Quinacridone pigments are transparent and high in intensity, they provide a spectrum of violet, magenta, red, and gold pigments. In this Pigment Stories series, I have looked at two of the three most significant pigment discoveries of the 20th Century – Phthalocyanine and Azo pigments. The third is the Quinacridone family of pigments.
Pigment Stories: Quinacridone
The first Quinacridone compound was discovered in 1896, but its suitability as a pigment wasn’t recognised until 1955. A commercially viable industrial process for synthesising Quinacridone pigment was developed, and in 1958 it was introduced to the market.
Quinacridone pigments are strong in colour and transparent, offering extreme stability with good resistance to light, heat, and solvents. This makes them ideal for use in cosmetics, automotive finishes, and plastics, while also providing a spectrum of violet, magenta, and red pigments for artists working in various mediums. Artists of the abstract expressionist movement quickly adopted Quinacridone colours for their intense vibrancy.
Quinacridone pigments range between purple to orange, with pink-red being the most common. The hue is determined by the pigment particle size and small differences in the crystalline structure of the Quinacridone pigment molecules. For example, a latticed structure creates a pink-red colour, while a more linear structure produces a colour leaning toward orange.
In the following swatches and colour mixing charts I have used watercolour (the largest variety of Quinacridone pigments are found in watercolour ranges), but most are also available in oil, acrylic, gouache, and ink ranges. I have introduced each pigment with its generic name (i.e. Quinacridone Rose), but the names of the paints that contain each pigment vary. You can click on any image to see it larger and in more detail.
Quinacridone Magenta (PR122 or PR202)
Quinacridone Magenta is a commonly found pigment in artist paints, it is a vibrant and deep pink that almost falls into purple. PR122 is the most frequently used Quinacridone Magenta pigment, but occasionally PR202 is used.
Bottom: Schmincke Horadam watercolour, Quinacridone Magenta (PR202).
While PR122 and PR202 look very similar when wet, when they are dry it seems that PR122 is a slightly cleaner colour. This is better for the most vibrant mixtures (it’s worth noting that some Quinacridone pigments have a significant wet-to-dry colour shift, particularly in watercolour):
Bottom: Schmincke Horadam watercolour, Quinacridone Magenta (PR202).
Quinacridone Magenta is a very floral colour, popular with botanical artists. Because of its purple bias, it is easily nudged to make deep violet by Ultramarine Blue (PB29). With Yellow Ochre (PY42) and Burnt Sienna (Pbr7) it makes deep red and orange respectively, which become peachy when mixed with white. When mixed in equal parts with Phthalo Green (PG7) it makes a deep chromatic black.
Most oil, acrylic, watercolour, gouache, and ink ranges carry PR122 – often under the name Quinacridone Magenta, Magenta, or Permanent Magenta.
PR202 is found in Daniel Smith watercolour, Schmincke Horadam watercolour, Mijello Mission Gold watercolour, and Royal Talens Rembrandt oil paint.
Quinacridone Rose / Quinacridone Violet (PV19)
Another commonly found pigment, PV19, can range between a smoky violet and a bright rose. The rose-shade is less purple than Quinacridone Magenta, but still leans towards blue. The violet-shade is a reddish-purple.
Bottom: Jackson’s Artist Watercolour, Carmine (PV19).
Schmincke’s Quinacridone Violet makes some dark blues and purples when mixed with Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, and Viridian, and earthy tones with Green Gold and Yellow Ochre.
The overall feeling of the above palette is much more stormy than with Jackson’s Carmine, which was mixed with the same colours:
The rose-shade of PV19 makes a lightfast alternative to Genuine Rose Madder, a fugitive historical pigment. In fact, PV19 paints are often called Permanent Rose.
Bottom: Jackson’s Artist Watercolour, Carmine (PV19).
