Last Updated on March 31, 2024 by Masha Eretnova
Color mixing is so satisfying to me but some combinations are hard to predict.
As an artist and teacher, I love sharing color-mixing swatches I make to help you navigate color theory better (and most people hate it! haha).
Pink and green are both bright colors but mixed together they make such a variety of colors you would never guess.
When you mix pink and green, you can create a shade of brown (from tan to chocolate) or gray, depending on the specific shades of pink and green being used.
With cooler shades pink and green can produce mauve or purple and olive or green shades.
The resulting color will be a muted, desaturated version of brown or gray due to the complementary nature of pink and green.
I am making real-time swatches with different shades of pink and green and I will also mix my own pink and green to show you the whole variety of possible colors.
Note that if you work with acrylic paint it can dry darker.
What Color Is Pink And Green on Color Wheel?
In classic color theory, green is located on the color wheel while pink is not.
Pink is considered a tint of red* and is typically not located on the color wheel. It is created by adding white to red, which lightens the color and gives it a softer, less saturated appearance.
* Tint is when we mix a color with white. Read more in Color mixing guide.
Green is a secondary color located between the 2 primary colors – yellow and blue – on the color wheel.
It’s between blue and yellow because to make Green you need to mix both yellow and blue.
Depending on ratios and shades of blue and yellow you will use you can create a variety of green shades.
As red and green are opposite to each other on the color wheel, they are not complementary colors in classic color theory.
Complementary colors typically go well together, mix to make neutral colors, and tend to neutralize each other to make a duller shade of each other.
As pink can be made from red, some pinks will have that effect with green and thus they can make neutral colors as I will show you below in my test. Here is also my video of mixing different pink acrylics with greens:
Supplies for pink and green colors mixing:
- Pink paints: Quinacridone rose, Pink, Light rose, Medium Magenta, Red + White (Winsor&Newton)
- Greens: Permanent green light, Phthalo green, Emerald green, Brilliant green, Blue + Yellow (Winsor&Newton).
- In my tests, I’m using acrylic paint.
- Palette paint knife to mix.
- Paper swatches.
- Large flat mixing palette.
I chose different shades to test different combinations, so I have a dark green like Phthalo and a light green like the brilliant green, different intensity of pink shades, and also different pinks – produced from red and violet.
The neutral tone will depend on how close the pink is to red and the green to “pure” green so they can neutralize each other at maximum.
If you work with acrylic paint, you can use GAC100 or acrylic medium for easier mixing and to use less paint, if you work with oil paint – use turpentine or mineral spirits to thin the paint.
Pink And Green Make…?
If you mix your own pink and green, they will usually make neutral colors: grey or grey-brown.
Here I used Cadmium Red and Titanium White for pink and Phthalo Blue (green shade) and Cadmium Yellow for green.
When mixed approximately 1:1 they make nice grey.
If you add more pink to the mix, it becomes pastel mauve, and if you add more green it will be just a duller green shade.
But we don’t always mix pink and green from primaries from scratch, we often use store-bought pinks and greens and they are all different.
So I tested 4 different pinks and 4 different green paints to see what mixing results we can get.
I made a video, and for text explanation, keep reading.
Read also: What Color Does Green And Purple Make? Surprising Results!
Is There an Easier Way to Mix Brown and Gray?
Yes, it is easier to mix brown with red and green and the easiest way to get grey is to simply add some white to the black color.
Light pink + green
Light pink mixed with darker and brighter green will make pastel and lighter shades of green.
Here I mixed light Rose with 4 different greens and they all made shades of green or turquoise green.
Beautiful pastel colors:
Hot Pink + Green
Hot pink or similar magenta shades mixed with green make brown or dark blue-purple depending on the shade and mixing ratios.
I tested Quinacridone Rose with 4 greens:
- Hot pink with brilliant green makes brown
- Quinacridone rose with emerald green make dark grey blue
- Quinacridone rose with Phthalo green mixed make deep dull blue, but if you add more pink it becomes purple, and if more green it will become blue-green closer to deep ocean water color.
- Quinacridone rose mixed with Permanent green light make dull brown with some grey in it.
Mint green + pink
Mint green and pink make a color between lavender and mauve.
Beautiful shade, opaque and not very bright at the same time.
Pink and green do not usually create purple.
But if you mix 2 parts of Quinacridone rose and 1 part of Phthalo green you can make nice Purple.
2 parts of Medium Magenta with green also can make dull mauve to purple shades.
Mix Pink and green with other colors
Adding more colors to the pink and green mix can help you create vibrant hues and more color combinations.
- Mix of pink, blue, yellow, and green will make a duller green, it will be dominated by green shade (green color + blue and yellow that make green together) and thus closer to sap green or grey-green but with a subtle cool blue undertone.
- If you mix purple, pink, and green you can make pale wood, and brown-grey shades depending on the purple and green you use.
In my test it appeared lighter, closer to dark beige when the paint was wet but dried to a darker, grey-er tone.
Dried mix:
- Mixing orange, green and pink can make dull mustard, quite dark yellow-green color.
When it dried it was darker:
- Blue, pink, purple, and green mixed make a color similar to subdued viridian green.
When it dries it has a strong blue-grey undertone and looks much greener than while wet:
Dry look:
- When you mix pink, green, and yellow together, you will get a nice opaque green-yellow color.
- Pink and green do not normally make blue when mixed.
But certain shades will, for ex., mixing Quinacridone rose with Phthalo green can make deep dark blue-grey.
Some pink and green mixed together can also make blue-green like Medium Magenta or Pink with Emerald green or Phthalo green.
I hope my color swatches helped you navigate green and pink color mixing.
Cooler colors produce cooler shades, while warmer green and pink made of red will lean into warmer neutral colors like brown.
Depending on the green and pink shade you have you can create so many different colors from grey to deep ocean blue and even purple!
Read next: How to Use Acrylic Paint: 3 Easy Steps To Paint With Acrylics On Canvas
Masha Eretnova, born in 1991, is a Buenos Aires-based certified teacher, artist, and member of the Professional Artist Association with 20+ years of personal painting journey.
She started painting and drawing very early and is now an international abstract artist and educator passionate about acrylic painting, gouache, and crafts.
Her works are part of international exhibitions and contests, including ArtlyMix (Brazil), Al-Tiba 9 (Spain), Exhibizone (Canada), Italy, and many more.
Besides her artistic pursuits, Masha holds a post-grad diploma in Teaching Film Photography and 2 music school diplomas: piano and opera singing.