Color Spotlight: Quinacridone Violet (PV19 Beta)

Da Vinci Quinacridone Violet (PV19)
Da Vinci Quinacridone Violet (PV19) on Wonder Forest Cold Press paper

A warm purple made from PV19, the same pigment that makes Quin Rose and several other colors in the red/pink/purple spectrum. (Not to be confused with Quinacridone Purple, PV55.)

Experiment Results

Gradient: Lovely gradient from a vivid, blue-toned magenta to a pale lilac. Doesn’t get incredibly dark.

Opacity: Totally transparent

Glazing: Surprisingly crimson glaze

Colors Mixes: All these came out slightly duller than I was expecting.

  • The oranges and yellows are muted, earthy red-grays.
  • PGBS makes a muted teal.
  • PBGS makes a rather pretty periwinkle.
  • French Ultramarine makes a really nice purple.
  • Transparent Red Oxide makes a warm maroon.
  • Quin Gold is a pretty uninspired mauve.

Comparison to Other Colors

PV19 violet is the second color in the spread below. It’s distinctly more magenta/less purple than Quin Purple (PV55), but it’s purpler Quin Fuchsia (PR202) or the reddish DS Bordeaux (PV32). It’s much purpler and darker than the primary magenta options, PR122 magenta and PV19 quin rose.

Magenta comparison
From left: SH Quinacridone Purple (PV55); DV Quinacridone Violet (PV19); DV Quinacridone Fuchsia (PR202); DS Bordeaux (PV32); HO Quinacridone Magenta (PR122); DS Quinacridone Rose (PV19)

PV19 Comparison

Here’s another comparison chiefly to other PV19s.

PV19 comparison

Daniel Smith Quin Rose and Da Vinci Red Rose Deep are rose versions of PV19 that are much lighter and pinker. MaimeriBlu Quinacridone Lake and Daniel Smith Quinacridone Violet are quin violet equivalents that look more or less identical. Da Vinci Alizarin Crimson hue is a red. Finally, at the bottom I have Daniel Smith Bordeaux (PV32), not a PV19, but I think it looks incredibly similar to PV19 violets.

Daniel Smith – Bordeaux (PV32)

Here’s a more specific comparison of DS Quin Violet vs DS Bordeaux.

DS Quin Violet (PV19) vs DS Bordeaux (PV32)

Quin Violet is bluer and duller. Note that Quin Violet dilutes to lavender and Bordeaux dilutes to a sort of pale peony/lilac. In masstone, Bordeaux almost reads as crimson. See also Finding a Dark Magenta: Comparing Quin Fuchsia, Quin Violet, and Bordeaux.

Comparison to Other Brands

Winsor & Newton – Permanent Violet

PV19 violet comparison
Comparison of two PV19 violets. Left: Da Vinci Quinacridone Violet on Wonder Forest cold press paper. Right: WN Permanent Magenta on Canson XL paper.

The fact that I initially titled the WN color “Quinacridone Magenta” then crossed it out and wrote the correct color name, “Permanent Magenta,” shows my confusion at the naming convention of these warm purples. Anyway, these colors look really similar to me, despite the curveball I introduced by doing them on different paper textures. I had an easier time getting the DV darker, maybe.

Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Violet

Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Violet (PV19)

Daniel Smith’s version is warmer than the others in masstone, almost more of a magenta, but dilutes to cooler violet hue.

Holbein – Quinacridone Violet (PV19)

Holbein – Quinacridone Violet (PV19)

One of the coolest hues in masstone, but this strikes me as being the most honest because it has less of a hue change between masstone and dilute.

MaimeriBlu – Quinacridone Lake

MaimeriBlu Explorer Set

Top left. A PV19 violet that is almost precisely the same hue as Daniel Smith. I got some unexpected cauliflowering in my swatchout that didn’t appear until well into the drying stage.

Multi Brand Comparison

It’s hard to tell from the pages above done at different times in different light, but this side-by-side comparison in my sketchbook from a time when I had several dots at the same time reveals that Daniel Smith and Rembrandt are the warmest, Holbein is the coolest and Da Vinci is somewhere in the middle. Rembrandt also appears to have less range than the others, but is very smooth.

Color Mixes

Imidazolone Lemon (PY175)

Winsor Lemon (PY175) + DS Quin Violet (PV19)

Near-complements, these make grayish muddy colors.

Imidazolone Yellow (PY154)

HO Quinacridone Violet (PV19) + HO Imidazolone Yellow (PY154) on Canson XL

Warmer and redder than the lemon yellow mixes, though still quite an awkward middle step between red and brown IMO.

Monte Amiata Natural Sienna (PBr7)

DS MANS (PBr7) + DS Quin Violet (PV19)

Nicer than the cool yellow but still not extremely nice.

Raw Sienna (PBr7)

HO Quinacridone Violet (PV19) + DV Raw Sienna (PBr7) on Canson XL

PBJ vibes.

Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65)

HO Quinacridone Violet (PV19) + DV Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65) on Canson XL

Moving toward a nicer color but still ugly to me.

Quinacridone Coral (PR209)

DS Quin Coral (PR209) + DS Quin Violet (PV19)

Pyrrol Orange (PO73)

Winsor Orange Red Shade (PO73) + DS Quin Violet (PV19)

Deep muted crimson and bordeaux hues.

Pyrrol Red (PR254)

HO Quinacridone Violet (PV19) + HO Pyrrol Red (PR254) on Canson XL

Intense rose colors. Sort of Quin Fuchsia hue.

Indanthrone Blue (PB60)

These are nice partners and make some very atmospheric blue-purples.

