Which colors make pink

Many sweet producers use shades of pink in their confections and packaging. From the bright pink icing on doughnuts to pink lollipops, the association with sweets makes pink colors seem even more inviting and delicious.

So, it seems that pink can create all sorts of different emotional reactions, but how do you know which pink will create which impression? Each unique shade of pink can create a slightly different emotional reaction, but there are some general rules that you can follow when deciding which pink is best for your design.

Darker shades of pink, like magenta and hot pink, tend to be associated with love, passion, and vibrancy. In contrast, we tend to find lighter pink shades, like baby and pastel pinks, more childlike and sweet. You can see that mixing exactly the right shade of pink for the emotions you want to convey is essential. So, now that you have some ideas of what kind of pink shades you may like to make, the question becomes, how do you make pink?

True pink is a mixture of red and white, but when it comes to mixing other shades of pink, you need to consider adjusting your ratios, using different shades of red, and including other colors like yellow or blue. The first thing you need to consider is what your base color is. For pink, the base color is red. The shade of red you choose as the base for your pink is one of the most influential factors in determining your pink shade. On the color wheel, various shades of red range from very warm to very cool reds.

The temperature difference is due to what is known as color bias. Color bias refers to the relative temperature of different colors, depending on their relationship to others on the color wheel.

Warm reds tend to lean more towards orange because they have a touch of yellow in them. Cool reds, in contrast, tend to lean towards purple because they contain a small amount of blue. The relative warmth of your red will strongly determine your pink shade. Warm shades of red, like Venetian, cadmium, and scarlet red, when mixed with white, will produce pink shades closer to oranges like coral and peach.

In contrast, cooler red shades like alizarin crimson, vermilion, and carnelian red, will result in a pink that is a little closer to purple like hot pink and magenta. Here is a list of red shades from warm to cool:. Not only does the shade of red influence the pink you produce, but using different white shades can also make a significant difference.

There are two different types of white you can use. The first white you can mix with your red to make pink is zinc white.

Zinc white is a little more translucent than other options. The second white you can use is titanium white. In comparison to zinc white, titanium white is much more opaque. The best way to work out the different ratios of color you need to make various pink hues is to try it out yourself. We have a very quick and easy exercise that you can use to experiment with mixing different pink colors. All you need is a sheet of paper, all of your red shades, each of these white shades if you have them , and a little lemon yellow.

Begin the exercise by drawing out four squares for each of your red shades. You can paint the first squares of each with each shade of red. The next step is to mix a small amount of zinc white with each of the reds shades and paint some of these pinks into the next square.

Zinc white is quite transparent, and as a result, these pink shades will appear more transparent too. You will notice how different each of these pink shades is with the simple addition of white. Now, try mixing each red shade with a small amount of titanium white, and paint these combinations onto the next square. You will notice that the tone of these pink shades does not differ much from the pinks with zinc white, but they are much more opaque.

Another important thing to notice is that both white shades lighten the color, but they dull the pink colors rather than brightening them. When it comes to creating a design or a painting with a particular color, it is always a good idea to have a pallet of different hues.

Once you have your ideal shade of pink color, you will need to create several hue variations to create depth and dimension. If you are painting a delicate rose, you will need some darker and lighter shades of your pink hue to add shadows and highlights.

Realistic paintings require depth and dimension that you can achieve with tints, muted shades, and shadows. Very often, you do not want to use the brightest pink shades in your painting or design.

It is sometimes necessary to mute your bright pink hues to add variety and depth to your designs. Typically, to mute a color , you must combine it with a little bit of its complement. The complement for pink is green-yellow, and adding a small amount of this shade will mute the brightest pink shade. The exact shade of green-yellow depends on the particular pink hue you want to mute, as each will be slightly different.

The best way to figure out how to mute your pink shade is to experiment. Pink is actually a pretty complex color. And historically speaking, the color pink is a relatively recent phenomenon.

The color pink is named after a type of flower native to western Europe-- Dianthus plumarius , the Pink. Pink as a color of dye was not popular until the 18th century. Previous to that, people tended to wear shades of red or purple instead. But as we pointed out above, you absolutely can make pink through additive and subtractive color mixing.

