How to Mix Paint to Make the Color Pink

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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

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Creating Pinks with Watercolors

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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.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Mixing Pinks in Oil or Acrylic Paint

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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]
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- 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]
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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]
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Expert Source

Jeanine Hattas Wilson
Professional Painter

Expert Interview} 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, 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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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]
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- 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.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Creating Pinks with Watercolors

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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]
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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.
Try painting a wash of a color like cobalt blue over a layer of pink to create a cooler-toned pink shade.^{[6]
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Research source} Using an alternate color (rather than black) will result in richer, more vibrant pink hues.
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]
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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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How can I make a greyish pink?

Tove Askham

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White with a little red and a little ocher will make a beautiful, pale grey-pink.

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How do I make a golden color?

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You could mix orange paint, yellow paint, and a shimmering white paint. This should make relatively golden paint.

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How can I make dark pink from poster colors?

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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.

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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]
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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]
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In general, the same principles for mixing acrylics or oils apply when mixing house paints as well.

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