5 - Purple Watercolour Swatches

There are literally hundreds of artist quality watercolours available from many brands. I have tested many of them and created swatches as seen on the right. The square box is painted into a damp wash at the top to show the colour mixed in water, with more pigment added towards the bottom. The rectangle is painted in a juicy wash to show the mass-tone. The small squares at the bottom of the swatch have the pigment number and characteristics - staining, lightfast rating, granulation and transparency. 

See the Purple pigment database information here.

​See the very comprehensive Handprint Magenta pigment page here, and Violet pigment page here. (But note that these tests were completed in 2004)
Picture
The size of my swatches
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Single pigment Purple Watercolours

Violet and purple pigments are denoted as 'PV' (Pigment Violet) followed by a number. See also the PR red watercolours for magenta and fuchsia colours. See also the Primatek watercolours tab.

PV3

Violet -White Nights watercolour (not a recommended pigment)

Cobalt Violet made with PV14 (see also PV49)

This gentle granulating pigment is often used in traditional English landscape palettes. Easily overpowered, but lovey with other quite pigments such as PY53 yellows and PG18 (Viridian)
  1. Cobalt Violet - American Journey; ​Cobalt Violet Deep - Aquarius; Cobalt Violet - Blockx; Cobalt Violet Deep* - Daniel Smith; Cobalt Violet - Da Vinci; 
  2. Cobalt Violet - M.Graham; Cobalt Violet - Rembrandt; Cobalt Violet - Winsor & Newton 

Purple watercolours with PV15

  1. Ultramarine Violet - A Gallo; Ultramarine Violet - American Journey; Ultramarine Violet - American Journey; Ultramarine Violet* - Aquarius; Ultramarine Violet* - Daniel Smith; 
  2. Ultramarine Red* - Daniel Smith; Ultramarine Violet - Da Vinci; Mineral Violet - Holbein; Ultramarine Violet Reddish - Kremer; Ultramarine Violet - M.Graham; 
  3. Ultramarine violet Deep - M.Graham; ​Ultramarine Violet - QoR; Blue Violet - Sennelier; Ultramarine Violet - Stephen Quiller; Ultramarine Violet - Winsor & Newton; 
  4. Smalt Blue - Winsor & Newton 

Purples made with PV16

  1. Mineral Violet - A Gallo; Manganese Violet* - Aquarius;  Flinders Blue Violet - Art Spectrum; Manganese Violet - Blockx; Manganese Violet - Rembrandt; 
  2. Red Violet - Sennelier; ​Permanent Mauve - Winsor & Newton

Purple watercolours made with PV19

PV19 is a multi personality pigment that is used for a range of colours from a rose pink through crimsons to violets. You can see more PV19 paints in the Reds section.
  1. Quinacridone Violet - American Journey; Quinacridone Violet - Aquarius; Magenta - Blockx; Permanent Magenta - Daler Rowney; Quinacridone Violet* - Daniel Smith; 
  2. Quinacridone Violet - Da Vinci; Permanent Magenta - Holbein (old name); Quinacridone Violet - Holbein; Permanent Magenta - Jackson's; Quinacridone Violet - M.Graham; 
  3. Quinacridone Violet - QoR; Permanent Red Violet - Rembrandt; Quinacridone Lilac* - Rosa; Permanent Magenta - ShinHan; Magenta - Stephen Quiller; 
  4. Permanent Magenta - Winsor & Newton 

Purple watercolours with PV23

this is a very consistent pigment across the different brands - a powerful staining and non-granulating mid-purple.
  1. Royal Amethyst - American Journey; Royal Amethyst (Dioxazine) - American Journey; Dioxazine Mauve - Blockx; Carbazole Violet *- Daniel Smith; Permanent Violet* - Holbein; 
  2. Permanent Violet Bluish - Maimeri Blu; Dioxazine Purple - M.Graham; Dioxazine Purple - QoR; Dioxazine Violet - Permanent Pigments; Blue Violet - Rembrandt; 
  3. Violet* -  Rosa; Dioxazine Purple - Sennelier; ​Winsor Violet - Winsor & Newton; 