Quinacridone Maroon (PR206)
An earthy, red-brown pigment that couldn’t be more different to the jewel-like vibrancy of Quinacridone Magenta. Quinacridone Maroon is known by many names, including Brown Madder, Quinacridone Burnt Sienna, and Permanent Alizarin Crimson. Alizarin Crimson is a useful pigment in portrait painting, providing a red base that can be used to build flesh tones. Quinacridone Maroon also lends itself to portraiture, as this palette shows, though it is considerably less red than genuine Alizarin Crimson:
Quinacridone Red (PR207 or PR209)
These Quinacridone Red pigments are so bright that we had a hard time capturing them accurately in a photograph. Both PR207 and PR209 are fresh and almost fluorescent. PR207 is the more orange of the two, while PR209 still has a hint of pink.
Bottom: Winsor and Newton Professional watercolour, Quinacridone Red (PR209).
What Happened to Quinacridone Gold (PO49)?
Single pigment Quinacridone Gold was a popular artist pigment. It was deep orange in masstone, but produced glowing yellow-gold glazes when diluted. The supply of raw pigment used in artist paints is subject to changes in other industries. When car manufacturers dropped genuine Quinacridone Gold (PO49) in 2001, they halted production of the pigment for artists. Daniel Smith brought up the remaining Quinacridone Gold pigment, and by 2005 they were the only manufacturer to offer the genuine, single pigment colour. Their last batch of Quinacridone Gold paints was sold in 2018, and now they use a mixture of PY150 and PO48 to make a Quinacridone Gold hue.
Quinacridone pigments available in limited ranges:
Quinacridone Pink (PV42)
Available from Daniel Smith watercolour, Schmincke Horadam watercolour, and Old Holland oil paint.
Langridge oil paint also offer PV42, but it is a more violet shade.
Quinacridone Purple (PV55)
A wine-dark purple, similar to Dioxaxine Violet. Available in Schmincke Horadam watercolour, Rembrandt watercolour, St Petersburg White Nights watercolour, Winsor and Newton Professional watercolour, and Daniel Smith watercolour.
I have to admit that when I started writing this post I had always avoided Quinacridone pigments. Because of their reputed high chroma and tinting strength, I assumed that they would be overwhelming and bright – at odds with the muted colour palettes I like to use. But in writing this post and trying them out in mixtures, I found that they are full of subtlety and nuance. I will be rethinking my pigment choices! We’d love to know how you use Quinacridone pigments, let us know by leaving a comment.
Materials:
Daniel Smith Finest Watercolour
Winsor and Newton Profesional Watercolour
Updated 19th February, 2025
50 thoughts on “Pigment Stories: Quinacridone Pigments”
Your history of pigments series is endlessly
fascinating. Thank you so much, Evie. I have
learnt so much.
Thank you, Alan. I learn a lot while writing these articles as well!
I so enjoy your informative and
practical articles on pigments. I love
colour and the interaction of the
various pigments which you highlight
wonderfully. Thank you Evie, I look
forward to these articles!
It’s great that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them, thank you Nev!
Thank you so much for this series of
articles! As a beginner struggling with
color theory this is the most useful,
interesting and helpful information I
have discovered thus far- can’t tell
you how much I appreciate all your
hard work
Thanks for letting us know. We’re so happy you find the information here helpful. Very best, Clare
If you’re into the history of pigments you
really need to get a copy of Chromatopia.
It’s a gorgeous book full of spectacular
images with a single page description of the
history and properties of just about every
pigment you can think of (well not really, but
it is comprehensive). It may sound like a dry
read, but it isn’t. It’s fun and engaging and a
visual treat.
I love Chromatopia! Great recommendation.
I love that Quin Reds are shown in this
post.. I do however miss Quin Red
Gold/burnt orange (po48). Since this
pigment is used for many mixes,
including Quinacridone Gold, but has
also been discontinued… leaving us with
a problem 🙁
Thanks for your comment! I should have used PO48 in this post, I’m not sure if it has been discontinued, it’s still used in many ranges (often in mixtures to make Quinacridone Gold Hue, as you say). I’ll have to look into that.
