Quinacridone Magenta: 8 Colour-Mixing Experiments
Updated: Sep 9
What happens when Quinacridone Magenta meets eight very different colours?
Quinacridone Magenta is one of those acrylic colours that can completely change personality depending on what you mix with it. It can produce rich plums and purples, vibrant oranges, soft pinks, strong reds and surprisingly dark neutrals.
I wanted to see exactly what would happen, so I mixed my Quinacridone Magenta with eight other colours from my palette and created three different mix strengths for each combination.
These are my actual paint experiments, so rather than relying on colour charts or predictions, I could see exactly what happened on my canvas.
My Quinacridone Magenta Mixing Experiment
For each combination, I started with Quinacridone Magenta and gradually increased the amount of the second colour through Mix 1, Mix 2 and Mix 3.
Here's my complete chart:
The eight colours I tested were:
Payne's Gray
Hansa Yellow Opaque
Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)
Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)
Titanium White
Naphthol Red Light
Alizarin Crimson Hue
Burnt Umber Light
The results were much more varied than I expected!
1. Quinacridone Magenta + Payne's Gray
Payne's Gray immediately took Quinacridone Magenta into deeper, moodier territory.
The first mixture produced a rich wine/plum colour. As I added more Payne's Gray, the mixture moved further into deep purple, with the strongest mixture becoming an extremely dark purple.
My observation: Good strong deep purple.
This combination would be useful when you want a dramatic, deep purple without reaching straight for black. The Quinacridone Magenta keeps the mixture from becoming a flat neutral and gives the darker colour some richness.
You can find Payne's Gray on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/4gm1jpj
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/4gpIQYM
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/4gmfXwv
16 ounce / 473mL https://amzn.to/4gMkAAz
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
2. Quinacridone Magenta + Hansa Yellow Opaque
This was one of my favourite surprises in the experiment!
Adding Hansa Yellow Opaque completely changed the character of the Quinacridone Magenta. The mixture moved from a warm red-orange into a stronger orange, with the third mixture becoming a particularly vibrant orange.
My observation: Vibrant orange.
I love seeing this kind of transformation in a colour-mixing experiment. You start with a strong magenta and a strong yellow, but instead of simply getting a predictable intermediate colour, you get a beautiful progression into warm oranges.
This is a great combination to experiment with if you enjoy painting flowers, sunsets, autumn subjects or anything that needs warm, energetic colour.
You can find it on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/3TOd4gI
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/4wpdtUr
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/4qegVzM
16 ounce / 473mL https://amzn.to/3RIQ4z3
As an Amazon Associate, Art on Mill Street earns from qualifying purchases.
3. Quinacridone Magenta + Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)
Quinacridone Magenta and Phthalo Blue created some beautiful cool purples.
The first mixture was a reddish purple. As more Phthalo Blue was added, the colour became progressively cooler and deeper, eventually moving toward a very deep blue.
My observation: Cool purple.
This is a great reminder of just how useful Quinacridone Magenta can be when mixing purples. Rather than using a premixed purple, you can create a range of purples by changing the proportions of magenta and blue.
And, as always with Phthalo colours, a little goes a long way!
You can find Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/4wLGOZf
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/4gGFfqC
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/46clIs1
16 ounce / 473mL https://amzn.to/4hFUFMR
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
4. Quinacridone Magenta + Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)
This combination got dark very quickly!
The first mixture produced a muted purple, but increasing the amount of Phthalo Green pushed the colour much darker. By the third mixture, it was almost black.
My observation: Goes almost black.
This was one of the most interesting combinations in the experiment because it shows how powerful complementary colour mixing can be.
Quinacridone Magenta and Phthalo Green sit on opposite sides of the colour wheel, so mixing them reduces the intensity of both colours and can create very dark, neutral-looking colours.
If you're trying this combination yourself, start with a very small amount of Phthalo Green. It is an incredibly strong colour and can quickly take over a mixture.
You can find Phthalo Green (Blue Shade) on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/4wFfA6y
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/4wANbhT
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/4hLrcBe
16 ounce / 473mL https://amzn.to/4gmfM4j
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
5. Quinacridone Magenta + Titanium White
This combination produced a beautiful range of pinks.
With a small amount of Titanium White, the Quinacridone Magenta became a softer pink. Increasing the white produced progressively lighter and brighter pinks, with the strongest mixture resembling cotton candy.
My observation: Cotton candy.
This is probably the simplest combination in the experiment, but it's also a good demonstration of why it's worth mixing your own colours rather than buying every possible shade.
One strong colour plus Titanium White can give you an entire range of lighter tints.
