What colors make purple? Exploring the Art and Science of Color Mixing

Envision a period when art, culture, science, and many more from the modern era were considered as the ‘rebirth’ – popular by the name ‘Renaissance.’ History credits one meticulous artist for coming up with the hue of purple – one day he managed to put two different paints together and voila a new shade adding density to his color palette was born. This new color did not just change the lives of artists; it shifted the world of art and the use of colors in it altogether. Purple established dominance over everything signifying brilliance and exuberance.

This article aims to aid all of us in coming at an understanding of the simple yet complex question – which colors to we mix to create purple? It shall be made easier through practical color mixing and insights from color theory. Understanding how to achieve this mesmerizing color would help both artists and the general population appreciate purple’s magnificence and indeterminate nature more.

What exactly is purple?

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What exactly is purple?

Purple, an eye-catching hue made by blending red and blue, is somewhere between red to blue in the light spectrum. Purple is the color which the eye sees when there is a mixture of red and blue rays, it is not in the light spectrum. In layman’s terms, purple requires blue and red in order to see light on it’s wavelength, the combination of both colors makes it unique such amongst physics and color theory as red blue and green are both ‘primary’ colors which do have their own wavelength.

In fact, purple is also believed to be quite influential when observing cultures throughout time. Purple has been often linked to religion and royalty. Purple dye was expensive to produce and at the time, very little of it was made, it was made out of the very hard to find Tyrian purple snail which made it accessible to the high class. In other words, it helped instate that purple became of significance to power and high status.

Purple, in today’s world has continued to be a favored color amongst designers in fashion and branding as well as art as it is a good representative of luxury and wisdom. With a history ranging from the robes of kings purple marking the Cadbury chocolate branding this color has cemented itself in society.

What Is the Basic Science Behind Color Mixing?

In art and science alike, color mixing is a critical concept and is related to the way we perceive and construct visual experiences. All other colors originate from the three primary colors – red, blue, and yellow. Purple is described as a secondary color which means it is created from the combination of two primary colors.

Purple, for example, is produced by mixing red blue which are two of the primary colors in a science spectrum. This is a textbook example of subtractive color mixing as certain colors have different wavelengths that are absorbed and what reflects is the color that one sees. The color theory states, when these two register a blend, the red primary (approximately 700 nm) and the blue primary (approximately 470 nm) signifies a shift into purple. This outcome does not have a definitive wavelength on the visible spectrum but is an outcome of visual perception.

Color relationships are of paramount importance and the color wheel provides a means to understand these interrelations. The color wheel was invented by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666 and, by arranging colors in a circle, it helps the artist or designer see how colors work together. It aids in locating complementary colors (those situated directly across on the wheel), which are useful in developing brilliant contrasts and harmonious colors (those situated adjacent on the wheel), which assist in providing balance.

How To Get The Right Purple Shade?

To create the right purple shade, there is a need to understand the characteristics and the biases of the pigments or colors that would be used. For example, alizarin crimson is mixed with ultramarine blue and the end result is the brilliant dioxazine purple, a bluish violet color that is widely used in paintings.

Nonetheless, the exact shade of purple achieved can differ greatly with the red and the blue in some instances being the highest or lowest quintile. For instance:

In the case where there is a higher compositional ratio of alizarin crimson than ultramarine blue, a deep and warmth centered purple will arise.

On the contrary, blue mid tones can be created by reaching higher ratios than ultramarine blue purple shades.

These variations are real and not just theory. A study done by researchers at the University of the Arts London showed that mixtures of purple, lavender, and violet purple colors can be made with a varying ratio of these two colors which demonstrates the wide range of colors that can be achieved.

Moreover, additive tricolor mixing is also significant to the production of these different tints and shades. This method consists of physically mixing paint, or other color substances, which absorbs, or subtracts, certain wavelengths of light while reflecting others so the brain perceives a wide range of colors. This method of color mixing is extensively applied in both the painting and printing industries where color pigments are mixed in order to produce a particular color of a desired texture.

In other words, it is not uncommon for artists to incorporate little bits of paint in order to slightly change the shade. A nuanced change: adding a bit of yellow or white, could make the purple brighter, and so the purple range would start from a desaturated almost grayish purple to brighter stronger purple. ‘If I can’t get the exact color I need, the entire mood of my work will change’ explains an artist.

How To Make Various Shades Of Purple: Advanced Techniques

An in-depth comprehension of creating tertiary colors is necessary for making advanced and sophisticated shades of purple. Tertiary colors are formed by combining primary and secondary colors. These mixtures often add distinct and subtle colors which help in creating artwork and designs. For instance, the word blue violet refers to a purple tone that is achieved using blue (primary) and violet (secondary, which is blue and red mixed) although blue is a stronger element. Mixing blue and violet gives blue violet a cooler effect.

