red than blue, the mixture will result in a maroon or fuchsia color rather than the color magenta.

How to Make Magenta Paint Step-by-Step? (In Different Medium with Pigments)

Making magenta is easy. You can make magenta with oil paints, watercolors, acrylic paints, and many; let’s see the procedures.


Making Magenta with Oil Paints

Making magenta oil paint is most probably the easiest way to have your own magenta paint. It is also a beginner-friendly solution.

Step 1: Grab Magenta Pigment

We have declared it as the easiest method since all you need to do is select the right magenta pigment. The pigment is easily available for making paints.

Step 2: Take an Oil Medium

There are many options available for oil medium. However, it is better if you go for the linseed oil. It has both advantages and disadvantages. Yet, for beginners, linseed oil is a great choice. It easily goes all around making a nice medium.

Step 3: Mix Them Together

Mix the magenta pigment and linseed oil together perfectly. You can mix them in a tube if you want a small amount. So, you can see making magenta oil paint takes nothing but a perfect mixing.

Read Next: Full Guide on Making Navy Blue Paint at Home


Making Magenta with Watercolor Paints

Like the magenta oil paint, you can also make magenta watercolor paint. This process is also not tough at all when you have the right medium for it.

Step 1: Grab a Medium and Magenta Pigment

This process also requires magenta pigment and a suitable medium. For medium, you can go for gum Arabic. Unlike other mediums, gum Arabic frequently changes its consistency. Therefore, afterward, it gets hard to apply like paint.

That is why it is recommended to use the homemade magenta watercolor paint the day you have made it. You can also use it the day before since the color won’t get that hard by that time.

Step 2: Mix Together

Proper mixing is always important. Mix the medium and magenta pigment and you get the magenta watercolor paint.

Tip: If the homemade watercolor paint loses its consistency, it can be rehydrated. But there are chances that you will lose a good amount of magenta pigment from the medium in the process. Consequently, it will also lose the actual magenta color making it lighter.

To get rid of this problem, it is suggested to use the magenta watercolor paint that comes in the tube. It is a way cheaper option and provides a better result to most painters out there.

Read Next: How to make yellow color paint at home


Making Magenta with Acrylic Paint

Needless to say, making magenta with acrylic paint is also easy for most beginners. Like our other two processes, it also requires magenta pigment.

Step 1: Take Clear Gesso Acrylic and Pigment

A clear gesso acrylic is a good option for making magenta acrylic paint. Nevertheless, you can also take white gesso instead of clear gesso for this purpose.

But for better results, clear gesso acrylic is recommended first since white gesso requires comparatively more pigment to make a dark or regular magenta paint.

Step 2: Mix Them

Mix the clear gesso acrylic and magenta pigment properly and get beautiful magenta acrylic paint.


How to Bright Magenta Paint?

A bright magenta color looks basically like purplish-pink or red-heavy purple hence you see a hue mostly red. So, to make bright magenta paint, first, take a cool and bright shade of red. Then mix it with a bit of the color white. It will result in bright pink color.

Now, to bring the bright magenta paint, mix blue with it in a small amount. Or, you can also even add purple color and mix them. It will provide a slight and low purplish hue.

If you don’t know, magenta is considered a cool color along with green and blue. Unlike red, yellow, or orange, it doesn’t have a warm color. So, brightening magenta paint is not hard enough.


Final Words

Finally, to make magenta paint, you need to know its hue properly. There are certainly different lighter or darker tones of magenta. Yet, all you need to know is that it is a member of the family violet and purple. If you mix red and blue together, you will get a shade within its range.

Hopefully, our guideline regarding this topic helps you out with making the perfect magenta paint. We have suggested going for the magenta pigment. It comes at a cheaper rate and is also great for making larger quantities of magenta paint.

Leave a Comment