Pink is a tint, not a mix of two hues
Pink is red, or a red-purple, made lighter. In paint that means adding white; in watercolor it means adding water so the paper shows through. There is no pink on a basic color wheel, which is why many paint sets don't include one.
How much white?
Red is a strong pigment, so it takes more white than you'd expect. With primary red:
| Red : white | Result | Looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 : 1 | #F1717A | Coral, watermelon |
| 1 : 2 | #FDA1AA | Salmon pink |
| 1 : 3 | #FFBAC2 | Classic pink |
| 1 : 6 | #FFD9DE | Pale blush |
| 1 : 12 | #FFEBEE | Almost white with a pink cast |
Always add the red to the white, not the white to the red. Starting from red, you'd need a huge amount of white to reach a pale pink, and you'd waste paint.
Warm pinks and cool pinks
The red you start with sets the temperature:
- Warm red (orange-leaning) gives coral, salmon and peach pinks. Add a little yellow for salmon: 1 red, half a part yellow and 3 white gives #FFBCAC.
- Magenta gives cool, bright pinks. 1 magenta to 4 white gives #FFBAEE, a bubblegum pink.
- Alizarin crimson sits between the two and makes a soft rose: 1 to 6 with white gives #FFD0E8.
Cool pinks suit florals, babywear and Summer palettes; warm pinks look natural with skin tones and in sunsets.
Dusty, muted and hot pinks
- Dusty rose: add a little green, pink's complement, to knock back the brightness. A third of a part of green in the 1:3 recipe gives #F2BBC1. A touch of gray or burnt umber also works.
- Hot pink: use magenta with only a little white, because white also dulls a color slightly. Fluorescent pinks can't be mixed; they need fluorescent pigment.
- Mauve: pink plus a small amount of blue or purple.
Each of these can be tried with the tuner: press Tune this mix, then use the plus button next to green or white.
Why white changes more than lightness
White paint is opaque and slightly cool, so tints often look chalkier and bluer than you expect. Painters call this the "chalky tint" problem. A pinch of the original red, or a touch of yellow for warm pinks, brings back some life.
On screen
Digital pinks are simply red with green and blue raised together. #FFC0CB, the CSS keyword pink, is close to the 1:3 mix above. For more pink HEX codes, see shades of pink and pastel pink.
Model notes
These swatches were calculated, not photographed. They use one red, one magenta and one crimson as stand-ins for whole families of real paint, and they assume an opaque, titanium-like white. Zinc white is more transparent and would give slightly stronger pinks.
Fuchsia, salmon and blush
| Shade | Recipe in parts | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fuchsia | 3 magenta, ¼ ultramarine | #CC157E |
| Salmon | 1 red, ½ yellow, 2 white | #FCA591 |
| Blush | ½ red, ¼ yellow, 4 white | #FFE3DB |
Fuchsia contains no white at all, so strictly it's a deep magenta rather than a pink, but most people shopping for it want this saturated color. Salmon and blush share a recipe shape; blush simply has twice the white for half the red.
Pink without white paint
Watercolor works differently from everything else on this page. You make pink by adding water, not white, and letting the paper show through. White paint in watercolor gives a chalky, opaque pink, sometimes useful for highlights but rarely what you want for petals or skin. A thin wash of a rose or crimson pigment stays clean and glowing.
For icing, a toothpick tip of red or rose gel is enough for a bowl of white frosting. It's easier to add a second dot than to rescue a bowl that went salmon-red. Butter buttercream is already ivory, so its pinks come out slightly peachy; for a cool, candy pink, use a white shortening-based icing or add a speck of violet.
FAQ
What two colors make pink?
Red and white. Use magenta or crimson instead of red for a cooler pink.
How do you make light pink?
Add a small amount of red to a lot of white, around 1 part red to 6 parts white or more.
How do you make pink without white?
In watercolor, thin the red with water. With opaque paint, a very light yellow can lighten a red slightly, but the result is closer to peach than pink.