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How to mix Mauve in oil paint
Mauve is a greyed purple-pink. 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 #9F7A93
Predicted mix #9A7F97
Target #9F7A93 against the predicted mix from the Winton recipe (very close, ΔE 2.8).
Mauve mixing recipes by paint set
| Paint set | Recipe (parts) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Winsor & Newton Winton | 17 Titanium White + 16 Pale Rose Blush + 1 Prussian Blue 17 Titanium White16 Pale Rose Blush1 Prussian Blue |
Very close (ΔE 2.8) |
| Gamblin 1980 | 10 Titanium White + 7 Neutral Grey + 3 Quinacridone Violet 10 Titanium White7 Neutral Grey3 Quinacridone Violet |
Very close (ΔE 1.8) |
| Magicfly 40 | 11 Titanium White + 10 Light Apricot + 1 Violet 11 Titanium White10 Light Apricot1 Violet |
Very close (ΔE 1.6) |
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: 16 Pale Rose Blush + 1 Prussian Blue
- Gamblin 1980: 7 Neutral Grey + 3 Quinacridone Violet
- Magicfly 40: 10 Light Apricot + 1 Violet
What two colours make Mauve?
With only two tubes from the Winton range, the closest PaintMixLab finds is 8 Zinc White + 1 Dioxazine Blue (nearest possible, ΔE 10.5). Two-tube mixes are simpler to repeat but usually a little further from the target than three.
How to mix Mauve by hand
- Put out Pale Rose Blush as the base — it carries the hue.
- Work in Prussian Blue a little at a time until the hue swings towards mauve; 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.
Pinks are a red plus white. The red you choose decides the temperature: a scarlet gives peach-pinks, a crimson or magenta gives cool rose-pinks. Grey them with a dab of green.
Related colour recipes
Mauve questions
What colours make mauve?
In the Winton range: 17 Titanium White + 16 Pale Rose Blush + 1 Prussian Blue. Other sets use different tubes because tinting strength varies by brand — see the table above for Gamblin 1980 and Magicfly.
Can I mix mauve 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 mauve 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 mauve?
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 mauve 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.
