Red and Purple Make What Color?
Last updated: May 8, 2025 by Amanda
What’s your favorite color? Personally, I love red thanks to my love of F1’s Ferrari team. So when it comes to mixing red and purple, it’s a topic close to my heart. Purple is related to red, and can sometimes have a lot of red in it. You can make a lot of colors by combining red and purple, and in this article we’ll take a look at as many as we can.
We will also look at the kinds of tones, shades, and tints you can produce when you mix red and purple. The harmony of red and purple results in so many beautiful and striking colors, but you can take it even further by adding things like black and white. If you want to know why, keep reading to learn all about what color red and purple make.
What Does Red and Purple Make?
The short answer is magenta, but to truly answer this, we have to take a quick look at the color wheel. Red and purple sit close together on that color wheel, sometimes overlapping. Just past purple you’ll find blue. We can see on a color wheel that purple contains both red and blue in abundance. That’s because red and blue are both primary colors, while purple is a secondary color.
Therefore, when you mix red and purple, you are mixing a primary color with a secondary color. This opens up some interesting possibilities. Purple can look more warm or more cool. Red also has its own hues you can work with. That’s why when we talk about what red and purple make, there is no one simple answer. It depends on the precise red and purple in the mix, though in general you’ll get a color called magenta, a purple with a ton of red in it.
What Is the Name of Red and Purple Mixed Together?
When you mix red and purple, you get magenta. Fun fact - the word magenta comes from a dye made by French chemist François-Emmanuel Verguin. Originally named “fuchsine,” aka fuchsia, the color was renamed to celebrate the Italian-French victory at the Battle of Magenta fought in the 1850s.
You can alter the specific type of magenta you get by choosing different types of reds and purples when mixing. A warm red and a warm purple will result in a warmer color, while a cooler purple can completely change this equation. That’s why you can encounter magentas that are warm and earthy or cool and deep. You can see this in the fuchsia of flowers and the vibrant hues of coral as well as across a makeup palette or perhaps right in your own closet.
What Is the Combination of Red and Purple - Magenta, Violet, and Other Shades
You can create so many fun combinations when you mix red and purple, from magenta to violet to other colors. The best way to find out is to jump in and start testing red and purple combinations. You might get a dark magenta or a bright, pink-ish fuchsia or a rich, blue-tinged violet.
You can also experiment with adding white and black to change the tint and shade of magenta you produce. If you add white, you’ll get a lighter tint that’s good for highlights; conversely, if you add black to your red and purple mix, you can create a darker color. Be careful, as it’s hard to change a color once you’d made it darker.
With so many combinations, mixing red and purple to make magenta can feel overwhelming, so here’s a handy little guide to some combos that might help you get started:
Magenta Tints (by Adding White)
You can create a tint by using white to lighten your magenta blend. Tints are used to add highlights to your artwork or to soften a color. Pale purple is a common magenta tint.
Magenta Shades (by Adding Black)
Create a shade and shadow by using black to darken your magenta blend. Shades deepen the magenta you create. Darker magenta, like a grayish rose quartz or violet, can help create a feeling of drama and depth.
Magenta Tones (by Adding Gray)
The cleanest way to create a tone is to add gray (a mix of black and white) to your color. Toning, or dulling down a color, reduces its intensity. Here’s a handy color mixing tip - always mix gradually, adding just a little paint at a time to avoid getting the wrong color.
Cooler Magentas
As we mentioned above, purple contains at least a little blue. If you choose a purple with more blue in it, you can get a cooler magenta when you mix red and purple. You might be surprised how cool this color appears, since you’re starting with a warm color like red.
Warmer Magentas
Of course, you can go the other direction and choose a warm purple that has more red in it. This will produce a warm magenta, such as maroon.
Best Uses and Ideas for Red and Purple Mixes
Magenta might seem like a crazy color, but it’s actually quite useful, especially for nature and floral scenes. Mother Nature has gifted us with a lot of natural magenta, from butterflies to flowers to coral and fish. You could even go for rich magenta grapes or wine.
Magenta is also super fun to play with when you’re doing a craft like tie-dying. Try mixing red and purple dyes to get a cool magenta T-shirt. Watercolors also offer a great medium for mixing red and purple to make magenta and other colors. Use colored pencils to add shadows to a red object by shading in a deep purple around the edges that will make a magenta shadow.
Print off our FREE coloring sheets to get started mixing red and purple yourself.
FAQs
If your head is spinning from all this color theory, don’t worry. We’ll break down the most common questions about what red and purple make right here.
What Color Do Red and Purple Make?
Red and purple make magenta. However, you can also make other colors by adjusting the type of red and purple you make.
What Two Colors Make Blue?
We talked about how purple includes a lot of blue, but maybe you’re wondering what blue makes. The answer, however, is nothing! Blue, like red, is a primary color, so colors come from blue, but other colors don’t make blue.
What Does Magenta Look Like?
Magenta is a purplish-red. It’s found exactly in the middle of red and violet on the color wheel.
What Colors Make Maroon?
For maroon, which is more brown than magenta, you want a dark red and a warmer purple. This will help you get a color with more of a brown tone to it.
Use Shades of Purple with Our Favorite Coloring Pages
Now that you know how to mix magenta from red and pruple, print off one of our coloring sheets, mix your colors, add a sprinkle of artistic inspiration, and get painting! Looking for the perfect coloring sheet to find your inspiration? Check out our collection of coloring pages for teens.
What Other Colors Can I Mix?
