Alizarin crimson, that deep blood red, is a staple color for many painters. Some artists and art instructors never let go of it. It is almost as if alizarin crimson is sacred.
Personally, I have never found the love for it no matter my medium. Heresy you say? Perhaps…
Along with other highly recommended tubes of paint – cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue – art teachers continually and strongly instruct students to purchase alizarin crimson. But then students discover that they struggle mixing with it. For example, they cannot mix a nice, bright clean purple and other colors.
Alizarin is a muddy red. Unfortunately many painters, especially innocent beginners, do not realize this hue characteristic. It is slightly desaturated and this isn’t as obvious when you first squeeze it out on your palette. When I was new to watercolor, I did like the fresh color that came out of the tube, but then became disappointment and frustrated because it did not dry to that initial color.
What is Alizarin Crimson?
For those who might be interested, here are some more technical descriptions of the color:
The color alizarin crimson is what refers to a red dye made from the root of a plant, Rubia tinctorum or the common madder plant.
Alizarin or 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone is an organic compound with formula C 14H 😯 4 that has been used throughout history as a prominent red dye, principally for dyeing textile fabrics.
Mixing with Alizarin Crimson:
As I alluded to above, I find mixing with alizarin crimson frustrating. Hence, I do not include it on my palette. Why?
Below is a mixing example – of purple – that might help answer this question:
The color swatch in the upper left is alizarin crimson and the lower red swatch is a magenta. I have mixed the reds with the same blue — ultramarine blue.
The resulting purple shows that alizarin mixes into a grayed purple, whereas the magenta (or a permanent rose, red rose) mixes into a much cleaner purple. (Note that I added a little white on the right side of the purple swatches to make it easier to see the purple hue.)
Many painters say, “But I love it because I can mix lush darks with it!” I claim that the same darks can be achieved with other blue-reds and with ease. Also, if you do you like the slightly de-saturation of alizarin crimson, it can be created by adding a bit of green, its color opposite, to a more intense blue-red.
Here is a related color mixing tip I like to share with my students.
COLOR TIP: It is ALWAYS possible to dull or de-saturate a color, but it is not possible to take a desaturated color and make it saturated or brighter.
I could not have painted “Lunar Glow,” with alizarin crimson. The reds and purples I mixed – saturated and de-saturated – were easy to achieve using my cleaner blue-red.
Could you toss your alizarin crimson? If not, why? Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
Share this post with other artists or start a conversation with them about alizarin crimson.
Good reminders of info in the class I just took with you – which, by the way, continues to be a daily help.
Hi Ann! Thank you for your comment. Great to know that the class continues to be of daily help.
I also use Magenta- I read the article just to find out what you use as a substitute! It does mix best all around with blue and very nice with yellow, too. AC sits unused on the palette…
Alizarin Crimson. I agree with what you wrote Carol. Hope to mix a vivid violet using it? Hardly. Could you toss it? Probably. Would I? In my case probably not. I guess it has it’s own niche for when I need it and it saves a step or two in mixing at least for me and furthermore I’m not trying to mix a violet, but a very dark warm black that I’ve used in deep shadows and it seems to fit the bill for my use. I use Alizarin Permanent in Gamblin Oils as it seems to more closely match the traditional alizarin whereas some others do not. I tried to avoid using traditional alizarin due to it’s lower light fastness rating. Perhaps another strike for not using it especially in lighter tints.
In time most painters will settle on colors that are most meaningful for them and that it’s OK, not to have it on their palette.
In my early days of just starting out in painting, (late 1970’s) I went to an art supply shop and was told about a color that I just had to have. They told me some professional artist used it in everything. So I got it. Actually my father paid for it, I was only 12 or 13 years old with no money. It was called “Ice Blue.” I never found a use for it that I remember and if I did put it in “everything” as this other artist supposedly did I would have had to name my painting “Mud Bath.” In retrospect I’m now sorry my father had to even spend a dime on it.
I guess colors are like food. We have our favorites and some we tolerate, while others we can’t even stomach.
