What two colors make plum?

Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White. Alizarin Crimson leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for plum?

Chromilla uses #6A3550 as the target for plum. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #61314D.

Can I mix plum without black?

Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White.

How to Mix Plum in Watercolor

Quick answer

To mix plum (#6A3550) in watercolor, use 7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% 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.

Adjust for my paints

Target

Plum

#6A3550

Predicted dry result

94% match when dry

Mix to #6B3552 while wet. It dries to about #61314D.

Plum in watercolor: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Alizarin Crimson	PR83	7	53%	53 ml
Ultramarine Blue	PB29	3	25%	25 ml
Titanium White	PW6	3	22%	22 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 deep red-purple plum. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #6A3550 in watercolor, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

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

1. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
53%
2. Ultramarine Blue
PB29
25%
3. Titanium White
PW6
22%

What colors make Plum?

Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White, in roughly a 53:25:22 ratio.

How to make Plum in watercolor

Start with Alizarin Crimson at about 53% as your watercolor base, then work in Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #6A3550.

Why mix Plum instead of buying it

Mixing Plum yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Plum 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 Plum

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 Plum

#824B66

9 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Alizarin Crimson and 3 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Plum

#52203B

7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Plum

#6D3446

6 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Titanium White and 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Plum

#663659

6 parts Alizarin Crimson, 4 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Plum questions

What two colors make plum?: Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White. Alizarin Crimson leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make plum paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter plum (#824B66) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 9 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Alizarin Crimson and 3 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for plum?: Chromilla uses #6A3550 as the target for plum. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #61314D.
Can I mix plum without black?: Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White.

Plum in other mediums

Plum in Acrylic: 7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White, predicted 95% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Plum in Oil: 7 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Ultramarine Blue and 3 parts Titanium White, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for plum

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Plum + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

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Deep-dive guide

How to mix Plum, the long version

Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.

Read the guide

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.