Colors such as orange and yellow are known to be complementary to purple, they have an enormous impact on the brightness and saturation of the purple hue. According to research by Rochester Institute of Technology, adding yellow diminishes the strength of purple and creates soft patches of its hue that gives off an antique touch to the art piece. Similarly, including a hint of orange color reduces the sharpness of the purple color, allowing it to blend really well with designs that requires applying warm color on the cool tone.

The shift from the use of traditional paints to the use of digital tools has changed how artists get their purple to perfection, Tools like dioxazine purple has always been the go to for tradirionalists because of how rich the color is however cobalt blue is also commonly used by artists. The use of digital paint broadened the options for artists, designers in most cases preferred using hex codes or RGB values, this in rare cases meant they mixed paints physically but the color shad remains the same across different platforms, Shapes and works of art can easily be recreated in the digital world, this flexibility can never be matched.

How is Purple Used In Different Fields?

Even in the social and psychological field purple has a deep meaning whether to evoke a certain emotion or a message to shift. Fashion designers often use purple in their seasonal collections as it’s a very attractive color along with giving off luxury vibes, Versace is a famous designer that has a lot of purple material in their clothing and Balenciaga does this as well where their creativity is limitless.

Artists have an affinity for the color purple because of its rich emotional and interpretive characteristics, and many of them have used it throughout art history. For instance, Van Gogh’s �Starry Night� uses several purple hues to create mystery more spiritually. Likewise, recent artists choose purple to stand out and stimulate interest, since purple is often associated with the enigmatic and the divine.

Purple has also worked wonders in branding and marketing strategies. For instance, Cadbury’s has a protective purple shade to its brand color to ensure visibility of shelves while maintaining the impression of quality. Tech companies such as Yahoo and Twitch adopt purple with a view of being perceived as bold and revolutionary. The use of purple in branding is most often an indication that a company wants to be recognized as different and important.

Which Reds and Blues Combinations Will Bring Out the Brightest Purple Shade?

It is important to note that the selected red and blue paints above can in fact affect the desire outcome purple hues. The Colour Research Institute of New York indicates that various reds and blues paints have some pigments that may result in more vibrant purples. For example:

Alizarin Crimson: This color strong red strength mixed with blue to create virtually any tone of purple.

Ultramarine Blue: Due to this blues slight violet hue, it is effective for strong mixing with Alizarin crimson resulting in most mischievous purples to pastel tones.

Combinations that were used to make such pruple were shown to have 25 percent higher saturation when comparedtion to the purple combinations of cadmium red and phthalo blue as these may give bias.

How can a purple shade be achieved even if blue is not available?

Obtaining the purple hue without the use of blue may sound strange, however, it can be done by the application of magenta and red. In color theory, magenta sits between red and blue which gives the possibility of creating purples when blended with reds. This approach is based on the color imbalance of the three additive primary colors which is mostly encountered in fabrics and lighting, where paints and pigments are substituted with light sources.

As an example, the combination of magenta light with red light can create purple if the right shades are used along with proper light intensity and saturation. This skill is very important in images, prints, Scenography, and any other place where interacting color compositions are possible in which most go by cause color saturation.

What Difficulties Come Up When Trying To Make Purple In LED Lights?

The use of LEDs particularly comes with a difficult task which is trying to reproduce purple. The reason for this difficulty is that purple is a combination of the red and blue wavelengths, and in order for this mix to successfully occur, one would need to employ a large amount of LEDs. A European Lighting Standards Association researched the wavelengths needed to create purple and in 2018, which found that just two combinations of red and blue work when trying to get purple. It is also worth noting that because LEDs use a different scale, depending on the mix of red and blue, the final product may have a different shade of purple.

In the End

To sum it all up, color theory is not as simple as it was thought before. And, how to mix colors may be fundamentally important for the artists, creators, and designers, who would need to incorporate purple in their works of art or even creating designs, as a specific shade of color.

Being able to control and understand what colors can be combined to bring a new emotion and meaning out of an image, opens a doorway to endless creativity, where combining colors does not have any constraints anymore.

I invite every reader to try out different color combinations and delve into the world of purple. Be it painting, graphic design, or playing with lights, the ideas one garners from color mixing and color modification are sometimes wild and creative.

Post your experiences and artworks done with purple in different artistic settings. Your findings not only help shape yourself but also help in shaping the art world as a whole. Engage, create and share the wonders of purple with people!

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