You can find Titanium White on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/4c3ju1E
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/4wCqR7q
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/4zyQ8m0
32 ounce / 946mL https://amzn.to/45GfGjd
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
6. Quinacridone Magenta + Naphthol Red Light
Quinacridone Magenta and Naphthol Red Light created a wonderful progression from muted pink-red into stronger, deeper reds.
As the amount of Naphthol Red Light increased, the colour became noticeably more intense and red.
My observation: Fierce red.
This combination would be particularly useful for flowers, berries, clothing, or any subject where you need a strong red with a slightly different character from a straight red paint.
I love how the Quinacridone Magenta gives the reds a slightly different quality than simply using Naphthol Red Light on its own.
You can find Naphthol Red Light on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/4xSGpoO
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/4ikAu7h
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/3Sln7Ju
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
7. Quinacridone Magenta + Alizarin Crimson Hue
This combination stayed firmly in the red and pink family, but became progressively deeper as more Alizarin Crimson Hue was added.
The first mixture was a softer, dusty pink. The second became a deeper crimson, while the third was a somewhat duller, deeper red.
My observation: A duller red.
This was a good example of how adding another strong red doesn't necessarily make a colour brighter. Instead, the mixture can become deeper and more subdued.
You can find Alizarin Crimson on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/3Up7RMi
4 ounce / 118mL https://amzn.to/4wENg4p
16 ounce / 473mL https://amzn.to/4czosDo
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
8. Quinacridone Magenta + Burnt Umber Light
Burnt Umber Light took the Quinacridone Magenta in a completely different direction.
The first mixture became a muted berry colour. With more Burnt Umber Light, the mixture became a darker, more subdued red, eventually reaching a rich deep burgundy.
My observation: Even duller.
I particularly like this type of combination for creating muted colours. If you love bright colours but don't want every part of a painting to be highly saturated, adding an earth colour such as Burnt Umber can help create more subdued versions of your brighter colours.
You can find Burnt Umber Light on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/3SJ0kaQ
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/3SGYzeh
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/4xWiFAg
16 ounce / 473mL https://amzn.to/4xRiDth
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What I Learned From Mixing Quinacridone Magenta
This experiment reminded me just how versatile Quinacridone Magenta can be.
Starting with one strong magenta, I was able to create:
Deep plums and purples
Vibrant oranges
Cool purples
Very dark neutral colours
Soft pinks
Fierce reds
Muted reds
Deep burgundy
My biggest surprises were Quinacridone Magenta + Hansa Yellow Opaque, which produced those vibrant oranges, and Quinacridone Magenta + Phthalo Green, which became almost black.
The experiment also reinforced something I've learned repeatedly from colour mixing: some colours are incredibly strong mixers. Phthalo Blue and Phthalo Green, in particular, can dramatically change a mixture with only a small amount.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy doing these experiments. You can look at two colours on a palette and have an idea of what might happen, but actually mixing them often produces something completely different.
My Favourite Quinacridone Magenta Mixes
If I had to choose a few favourites from this experiment, I'd pick:
🎨 Quinacridone Magenta + Hansa Yellow Opaque For the vibrant oranges.
🎨 Quinacridone Magenta + Phthalo Blue For the beautiful range of cool purples.
🎨 Quinacridone Magenta + Titanium White For the pretty range of pinks.
🎨 Quinacridone Magenta + Burnt Umber Light For the rich, muted burgundy tones.
But that's really the fun of colour mixing — your favourites might be completely different!
Try It Yourself
If you have Quinacridone Magenta in your acrylic palette, try creating your own mixing chart.
Start with the Quinacridone Magenta you already have and experiment with a few colours from your palette. Record your results as you go. You'll gradually build your own personal colour reference library that you can return to whenever you're working on a painting.
And don't worry about getting exactly the same results as someone else. Your paint brands, colours, proportions and even the surface you're painting on can affect the result. That's part of what makes a personal mixing chart so useful.
The Colours I Used
For this experiment, I used:
Quinacridone Magenta
Payne's Gray
Hansa Yellow Opaque
Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)
Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)
Titanium White
Naphthol Red Light
Alizarin Crimson Hue
Burnt Umber Light
You can find Quinacridone Magenta on Amazon here:
1 ounce / 30mL https://amzn.to/3SGZc7D
4 ounce / 119mL https://amzn.to/4xj4hCk
8 ounce / 237mL https://amzn.to/4iqxpma
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
More Colour-Mixing Experiments
This is part of my ongoing acrylic colour-mixing series, where I experiment with the colours on my palette and record what actually happens when I mix them.
I'm gradually building a collection of these experiments so that I can look back at them when I'm painting — and hopefully they will be useful to other artists experimenting with colour too.
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