What two colors make mauve?

Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 53% Viridian Green, 37% Titanium White and 10% Alizarin Crimson. Viridian Green leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Why does mauve look different when acrylic dries?

Acrylic binder looks milky while wet and clears as it dries, so the dried film reads darker. Chromilla's model applies a 10% value shift for acrylic, so the wet mix #997B95 is predicted to dry to about #8D6F84. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for mauve?

Chromilla uses #9A7B94 as the target for mauve. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #8D6F84.

Can I mix mauve without black?

Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 53% Viridian Green, 37% Titanium White and 10% Alizarin Crimson.

How to Mix Mauve in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix mauve (#9A7B94) in acrylic, use 53% Viridian Green, 37% Titanium White and 10% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Chromilla is a web-based paint color mixer that turns any color, from a photo, the camera or a hex code, into exact paint-tube ratios for acrylic, oil and watercolor, using Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing and aiming at the color after it dries.

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Target

Mauve

#9A7B94

Predicted dry result

88% match when dry

Mix to #997B95 while wet. It dries to about #8D6F84.

Mauve in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Share	100 ml batch
Viridian Green	PG18	53%	53 ml
Titanium White	PW6	37%	37 ml
Alizarin Crimson	PR83	10%	10 ml

How we calculated this: Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing, then a per-medium dry shift, scored with CIEDE2000. Method and accuracy benchmark. Last checked August 2026.

Terms used here: Tinting strength, Dry shift, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Pigment code, Gamut.

A muted gray-purple mauve. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #9A7B94 in acrylic, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for acrylic. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

1. Viridian Green
PG18
53%
2. Titanium White
PW6
37%
3. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
10%

What colors make Mauve?

Viridian Green, Titanium White, and Alizarin Crimson, in roughly a 53:37:10 ratio.

How to make Mauve in acrylic

Start with Viridian Green at about 53% as your acrylic base, then work in Titanium White and Alizarin Crimson in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #9A7B94.

Why mix Mauve instead of buying it

Mixing Mauve yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Mauve across paint brands whose factory tubes differ, and rebuild the exact color when you run out mid painting. The recipe above is the working starting point.

Common mistakes

White cools and chalks a mix as you add it, so tint in small steps and stop before it goes pastel.

Variations on Mauve

Each variation is its own target (lighter and darker move OKLCH lightness by 0.08; warmer and cooler turn the hue 12 degrees toward red or blue), solved fresh.

Lighter Mauve

#B393AD

76% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue, 8% Alizarin Crimson and 6% Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Mauve

#82647C

6 parts Viridian Green, 2 parts Titanium White and 1 part Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Mauve

#9E7A8E

75% Titanium White, 14% Alizarin Crimson, 7% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Mauve

#957C9A

6 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Mauve questions

What two colors make mauve?: Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 53% Viridian Green, 37% Titanium White and 10% Alizarin Crimson. Viridian Green leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make mauve paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter mauve (#B393AD) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 76% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue, 8% Alizarin Crimson and 6% Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does mauve look different when acrylic dries?: Acrylic binder looks milky while wet and clears as it dries, so the dried film reads darker. Chromilla's model applies a 10% value shift for acrylic, so the wet mix #997B95 is predicted to dry to about #8D6F84. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for mauve?: Chromilla uses #9A7B94 as the target for mauve. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #8D6F84.
Can I mix mauve without black?: Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 53% Viridian Green, 37% Titanium White and 10% Alizarin Crimson.

Mauve in other mediums

Mauve in Oil: 53% Viridian Green, 37% Titanium White and 10% Alizarin Crimson, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Mauve in Watercolor: 53% Viridian Green, 37% Titanium White and 10% Alizarin Crimson, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Mauve + acrylic pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

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Technique guides for this color

Related mixing guides

Pigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.