Thank you for looking into these
wonderful colors. You said that once
the auto industry stopped using PO49
that the pigment could no longer be
produced. If you know why the
pigment could only be made, as long
as it was used in the Automobile
industry I would love to know the
answer. Was it because it was to
expensive to make in smaller
quantities ? or was the raw materials
no longer being produced ? I would
think with all the manufactures in the
world making artist paints, that some
supply chain would have been happy
to purchase a minimum quantity to
offer to the world ? Just seems odd to
stop production of something still
used worldwide.
Hi Bruce
Quinacridone Gold was a beautiful colour and many acrylic painters were devastated when it was discontinued.
My understanding is that artist colours are such a microscopically tiny market compared to industrial uses for pigments, that we are virtually invisible. The minimum order would be huge by paintmaker standards and the over-inflated price at that small level would be unfeasible. Perhaps they have to set up the lab for each colour and so pigment makers don’t want to make small amounts. I don’t remember loads of orange cars up to then, but it must take a lot of pigment to coat a car.
That said, I have heard of one supplier (who has a collection of rare pigments) who sells it in a wetted format for making your own paints – Guerra, in New York.
Yes, we do still have plenty
of Quinacridone Gold
pigment. Here is a link
https://www.guerrapaint.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=145_101_108&products_id=305 We advise that
watercolorists add
vegetable glycerin and
dextrin to the pigment
dispersion before adding
gum arabic to prevent
flocculation (which will
make your paint less
vibrant). The water based
dispersions can be added
directly to any other water
based binder, including
acrylic, urethane, egg, and
plaster.
Thanks for the update and the helpful tip!
Fascinating read! One which I think will
encourage me to experiment and find new
“pathways” in my colour choices and see
how they inform my painting…thanks!
Jeannie
That’s wonderful to hear, thank you Jeannie
So useful. For watercolours I love using
quinacridone paints and especially the
Winsor and Newton Quinacridone Gold. I
did not like the Daniel Smith one as much.
The Quin. Gold is fantastic with Paynes
Gray (again Winsor and Newton as it has
an interesting bluish tinge) and ultramine
blue. Used with a lot of water too they can
be very subtle and change considerably.
One of the favourite paintings I did used
just Paynes Gray and Quin. Gold
PV55 is available in two different tones
from Rembrandt, it’s in the White Nights
range and I think Winsor and Newton
brought it back too. It’s by no means
Schmincke only.
Not sure why they didn’t show up in my searches! I’ve amended the post, thank you!
If it would be useful to you for these
pieces I keep a spreadsheet of single
pigment watercolour paints.
Drop me an email and I’ll send you an
invite.
Hi there,
That would be great to see, feel free to drop me a line here: [email protected]
Thank you!
This was fantastic! I love all the
quinacrodone colors I can. Such
beautiful colors and so wonderful for
mixing! I’m at the beginning of my
journey with them and love how the mix
with the few colors I have mixed them
with. You’ve really opened my eyes to
more! Thank you!
Thank you Linda, I’ve just started using Quinacridone pigments as well and I’m loving them.
Thank you for portraying the nuances of the
quinacridone colors & how they blend with
other colors. I am so appreciative of the
work you did to compile this article & can’t
wait to blend my own colors!
Thanks Pam, happy painting!
Quinacridone colors are definitely some of
my favorites, especially the pinks 😀 I love
that I can get bright lightfast pinks!
Also wanted to let you know that Daniel
Smith also sells PV55 🙂
You’re right Ellen! I’ve amended the post, thank you
A really interesting blog post, it’s
fascinating to hear the history behind
the pigments!
I love Quinacridone colours – magenta
being my favourite. It creates a beautiful
colour when mixed with Payne’s Grey!
Thank you for your informative article.
