Choosing the Perfect Pink Acrylic Paint: Quinacridone Red vs. Permanent Rose

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I’m looking at two pink acrylic paint tubes with the same pigment: PV19, but with different names: quinacridone red and permanent rose. One of the interesting things about learning about pigments is that once you start looking closely at pigments, the more complex you learn they are. Two paint manufacturers may use the same pigment but they may not be exactly the same colour. 

In this case, PV19 is a violet that can vary quite a bit, from a pinky-rose to more of a violet. I like it because the rosier versions work really well for a floral pink. In today’s post, I’ll compare two versions of PV19 to give you an idea of what you get with a PV19 pigment paint. 

Permanent rose

I bought this tube of Winsor & Newton permanent rose quite a few years ago but then I tucked it away somewhere and forgot about it. I struggled for years, trying to get a nice pink from the other reds I was using, but never succeeded until I found this tube again. It’s quite transparent and falls into the middle, price-wise. 

Quinacridone red

I bought a set of paints, including a tube of quinacridone red, from Kroma Artist’s Acrylics, a tiny shop in Vancouver that makes their own acrylic paints. When I took a closer look, I realized it had the same pigment as my tube of permanent rose paint. I have been using it quite extensively and have been very happy with it. Similar to permanent rose, it’s transparent and around the middle of the price range as well. 

Mixing other colours with pink acrylic paint

So how well do these two paints mix with other colours on the palette? I tested them to see the results. I used:

  • Hansa yellow lemon
  • Cadmium-free yellow medium
  • Cadmium-free red medium
  • Quinacridone magenta
  • Ultramarine blue
  • Phthalo blue (green shade)
  • Dioxazine purple
  • Sap green hue
  • Cadmium orange
  • Titanium white

Watch me test permanent rose and quinacridone red on my YouTube channel.

Results

Ultimately, both colours are so similar and I’d be happy with either. I will continue to have a type of PV19, whether it’s named permanent rose or quinacridone red, as part of my acrylic paint colour collection.

They are fantastic for painting florals or any subject where you need a classic pink, like a flamingo.. I won’t always add it to my palette; when I’m painting landscapes, I’m more likely to choose quinacridone magenta or perhaps alizarin crimson. 

Confusing paint names and pigments

When you’re buying paint, make sure the pigment number matches what you’re hoping to get. I found a tube of gouache quinacridone red in my collection, which uses a completely different pigment number and is more of an orange-red. You won’t get a classic bubble-gum pink when using it. 

The more I learn about paint colours, pigments and names, the more I realize it’s a very complicated subject. The same pigment number can look different, depending how the manufacturer treats it or the source. The same pigment can have different names, and the same name may be used for different pigments. The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. But the more you learn, the better you are at understanding what you’re choosing at the paint store.  

Learn more

Check out a listing of all my colour mixing blog posts and videos on my colour mixing roundup article.

Get your own 

Pick up a version of pink acrylic paint at your local art supply store or on Amazon:

US

Canada

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