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How to mix Maroon in oil paint
Maroon is a dark brownish red. Below are the oil paint mixing recipes PaintMixLab calculates for it from three common paint sets, in parts you can measure on the palette.
Target colour #6E1C2B
Predicted mix #74142A
Target #6E1C2B against the predicted mix from the Winton recipe (very close, ΔE 1.7).
Maroon mixing recipes by paint set
| Paint set | Recipe (parts) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Winsor & Newton Winton | 7 Titanium White + 5 Cobalt Violet Hue + 2 Scarlet Lake 7 Titanium White5 Cobalt Violet Hue2 Scarlet Lake |
Very close (ΔE 1.7) |
| Gamblin 1980 | 9 Titanium White + 7 Quinacridone Red + 2 Chromium Oxide Green 9 Titanium White7 Quinacridone Red2 Chromium Oxide Green |
Excellent match (ΔE 0.6) |
| Magicfly 40 | 6 Titanium White + 5 Scarlet Red + 1 Violet 6 Titanium White5 Scarlet Red1 Violet |
Very close (ΔE 2.7) |
Parts are by volume. Recipes follow the app’s standard engine, which adds white to bring the mix up to the predicted value on the palette. Match quality (ΔE 2000) compares the predicted mix with the target: under 1.5 is excellent, under 3.5 very close, under 6 close.
Dark Mode recipes (original engine, no extra white)
- Winsor & Newton Winton: 5 Cobalt Violet Hue + 2 Scarlet Lake
- Gamblin 1980: 7 Quinacridone Red + 2 Chromium Oxide Green
- Magicfly 40: 5 Scarlet Red + 1 Violet
What two colours make Maroon?
With only two tubes from the Winton range, the closest PaintMixLab finds is 1 Magenta + 1 Titanium White (close, ΔE 4.6). Two-tube mixes are simpler to repeat but usually a little further from the target than three.
How to mix Maroon by hand
- Put out Cobalt Violet Hue as the base — it carries the hue.
- Work in Scarlet Lake a little at a time until the hue swings towards maroon; stop as soon as it reads right, it is easy to overshoot.
- Lighten with white until the value matches your reference. Check it next to the target in daylight — a mix always looks lighter on the knife than on the canvas.
- Mix more than you think you need, and save the swatch in PaintMixLab so you can repeat it tomorrow.
Reds lose chroma fast when lightened with white and turn pink; if the target is a warm, deep red, lighten with a touch of yellow or orange before reaching for white, and darken with its complement (a green or a blue) rather than black.
Related colour recipes
Maroon questions
What colours make maroon?
In the Winton range: 7 Titanium White + 5 Cobalt Violet Hue + 2 Scarlet Lake. Other sets use different tubes because tinting strength varies by brand — see the table above for Gamblin 1980 and Magicfly.
Can I mix maroon without black?
Yes. None of the recipes above rely on black alone; where a dark is needed the engine prefers a deep colour or an earth so the mix stays lively. PaintMixLab has an “avoid black” option if your set includes black and you would rather not use it.
Why does my maroon look different from the swatch?
Pigment batches, how much medium you use, the lighting and your screen all shift the result. Treat the ratio as a measured starting point: match the value first with white, then nudge the hue with the smallest tube in the recipe.
Does this recipe work for acrylic maroon?
Roughly. Acrylic ranges share many pigment names, but acrylics dry darker and the tinting strengths differ, so expect to add a little extra white and re-check once dry.
Mix maroon from a photo instead
Point PaintMixLab at the colour you actually see and it writes the recipe for your own paint set — free for 3 days.
