What color do pink and black make?
Pink and black make dusky gray-mauve. Black darkens and dulls pink into a dusky gray-mauve. Use very little black: it overpowers pink quickly.
Pink + black = dusky gray-mauve
Why pink and black make dusky gray-mauve
Adding black makes a shade: the same hue, darker. Black is very strong, so a little goes a long way, and with some colors (yellow especially) it shifts the hue as well as darkening it.
Paint mixes subtractively: each pigment absorbs part of the light, and the mix reflects only what both let through. That is why paint mixes get darker and duller as you add colors, while light mixes get brighter.
Change the ratio
Equal parts are only the middle of a range. More pink pulls the result toward pink, more black toward black. Mix a small test batch, note the parts you used, and scale up once you like it.
All three are mixed with the same spectral paint model. Dark paints are strong, so a little of them changes a mix a lot; light paints such as white and yellow need more parts to show.
Pink and black on a screen
Tips for mixing pink and black
- Start with the pink and add the black to it a little at a time. Darker colors overpower lighter ones quickly, so this way round wastes less paint.
- Mix thoroughly with a palette knife; streaks of unmixed pink or black change how the color reads from a distance.
- Let a test swatch dry before judging it. Acrylics usually dry a little darker, while watercolors dry lighter.
- Write down the ratio that works (for example 2 parts to 1) so you can mix the same color again.
- To match a color on screen, compare the paint swatch against the hex code here on a calibrated display, and remember print and paint cannot reach every screen color.
More pink color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pink + red | rose red | equal parts | #EC4F5C |
| Pink + orange | coral (salmon) | 2 pink : 1 orange | #F3976A |
| Pink + yellow | peach (light orange) | equal parts | #F8B646 |
| Pink + green | grayish taupe | 2 pink : 1 green | #949E8F |
| Pink + blue | lavender (light purple) | 2 pink : 1 blue | #808EC2 |
| Pink + purple | orchid (light magenta-purple) | 3 pink : 2 purple | #B86CB9 |
| Pink + brown | rosy brown | equal parts | #AE734E |
| Pink + white | pale pink (baby pink) | 2 pink : 3 white | #FCCEE3 |
| Pink + gray | dusty pink (dusty rose) | 3 pink : 2 gray | #C398AF |
More black color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black + red | dark red (maroon) | 1 black : 4 red | #602B30 |
| Black + orange | dark brown | 2 black : 3 orange | #383627 |
| Black + yellow | olive green | 1 black : 2 yellow | #5B5D36 |
| Black + green | dark green (hunter green) | 1 black : 2 green | #2A372C |
| Black + blue | blue-black (dark navy) | 1 black : 2 blue | #212D33 |
| Black + purple | deep purple (eggplant) | 1 black : 2 purple | #312632 |
| Black + brown | dark brown (espresso) | 1 black : 2 brown | #312C22 |
| Black + white | gray | 1 black : 3 white | #888888 |
| Black + gray | dark gray (charcoal) | 1 black : 2 gray | #3C3C3C |
Frequently asked questions
What color do pink and black make?
Pink and black make dusky gray-mauve in paint (about #504C4F, mixed 2 pink : 1 black). Black darkens and dulls pink into a dusky gray-mauve. Use very little black: it overpowers pink quickly.
Is pink and black the same in paint and on a screen?
Not exactly. Paint gives dusky gray-mauve (about #504C4F at 2 pink : 1 black), while a 50/50 digital blend in a design tool gives #7B5363, because screens mix light rather than pigment.
How do I make the mix lighter or darker?
Add white to lighten it into a tint, black (a little at a time) to darken it into a shade, or gray to mute it. Changing the ratio of pink to black shifts the hue itself.
Mix any two colors
The color mixer blends up to five colors by weight in a spectral paint model, OKLab or linear light, and exports the steps.