I’ve often been curious about
quinacridone pigments. I’m an acrylic
painter and use Golden’s quin nickel Azo
gold quite a bit, I like the transparency
and beautiful yellow it makes when used
in glazes. Also just discovered Holbein
yellow Azo and the near fluorescence it
creates when mixed with bright pink of
magenta, again for its transparency. I
have a question though – have you any
information about how these pigments
are sourced and created? I sometimes
see colours from different brands that
are not named consistently. And then
when looking at pigment numbers to try
and determine what I can use to
duplicate a colour based on that, have
noticed some oddities there as well.
Hi Susan, so glad you enjoyed the article! Colour names are very inconsistent, and the pigment index number is usually a better guideline, but as you say there can also be variation between paints with the same pigment index number. The colour of pigments vary depending on their exact chemical composition, the way they are milled, the binder they are suspended in, and myriad other factors.
I love these colour posts so much. I am
totally in love with all the Quin pigments for
their intensity and versatility.
Nice article, and photos! Although I miss the original Quinacridone Gold, I have to admit that Daniel Smith’s chemist has done an excellent job of exactly producing the original hue. There are some slight differences in pigment behavior of course between the new PY150, PO48 mix and the original PO49. Jane Blundell offers a nice breakdown of the current Quin Gold offerings at this URL: https://janeblundellart.blogspot.com/2017/12/quinacridone-gold-hues.html
Thanks Frank, Jane’s site is very helpful!
Loved reading this! I’m a botanical artist
and Quins take up an important space in
my custom palette! Thank you for
sharing your knowledge
Hi ! This article on quinacridone pigments was truly enlightening !
I am very curious as to what paper you have used for the swatches of quinacridone magenta (winsor and newton and schmincke). If you can, please specify the brand, weight, texture. I have noticed that the paper is in block format.
Thanks in advance !
Hi Raphael! It’s our Jackson’s Watercolour Paper Block, 300gsm, Hot Pressed, 8x10in. You can find it here.
Thank you for the information, I shall
experiment with mixes you mentioned.
Cheers
Enjoy experimenting!
Thank you for the interesting and
informative article. Quin Gold is a useful
and beautiful color. I had no idea that it was
no longer made and is now a combination of
others. Superb article.
Thank you Marni!
I have always been a great fan of the
Quinacridones. They are clean, transparent
and vibrant. My favourite is Quin Gold. Mix it
with Prussian Blue and the greens produced
are amazing!
Sennelier do a watercolour Quin Gold too,
bought a half pan, and it’s gorgeous, going
to try with Payne’s grey (thanks to another
comment).
Hello.
I know that my asking is out of the topic
but I have a hard time capturing my
artwork accurately in a photograph. I
guess that other people may have
experienced similar issues.
Have you considered making a blog post
on “How to photograph an artwork by
yourself”?
I can see that you are taking photos on a
regular basis for the blog, where
capturing the exact color is essential. So
it will be helpful if you can share some
tips with us.
Thank you!
Hi Ral
We will have one or two articles on photography coming up.
Hi Evie, what an interesting article. I’m
curious about 1 of the first
examples:WNQuinMagenta PO122 &
SchmQuinMagenta PO202.You state that the
WNQuin seems to have a “slightly cleaner
color.” Could you please explain that what is
meant by “cleaner color.” Tks so much!!!
Such a good question! To me a ‘clean’ colour is one that has a kind of jewel-like quality – bright and transparent like stained glass. I suppose it’s best understood in comparison to certain pigments that are more dull or murky. It’s a difficult thing to describe and ‘clean’ is the best I could think of!
Thank you! The only thing I knew about
the quinacrodones was how to spell it.
I’ve been wondering what all these
prefixes etc mean….so glad I found this
Hi Evie, what a fascinating article. Thank
you! I use Quinacridone magenta to mix
fabulous purples and am finding I don’t need
many other reds as Quin magenta mixes so
beautifully.
Art the mixing formulas of the various
Quinacridone colors the same in oils as they
are in watercolors?
Hi Linda
Yes, the mixing recipes and ratios should be very similar.
Comments are closed.