Ultramarine Blue (PB29)

HO Quinacridone Violet (PV19) + DV Ultramarine Blue GS (PB29) on Canson XL

Some more interesting violets; kind of in-between bright and muted.

Cobalt Blue (PB28)

DS Quin Violet (PV19) + DV Cobalt Blue (PB28)

QV definitely darkens things here.

Cerulean Blue (PB36)

HO Quinacridone Violet (PV19) + DV Cerulean Blue Genuine (PB36) on Canson XL

Some lovely lavenders and lilacs here. On the dull side compared to those made from Cerulean and Quin Rose or Cerulean and Quin Magenta.

Phthalo Green BS (PG7)

HO Quinacridone Violet (PV19) + DS Phthalo Green Blue Shade (PG7) on Canson XL

Muted blues, violets, and teals. I love it when Phthalo Green mixes blue.

What Others Say

PV19 can be used to anchor the “magenta” side of warm colors in a palette: the question is, which hue to use? The rose or red shades of PV19 are more extraverted, producing bright warm mixtures, bright tints, and lighter valued violet mixtures with blue paints. The violet shade of PV19 is more evocative: the dark value and “violet” reflectance mixes unusual, complex browns with orange or yellow paints, moody reds and oranges with orange or red paints, and subdued, atmospheric violets and blues with dark blues such as phthalocyanine blue (PB15) or ultramarine blue (PB29); it also mixes shimmering violet grays with dull blue greens such as cobalt teal blue (PG50) or cobalt turquoise (PB36).

Bruce MacEvoy, handprint.com (2010)

I find the Quinacridone Violet colour less useful [compared to Quinacridone Rose] as you can make a violet by adding a little blue to the rose, though you can’t make a pink by starting with the violet. 

Jane Blundell, Multipersonality Pigments – PV19 (2016)

Though Quin Violet will never be the life of party, in actuality, this violet is ready and willing to adapt to a variety of scenarios and could be a painter’s most trusted confidant and best PV19 partner. Like a typical INFP, it’s a true mediator and appears to seek the good in any situation. This personality makes Quin Violet an excellent mixer.

My favorite Quin Violet partners are Phthalo Green (PG7) and Indanthrone Blue (PB60), and these were the only three colors used in the landscape painting for the lead photo of this post. This 3-color palette trinity produces a startling range of colors with atmospheric qualities that I adore.

Tonya @ Scratchmade Journal, Watercolor Comparison: Quinacridone Violet (PV19) (2019)

This color was a new addition to the palette, and it was a surprise favorite. I had been having a hard time figuring out where this color would be useful, and then as soon as I arrived here I was so excited to realize that it was the absolute perfect color to make the purples I saw in the petrified wood. This was really important to me, because the purples and blues were the colors that really stood out to me, and are apparently also the most rare colors to find in petrified wood anywhere in the world.

Claire Giordano, Petrified Forest Residency: Favorite Colors (2022)

My Review of Quinacridone Violet

Right away when I switched from student grade to professional paints, I was drawn to pick up color because I liked the PV19 violet in Winsor & Newton’s Cotman line, Purple Lake. But once I had it in my artist-grade Permanent Magenta, I rarely used it, and when I did, I was unhappy with it. I was picturing myself using it to mix up deep warm plum purples. But its mixes with red and orange looked grayish to me.

January 15, 2022. Painted from a tutorial in Kolbie Blume’s Exploring Watercolor 101 course. The Permanent Magenta’s mixes with the Winsor Orange (Red Shade) look muddy to me. I don’t hate the end result, which I think looks atmospheric, but it’s not what I was going for.

I was going for a bold, in-your-face, garish sunset there, and regardless of whether you think that’s a good goal, I think you can agree I didn’t quite get there. Not like I did when I used Quin Magenta (PR122) instead, like below:

January 25, 2022. These purples are made from a mix of Indanthrone Blue (PB60) and Purple Magenta (PR122), which fade much more brightly into the Winsor Orange (Red Shade).

Clearly, Quin Violet is far too dull to be a primary magenta (Quin Rose, its PV19 buddy, or PR122 work better). It is also not a vivid purple mixer; at least, it is certainly not as optimal as PR122 at mixing bright, clear, saturated purples. As long as I expect this color to behave like a magenta or a bright purple, I’m disappointed with it. So if it’s not a bright purple, what is it?

What it is – deceptively, I think – is a muted, moody and atmospheric purple. Every mix is just a little bit more understated than I think it will be. This can be a good thing if you would like your color mixes to be kind of subtle and wistful (like, there’s something I like better about the QV sunset, even though it’s not what I was going for). I suppose it’s sort of the violet equivalent of Indanthrone Blue – though not as dark (and therefore, IMO, not as useful).

On my palette? I keep putting it on and taking it off.

Favorite version: They are all quite similar and mix very similarly. I initially preferred Daniel Smith’s warmer hue in masstone, but in practice found it confusing because it still dilutes to a cooler hue. I found the color easier to understand/predict when I switched to Holbein.

Alternatives:

  • For fans of DS’s rosier hue, DS Quin Magenta (PR202) looks really similar in masstone but dilutes to the warmer, muted magenta I always seem to expect from Quin Violet.
  • DS Bordeaux (PV32) is another dull cool red/warm purple that falls somewhere between Quin Violet and crimson.
  • If you’re looking for “Indanthrone Blue, but purple,” DS Carbazole Violet (PV23) is worth a look.
  • If you’re disappointed by Quin Violet’s mutedness and just want a bright purple mixer, Holbein Quin Magenta (PR122) is my favorite.
  • For another deep, complex magenta option, many people are fans of DS Rose of Ultramarine (a mix of PV19 rose and PB29 Ultramarine Blue), but I think it’s an easy self-mix.