Purple Watercolours made with PV29

Perylene Violet - Aquarius; Perylene Violet* - Daniel Smith; Violet Lake - Mission Gold;  Perylene Violet -Schmincke; Perylene Violet - Winsor & Newton 

PV32

Bordeaux* - Daniel Smith; Benzimiazolone Violet -Rembrandt

PV37

Dioxide Violet - A Gallo; Dioxazine Violet - Aquarius  

PV42

Magenta - Schmincke 

PV47

Cobalt Violet Light* - Holbein 

PV49 (see also PV14)

Cobalt Violet Light* - Aquarius; Cobalt Violet*- Daniel Smith; Cobalt Violet - QoR; Cobalt Violet - QoR ​

Quinacridone Purple Watercolours made with PV55

Quinacridone Violet - A Gallo; Quinacridone Purple* - Aquarius; Quinacridone Purple* - Daniel Smith; Quinacridone Purple - Schmincke; Quinacridone Purple Bluish - Rembrandt 

PV58

Mayan Violet* - Daniel Smith 

PR63

Mineral Violet - Renesans half pan 

Purple, magenta and violet watercolours made with PR88

Permanent Violet* - Daniel Smith (discontinued)

Purple, magenta and violet watercolours made with PR122

There are a number of lovely magenta watercolours made with PR122 - some are here, if they are named something violet/purple etc, all are in the reds section.
  1. Quinacridone Lilac - Daniel Smith; Rose Violet (old name) - Holbein; Quinacridone Magenta - Holbein; Quinacridone Purple - Jackson's;  ​Verzino Violet - Maimeri Blu; 
  2. Permanent Magent - Mission Gold; ​Magenta Lake - Renesans half pan; Helios Purple - Sennelier; Purple Magenta - Schmincke 

PR177

Geranium Lake - Renesans half pan watercolour. This is a very unusual version of PR177 - not the normal crimson red.

PR258

Ultramarine Pink - M.Graham. Two samples as one was from a very small dot. this colour is now made from PV15.

Single pigment purple, magenta and violet watercolours

Brilliant Red Violet - Schmincke 

Primatek and Apatite purples

  1. Purpurite Genuine* - Daniel Smith; Hematite Violet Genuine - Daniel Smith; Amethyst Genuine* - Daniel Smith; Sugilite Genuine* - Daniel Smith; Cote d'Azur Violet - Daniel Smith (Discontinued); 
  2. Cobalt Violet Hue - Schmincke 

Mixed Pigment Violet and Purple Watercolours

The following will be mixed purples and violets. These can be convenient. For example if you use ultramarine (PB29) and quinacridone rose (PV19) in your palette, the convenience mix Imperial Purple by Daniel Smith could be a good choice if you want a convenience colour. If you want a single pigment purple in a similar hue you would probably look at PV23 above.

Mixed Pigment red-purples

  1. Passionate Purple - American Journey; Janet's Violet Rose - American Journey; Orchid - American Journey;  Permanent Magenta (Quin) - American Journey; Wisteria* - Daniel Smith 
  2. Rose of Ultramarine* - Daniel Smith; Permanent Violet* - Daniel Smith PR202 + PB29; Quinacridone Magenta (Jane's custom mix DS) Cobalt Violet Deep - Da Vinci; Thioindigo Violet - Da Vinci; 
  3. Mineral Violet* - Holbein PB29 + PR122 + PBr25; Bright Violet* - Holbein BV15 + BV7; Lilac* - Holbein PR122 + PV23 + PW6; Cobalt Violet Light Hue - Jackson's; Cobalt Violet Deep Hue - Jackson's; 
  4. Permanent Violet Reddish - Maimeri Blu (discontinued); Bright Violet - Mission Gold; Red Violet - Mission Gold; Bright Violet - Old Holland; Mauve - Rembrandt; 
  5. Alizarine Lake - Renesans half pan; Quinacridone Violet* - Rosa PV19 + PB15; ​Cobalt Violet Deep Hue - Sennelier; Cobalt Violet Hue - Sennelier; Brilliant Purple - Schmincke; 
  6. Cobalt Viole - SoHo 

