How to Make Magenta

What color is magenta? There are a few variations to its description, but it has been defined as a reddish-purple or purplish-red. Magenta has also been described as part of the pink and violet family.

First, there was the invention of the synthetic aniline dye, by William Perkin in 1856, which was named mauveine.

The History of Magenta

Many artists began using the color on the canvas after its discovery. For example, Portrait of Marie Lagadu (1890) by the artist Gauguin.

Magenta in Art

HOW TO MAKE MAGENTA COLOR 

Magenta can be considered a primary and secondary color in various color models. 

What Colors Make Magenta

Color is created by adding light, which is why it is called an additive color model. In this case, red and blue will create magenta, which makes it a secondary color in this model.

Additive Color Model

This is when colors are produced from reflected light, this includes mixing paint and pigments, for example, in printing. This color model makes use of magenta, cyan, and yellow.

Subtractive Color Model

MAKING MAGENTA PAINT

There are some different options for how to make magenta paint. When mixing paint colors, you might not get an exact magenta color, but you can get something close to it.

Making Pure Magenta

There is more than one way to darken magenta, adding black being the most obvious. However, dark green might be a better choice for more vivid color.

Make Magenta Darker

HOW TO MAKE PAINT MEDIUMS WITH MAGENTA PIGMENT

The process of making oil paints is quite easy, simply add some of the magenta pigment to an oil medium like linseed oil. You can use this to paint with all your other oil paints.

Oil Paints

Making your own acrylic paints is also a fairly simple process and can be done by beginners. Again, take some of the magenta pigment powder and add it to a clear gesso acrylic.

Acrylic Paints

When making magenta watercolor paint, you again take the paint powder and mix it with some gum Arabic.

Watercolor Paints