How to Mix Purple Oil Paint
To mix purple with oil paint, combine 6 parts French Ultramarine, 4 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Titanium White. Purple only stays bright if both the red and the blue lean toward each other: a bluish red (crimson or rose) and a reddish blue (ultramarine). An orange-leaning red like cadmium red makes brown instead.
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 6 parts of French Ultramarine. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 4 parts of Alizarin Crimson.
- Add 1 part 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 purple
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#612E7B
#7F4E98
#9267A9
#A989BC
#CEBFD6
Another way to mix purple
With Cerulean Blue and Alizarin Crimson: 3 parts Cerulean Blue and 1 part Alizarin Crimson.
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 purple?
To mix purple with oil paint, combine 6 parts French Ultramarine, 4 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Titanium White. You can also mix it from 3 parts Cerulean Blue and 1 part Alizarin Crimson.
How do you make purple lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #A989BC. 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 purple darker?
Add more of the blue, or a small touch of a dark green. Adding black tends to make purples look dull and heavy.