Mixed pigment mid purple watercolours

  1. Tyrian Purple - A Gallo PV15 + PV16; Mineral Violet* - Aquarius PB29 + PV19; Imperial Purple* - Daniel Smith PB29 + PV19; Mauve - Da Vinci PV19+PB29; Bright Clear Violet - Mission Gold PV3:1+ PB29 + PR122; 
  2. Compose Violet - Mission Gold PB15:3 + PR122; ​Compose Violet Deep - Mission Gold PB15:3 + PR122; ​Ultramarine Violet - Mission Gold PV15 + PB15:3 + PR122; Blue Violet - Mission Gold PB29 + PR122; Ultramarine Violet - Schmincke PV15 + PB29; 
  3. Galaxy Violet - Schmincke PR233 + PB29

Lavender Watercolours 

  1. Lavenda - Aquarius  PW6 + PB29 + PV16; Lavender* - Daniel Smith PW6+ PV15 + PB29; Lavender* - Holbein PV15 + PB29 + PW6; Lavender - Rembrandt PB29 + PV15 + PW6; ​Lavender* - Rosa PB29 + PV3 + PW6; 
  2. Lavender - ShinHan PWC; ​

Blueish (cool) mixed pigment purple watercolours 

  1. Periwinkle - A Gallo Watercolour PB15:1 + PW6 + PB29 + PR122; Periwinckle - American Journey PV15 + PW6; Misty Morning - Aquarius  PG50 + PV19; Cobalt Blue Violet* - Daniel Smith PV19 + PB28; ​Cobalt Violet  MaimeriBlu (pre 2018); 
  2. Brilliant Blue Violet - Schmincke; 

Mixed Pigment Dark watercolours

  1. Notturno - A Gallo watercolour PB29 + PR179; Shadow Violet - Aquarius PG50 + PB29 + PV19; Shadow Violet Light - Aquarius PB36 + PB29 + PR176; Przybysz's Grey - Aquarius PB29 + PR177 + PG26; Shadow - American Journey PB15 + PR209 + PO48;
  2. Moonglow - American Journey PG7 + PB29 + PR177; Moonglow* - Daniel Smith PB29 + PR177 + PG18; 
  3. ​Shadow Violet* - Daniel Smith PO73 + PG18 + PB29; ​Lunar Violet* - Daniel Smith PV15 + PBk11; Shadow Violet - Mission Gold PG7 + PR122; 
  4. Dusk Pink - Rembrandt PR122 + PBk11; Deep Sea Violet - Schmincke PB29 + PBr33; Tundra Violet - Schmincke PB29 + PBr6

Mixed pigment brown-purples

  1. Raw Umber Violet - American Journey PBr7 + PV19; Raw Umber Violet* - Daniel Smith PBr7 + PV19; Hematite Violet Genuine* - Daniel Smith; Mars Violet - Holbein PR101 + PV23 + PBr7; Caput Mortuum - Renesans half pan PR101 + PV23; 
  2. Claret (previously Monaco Bordeaux) - Renesans half pan PR48:1 + PR101
These swatches are painted and added as a guide. The intention is show the characteristics of each colour when painted. The colour reproduction is not perfect but hopefully will still be helpful used in conjunction with the manufacturer's website.  Thank you to those of you, from Canada, Sweden, Australia and the USA, who have helped me with this section by sharing your favourite colours. If you notice errors please let me know so I can correct them. If you have artist quality watercolour that are not shown here and want to help me build up this resource, also please let me know :-)
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This pages was last updates November 2022.