What Colors Make Pink?

Follow these tips for achieving the perfect shade of pink in your oil painting with ease.

What colors make pink? Pink is created by combining red and white. However, in oil painting, it's more complex. There are cool pinks, warm pinks, saturated and vibrant pinks, as well as muted natural flesh-tone pinks. An artist must understand how to mix all of them.

Explore the wide variety of red oil paint colors available. Select several different reds to add variety to your paint palette. I recommend having one warm red, such as Cadmium Red Light, which has a slight orange tone. Permanent Rose is a good option for a cool red. I think that Cadmium Red falls somewhere in the middle, so it's also good to have on hand.

Red oil paint colors often possess a high-tinting strength, meaning that only a small amount of red is needed to turn a pile of white paint into a lovely pink.

There are many different white paint colors to choose from, and the shade of pink you create will be influenced by the white color you use. I like to use Flake White Replacement for portraits. Another good option is Unbleached Titanium, which is a natural-looking white with a hint of beige. It's worth noting that a pink mixed with Flake White Replacement will look different from a pink mixed with Unbleached Titanium.

Once a pink paint color has been mixed, you can adjust the color temperature by adding a small amount of Radiant Blue to make it cooler or Naples Yellow to make it warmer.

When you combine Permanent Rose or Alizarin Crimson with white, you'll get a vibrant, cool pink color.

Cadmium Red Light combined with white will create a warm pink with a slight orange tone.

When combined with white, Cadmium Red will produce what is typically considered a standard shade of pink.

Conclusion:

When red and white are combined, they create pink. However, the shade of pink can differ significantly based on the specific shades of red and white paint used. I suggest having a variety of red paint colors on hand to help you achieve the perfect shade of pink for your project. With some practice and experimentation with different color combinations, you can learn to mix beautiful pink hues for your artwork.

Author: Sonia Reeder-Jones