Magenta is a secondary color that is a vibrant purplish-pink color. You can make various shades of this color to add shine to your artwork. Maybe you are getting ready for your next artwork or painting project since you are here to read the article about making a few hues of magenta paint to take your masterpiece to another level.
What is magenta?
Magenta is a Latin word that means “purple.” Moreover, it is also known as purple-yellow, red-violet, purple-orange, purple-red, purple-green, purplish-red, and purple-blue.
If you look at this color under certain lights, you will see it is made from 4 pigments (red lead oxide, white lead carbonate, yellow ochre, and mordant black) with a reddish-purple shade.
You will be amazed after learning about the more than 100 variations of magenta. Fun facts about this color are that during the 17th century, it was a royal color as it wasn’t cost-effective at all. Only rich people can paint with this color.
Color Theory and magenta
You already know the 3 categories of colors: primary, secondary, and territory. There are 3 basic hues (red, blue, & yellow) in primary colors whereas secondary colors (violet, green, & orange) are created by mixing 2 primary colors. Territory colors are a mixture of primary and secondary colors.
You may be wondering in all these colors where is the place of magenta? Let’s learn the magenta color-making basics. It is a secondary color. In color theory, the CMYK model (cyan, magenta, yellow & black) includes magenta.
Apply this color against a light- color background to highlight magenta in your painting. Keep trying to mix all colors with magenta and experimenting with new hues to flourish your painting talent.
Making magenta acrylic paint (Step By Step Guide)
The process of making magenta acrylic paint is very simple.
Step one:
Start mixing the same proportion of blue and red paint in a metal or plastic tray until it has the consistency of toothpaste. You can either use your finger or a paintbrush to make your desired shades. It will have a dark purple color.
Step two:
Then add a dash of white paint with the purple color. Now it’s vivid purple.
Step three:
Turn this vivid purple into a magenta color by mixing in a little red. The amount of red color should be half of the previous red and blue color mixture. When the color is mixed properly, your magenta acrylic paint is ready. Dark green also gives another hue of magenta.
Step four:
If you need a thin consistency, add a little bit of water. Keep adding a little bit of white, blue, or red to get your favorite shade.
Another quick solution to make acrylic paint is acrylic gesso. The solution will make your paint water-resistant. It not only makes the paint water-resistant but also dries quickly.
If you want a hassle-free and quick color-making option, there is no better option than acrylic gesso. Simply add the above-mentioned painting mixture to this solution and you are ready to paint.
Making magenta with watercolor paint
Here we will show you a simple way of making magenta watercolor.
1) Take red color, blue color, and water. Mix them thoroughly with water until you get the right consistency. You will get dark purple.
2) It’s time to add a dash of white color to the mixture that will bring the perfect shade of magenta.
3) We are in the last stage of making color. In this step, you have to add glue to your watercolor. The right amount of glue in the color mixture will make the drying process faster. Add the glue carefully as it will make the paint thick. It also allows you to spread the color smoothly.
Note: GUM ARABIC is a solution for watercolor. To get a shiny and sleek look in the color this solution helps. Just add red, blue, and a little bit of white watercolor to the solution and you are done. Sounds easy?
Making magenta with oil paints
To make magenta with oil paint, simply mix magenta pigment into the oil medium with a brush on the palette. Linseed oil is an excellent medium choice. There are numerous oil medium options available. However, linseed oil is preferable and an excellent choice for beginners. It easily wraps around, creating a nice medium.
What colors can you substitute for magenta?
Sometimes you may need colors like magenta to flourish your artwork. When you think about the alternative of the magenta color, our recommendation will be various shades of rose & violet.
If your choice is rose, then opera rose and permanent rose are pretty similar to magenta. The first one is a light rose and the second one is a dark rose. In the case of violet, quinacridone violet is quite the same as magenta.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to Make Magenta Paint Darker?
Black and dark green are the two main colors to darken the magenta. Adding black is considerable, but some may deny the use of dark green with magenta. Since dark green and magenta are located on opposite sides of the color wheel. But you will notice that it will create a vibrant color.
2. Is magenta a real color?
Truly speaking, you won’t get magenta color in nature as magenta has no wavelength. Since our brain makes this color from red and blue, so we see it as magenta.
3. What colors work well with magenta?
Magenta is a vibrant pinkish color, so it goes with all hues of pink. Teal green is another option to pair with this color. You can even paint magenta with vivid blue and yellow.
Wrap Up
It’s not easy to achieve the right magenta color. Our effort is to help you make this bright color properly for your next art project. Pre-mixed paint could be an easy but expensive option for beginners.
We hope this step-by-step direction of creating new shades of magenta will give you a push to be a pro artist. You know the way of making various shades of vibrant magenta paint. Let’s make a wonderful and bright piece of art either for decorating your home or selling paint. Paint your imagination on the canvas.
