Red and Purple Make What Color?

Last updated: May 10, 2024 by Amanda

What’s your favorite color? My favorite color is red. That came about because of the sports team that I follow (that’s F1’s Ferrari team btw). So, I’m excited to write this blog, where we’ll guide you through the warm combination of mixing red and purple. If you love to get arty, then why not make your own colors, like artists do? Grab a palette, a few tubes of paint, then squeeze and mix away.

Mixing your own colors to add tones, shades, and depth to your craft projects can be so satisfying. If you’re wondering what color mixing red and purple makes, then read on, and you’ll soon discover the answer!

What Does Red and Purple Make?

OK, so what happens when red and purple bump into each other? Let’s remind ourselves about the color chart. Red is a primary color. This means red cannot be made by mixing two or more colors together. Purple is what they call a secondary color, meaning you can create it by mixing two colors together, which in this case are red and blue. Some people also call this color violet.

Understanding the way that the color wheel works makes it easier to mix the perfect shade. The appearance of the shade you blend depends on factors like paint pigmentation, lighting, ratio of red to purple, and the warm and cool undertones that are found in each color.

Mixing Red and Purple Together

Do these shades go well together? Here’s the science bit. It’s all about color theory. Usually, colors next to each other on the color wheel can compliment each other well. In the case of red and purple, though, they can clash. This happens mainly as red is warm and purple is a cooler color – with blue-ish tones.

Fun fact – the word magenta comes from a dye made by French chemist François-Emmanuel Verguin. Originally named “fuchsine” aka fuchsia, the color was renamed to celebrate the Italian-French victory at the Battle of Magenta fought in the 1850s.

It’s no coincidence that magenta is the color of fuchsia flowers. These beautiful blooms were the inspiration for the dye. In everyday life, color printers use magenta ink, along with cyan and yellow, to produce all of the colors of the rainbow. Lots of magenta shades are found in makeup – nail polish, lipstick, and more. Or how about a scrumptious berry-flavored ice cream?

Mixing red and purple can create harmonious blends of magenta. Magenta is found a lot in nature – you could paint flamingos, fish, coral reefs, classic orchids, roses, rhododendrons, lilies, dahlias, and many more pretty purple-red flowers.

The Results – Magenta, Violet, and Other Shades

Color mixing is a fun and visual experiment. Depending on the quantities you use of red and purple, there are many lighter or darker magenta shades to create. Fuchsia is a pinker shade, while violet has more blue, and maroon is browner.

Set your creativity free and combine the warm tones of red with cool shades of purple. Add a generous amount of white into the mix to make lighter shades, or add a little black (or red) to bring out deeper shades and shadows.

Try mixing different ratios of red and purple paint together, to create a spectrum of shades. Let your imagination run wild with endless color possibilities!

Using a paintbrush, paints, and pallet, here’s the colors you could create:

Magenta Tints (by Adding White)

You can create a tint by using white to lighten your magenta blend. Tints are used to add highlights to your artwork or to soften color. Pale purple is a common magenta tint.

Magenta Shades (by Adding Black)

Create a shade and shadow by using black to darken your magenta blend. Shades deepen the magenta that you create. Darker magenta, like a grayish rose quartz or violet, can help to create a feeling of drama and depth in artwork.

Magenta Tones (by Adding Gray)

The cleanest way to create a tone is to add gray (a mix of black and white) to your color. Toning, or dulling down a color, reduces its intensity. Here’s a handy color mixing tip – always mix gradually, adding just a little paint at a time to avoid getting the wrong color.

Cooler Magentas

What is the coolest color of them all? Blue! The coolest-toned color on the color wheel creates a violet when added to magenta.

Warmer Magentas

Red is a warm color on the color wheel. Mixing more red than purple creates a warm-toned, darker magenta, like a maroon.

Best Uses and Ideas for Red and Purple Mixes

Are you a kid, parent, teacher, or just someone who loves to get arty? Be sure to put this color combo to the test. Get hands-on, grab your paintbrush and explore the almost endless possibilities of mixing red and purple with fun experiments and art activities.

Magenta can be used to add color to many things. Paintings with magenta tones could depict nature and floral scenes. From pretty petals to beautiful butterflies, and even an ocean scene with vibrant coral and fish in magenta hues. Shades of magenta are even named for the things that represent them, like wine!

Try this color combination using your choice of paints, anything from oils to acrylics or even watercolors. Blend red and purple to see what vibrant colors emerge. Here are a few ideas:

Start a tie-dye project using red and purple dyes to design your own magenta t-shirt! How about a homemade red and purple playdough recipe to mold and squish? Or paint an animal — butterfly, fish, or flamingo. There’s lots of magenta found in various flower petals too.

Print off our FREE coloring sheets to paint in shades of red, purple, and magenta.

FAQs

What color do red and purple make?

They usually combine to make magenta, depending on how much of each color you mix.

What colors make purple?

To conduct this colorful experiment – you’ll need purple. If you don’t have purple premixed in a tube, you can make your own! Simply mix red and blue together.

What colors make burgundy?

This deep, dark red is a result of mixing purple, with a dash of green. It’s basically brown, with purple undertones.

What does magenta look like?

Magenta is a purplish-red. It’s found exactly in the middle of red and violet on a color wheel.

What colors make maroon?

This brownish, dark red is a result of mixing red with brown (blue, red and a little yellow).

What color does red and pink make?

Depending on your own view, this color combo creates a lighter red or dark pink shade.

Use Shades of Purple with Our Favorite Coloring Pages

If you’re a budding artist or have a curious mind, we hope we’ve answered your question of “Red and Purple Make What Color?”.

Now that you know how to mix magenta — print off one of our coloring sheets, mix your colors, add a sprinkle of artistic inspiration, and get painting! Looking for the perfect coloring sheet to find your inspiration? Check out our collection of Coloring Pages for Teens.

What Other Colors Can I Mix?