Lighter Salmon
#FEB4A1
10 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Salmon in Watercolor
Quick answer
To mix salmon (#F0937D) in watercolor, use 4 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% 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.
Target
Salmon
#F0937D
Predicted dry result
91% match when dryMix to #F7937B while wet. It dries to about #E28773.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium White | PW6 | 4 | 80% | 80 ml |
| Cadmium Red | PR108 | 1 | 20% | 20 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 soft pink-orange salmon. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #F0937D 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. Titanium White
PW6
80%2. Cadmium Red
PR108
20%
What colors make Salmon?
Titanium White and Cadmium Red, in roughly a 80:20 ratio.
How to make Salmon in watercolor
Start with Titanium White at about 80% as your watercolor base, then work in Cadmium Red in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #F0937D.
Why mix Salmon instead of buying it
Mixing Salmon yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Salmon 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 Salmon
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.
Darker Salmon
#D57A65
61% Titanium White, 30% Cadmium Red and 9% Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Salmon
#F19284
82% Titanium White, 14% Cadmium Red and 4% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Salmon
#F1908D
7 parts Titanium White, 3 parts Yellow Ochre 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.
Salmon questions
- What two colors make salmon?
- In watercolor, Titanium White and Cadmium Red: 4 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- How do you make salmon paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter salmon (#FEB4A1) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 10 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- What is the hex code for salmon?
- Chromilla uses #F0937D as the target for salmon. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #E28773.
- Can I mix salmon without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 4 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red.
Salmon in other mediums
- Salmon in Acrylic: 4 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Salmon in Oil: 4 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red, predicted 97% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for salmon
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Salmon + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
Deep-dive guide
How to mix Salmon, the long version
Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.
Read the guideTechnique 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.