First things first: there is no scientific evidence that liking or perceiving pink is tied to being biologically female. The association of pink with people who identify as women, then, is a social construct. Society has taught us that girls should like pink and boys should like blue. In the 18th century? In 19th century?

Prior to this, pink was seen as an appropriate color for both male and female children. The individual amounts of red, white, and other colors together create a specific shade of pink. What two colors make pink?

In essence, white and red. Tints that are more on the reddish end of the spectrum would be:. Would you like to know how to make pink that is a lighter shade? Paler pinks, which contain more white than red, are often referred to as soft pinks. What color does pink and blue make? Typically pinks with the addition of blue and purple hues are in the violet family. Pinks that have added black or grayish tints are popular in home decorating because they made for an understated pink that complements many other colors.

What color does pink and green make? Depending on the color mix and saturation, you can have a light cream like milk or a dark cream bordering on brown. What color does pink and orange make? Since orange also contains yellow, you can adjust the shade of orange to get a brighter, more vibrant shade of peach, too.

What color does pink and black make? Adding more black will make for a deeper eggplant color. In order to make magenta, just mix a bright shade of red with a little blue! You already know which two colors make pink--white and red--so start there. Then you can check out our three top tips to help you create the exact tint of pink you want.

Remember: white and black affect the saturation of your color! Hue is the element that creates the pure color. So if you want a warm shade of pink, start with a warm red hue. This will have undertones of yellow or orange. For a cool pink, start with a cool red hue. These shades will have a blue, green, or purple undertone. Darker values more black added feel more intimidating and threatening.

Wine and eggplant are two pink shades that tend to be a little more moody, for example. Colors that have a lot of white or black added are less saturated. So a color like bubblegum pink will have a lower saturation. Did you know that you can go to art school abroad, too? H ere are the top 12 art schools across the globe. You can learn more about the differences between them in this article. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.

Choose your red paint. Different shades of red produce different shades of pink when mixed with white paint. Experiment with different reds as you go. In order to achieve the brightest, most lasting shade of pink, try Permanent Alizarin Crimson or Quinacridone red acrylics and mix them with Titanium White. Vermilion will produce a nice shade of pure pink. Use of a brick red will produce a muddier pink, closer to a peach. Spread red paint. Take your canvas, paper, or mixing board.

Squeeze out your red paint on top of it. Add white paint. Near the red, place white paint. Start with a dab to save paint. When you mix it in with the red, you can always add more later if you need more to dilute the pure red color.

Mix the paints. Using painting tools such as a brush or knife, mix your white into your red. Start out with a little bit to determine what tint of pink begins to form. You can add more white to get a brighter and brighter tint, but every red has its own tint strength, so you'll eventually reach the limit to how pink you can make that particular red. Try softening your pink with yellow to bring it closer to a peach or a salmon color.

Add blue or violet to bring the pink closer to fuchsia or magenta. Method 2. Wet your brush. Dip your clean brush in your water container. Press it against the bottom of the container to open up the bristles, then run it against the rim to release excess water.

Place red and white paint on a mixing surface. Add red to your water container. If you are using wet watercolor paint, stroke your moist brush over your red paint. Mix it into your water container.

Slide the brush across the rim of the container once to clean the brush. Add white to your water container. Stroke your moist brush over your white paint.

Mix it in the water container the same way you did with the red paint. Your paint will begin to take on a pink tint. Continue to add more white until you achieve pink. Mix in other colors. This depends on how much you dilute the red with water before it dries. To get softer shades of pink, add yellow. This will eventually give you a peach color. A little bit of violet or blue will give you a hot pink. Add more to get a shade such as magenta.

Method 3. Set out a portion of white substance. You can do this with materials such as frosting, glue, or hair conditioner. The amount you set out should be the total amount of pink coloring you wish to make. Add red food coloring.

Red is a common coloring and can be mixed in to turn the white substance pink. The problem with red food coloring is that it is very strong, so start with a drop first and add more later if you need to make the shade deeper. Larger amounts of frosting or other material require more drops. Stir well. Use a wooden spoon or substitute kitchen implement to mix in the food coloring. To tame your mixture into the tint of pink you desire, try adding drops of food coloring other than red.

Experiment with it. Work slowly, a drop at a time.