What does pink and violet make?

In paint, pink and violet make a purple close to Jewel Caterpillar (#C476D6). Mixed as light, the same pair gives a result near Pinkalicious, because light adds while pigment subtracts.

50% Pink · 50% Violet

As paint

#C476D6

As light

#FF9FFF

Theory

Why paint and light disagree

Pigments work by absorbing light: each paint removes part of the spectrum, so combining pink and violet removes more light than either alone and the result darkens. Screens and stage lights work the other way. Each light adds energy, so overlapping them moves the result toward white. The slider above computes both models at any ratio: the paint result uses red-yellow-blue pigment interpolation, the light result uses additive blending.

Reference

The 50/50 paint result, specified

HEX
#C476D6
RGB
rgb(196, 118, 214)
HSL
hsl(289, 54%, 65%)
CMYK
cmyk(8%, 45%, 0%, 16%)

Closest named color: Fake Love. Real pigments vary by brand and binder, so treat these values as the screen approximation of a physical mix.

FAQ

Quick answers

What color does pink and violet make when mixed as paint?
A purple close to Jewel Caterpillar (#C476D6). Pigments subtract light, so the mix is darker and duller than either parent; exact results vary by brand and binder.
What do pink and violet make as light?
A color near Pinkalicious (#FF9FFF). Light mixes additively, so overlapping sources brighten instead of darkening, which is why screens and paint disagree about the same pair.
What happens with more pink than violet?
The result slides toward Pink along the mixing curve; the live slider on this page computes the paint and light result at any ratio, with the hex code of every step.

Popular colors

Jump to

Type a color name, a hex code, or a tool. Esc closes.

Open this color's page