How to Mix Mauve Oil Paint
To mix mauve with oil paint, combine 4 parts Cerulean Blue, 4 parts Burnt Sienna and 3 parts Titanium White. Mauve is a greyed, pinkish purple. It is easier to get from a warm earth red plus blue and white than from a pure violet, because the muted quality is the whole point.
Opens the free browser simulator with these colors on the palette. Squeeze them out and blend with the palette knife.
Step by step
- Put down 4 parts of Cerulean Blue. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 4 parts of Burnt Sienna.
- Add 3 parts of Titanium White. White lightens the mix but also cools and softens it, so add it gradually.
- Blend with a palette knife, folding the paint over itself until no streaks of the separate colors remain.
- Pull a thin smear out to the side. Thin paint shows the true color better than a thick pile.
Lighter versions of mauve
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#AC8293
#BF9EAB
#CAAFB9
#D6C3C9
#E6DEDE
Another way to mix mauve
With Burnt Sienna, Titanium White and French Ultramarine: 5 parts Burnt Sienna, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts French Ultramarine.
Tips for mixing purples
Purples go muddy when either the red or the blue leans toward yellow. Pick a bluish red and a reddish blue, and lighten with white rather than yellow.
Questions
What colors make mauve?
To mix mauve with oil paint, combine 4 parts Cerulean Blue, 4 parts Burnt Sienna and 3 parts Titanium White. You can also mix it from 5 parts Burnt Sienna, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts French Ultramarine.
How do you make mauve lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #D6C3C9. White also cools and softens a color, so you may need a touch more of the warm color in the recipe to keep the same character.
How do you make mauve darker?
Add more of the blue, or a small touch of a dark green. Adding black tends to make purples look dull and heavy.