I love alizarin crimson. I’ve done some of my best work with it. I like magenta too, and appreciate your mixing swatches. I won’t let go of my alizarin crimson though. I couldn’t make works like this without it: http://joeltraylor.com/2000-2002/#!enviragallery353-15
People who use Alizarin Crimson don’t use it to make a clean purple; well, you can make a decent purple with Cobalt Blue/Alizarin, but that’s not what it’s there for. A great skin tone base is yellow ochre/alizarin crimson. Alizarin is a great way to modulate color temperatures in landscapes, especially ones with a lot of green. It’s a warm/pink complement that plays well against most other cool blues/grays. It works very well when you need to warm up shadows. As long as it’s used in moderation, it’s an essential mixing color on my palette, and I rarely if ever take it off.
Speaking as an oil painter, I feel you have left out a couple of important considerations.
First off, Alizarin varies wildly in hue and chroma from one manufacturer to another. One should also be aware of the need to buy Alizarin Permanent, as the regular stuff can be quite fugitive, or, non-light-fast. As a representational painter, I find a Good Alizarin to be essential as an excellent cool red in conjunction with my warmer red. I often use both in varying amounts to get just the right temperature. Some of the magentas are a bit cleaner as you mentioned, but they often lean a little too close to the purple spectrum. Alizarin is a very useful cool red if you have a good brand to begin with.
Thanks Cody. Yes I know that AZ differs from brand to brand and that some are not light fast. I didn’t want to get into all of that in this post…it is mainly about why bother to have it on your palette if it is a de-saturated cool red? Since I am a believer of the fewer tubes the better, it is easy to “mix” a de-saturated red from cleaner blue-reds. (Your point about brands and the integrity of the color is true about any tube of paint, no? )
But I have had many a student who tries to make a purple from AZ, hence one reason for writing this blog. As I mentioned to Cody, I like to have as few tubes of paints as possible and see no reason to have AZ on my palette if it is just as easy to make it from a cleaner cool red. Your reasons to have it on your palette is exactly why I wrote the post. LOL! 🙂 And because so many teachers insist on students using it without explaining its draw backs. Thanks for your comments.
I challenge you to try doing just that! Make your AZ our of another red. 🙂
True William…color is like food and is very personal. Thanks for your story. Ice blue? Hmmm, that does sound like the potential for mud. Glad you found a reliable AZ to use.
I remember when it was discovered that AZ was not light fast and many of my artist friends went into withdrawal until the new formulas came out. LOL!
Thanks for checking Debra….why not remove it from your palette all together?
I use alizarine a lot, but in acrylic paint from Golden. I use a glazing technique when making almost monochrome paintings with it. It has a lot of binder in it since its a hue (manmade synthetic pigment). Haven’t had any problems with fading og detoriating at all. I love the extra shine the binder makes in the painting! Here’s one of the painting series where I use it: http://dvqlxo2m2q99q.cloudfront.net/000_clients/134875/page/w400-13487514179DIJb.jpg
Hi Ingrid. I do know that many artists do like alizarine and use it successfully. Its transparent properties do have a role. I am glad that it works for you. Unfortunately I am not able to open your image and I tried a couple of different ways. 🙁 As you can tell, I like to challenge the status quo and want to encourage artists to try other blue reds.
I don’t use it in watercolour, because it’s fugitive. In oil it should be avoided when mixed with white or in thin glazes, because its impermanent. In acrylic – well they don’t use real Alizarin pigment in acrylic anyway, it’s not compatible with the resins: they call it Alizarin, but it’s something else. It’s certainly a useful colour, and the Permanent Alizarin isn’t an exact substitute – but I’d use it, or Quniacridone Violet/Permanent Rose, anyway. It wouldn’t matter if some of my stuff faded away, but there are one or two of which I have some hopes…. and if selling work, I think there’s a duty only to use pigments you know to be reliably permanent.
Hi Carol, I’ve just discovered you. Your explanations of colour theory are easy to understand and so informative. I notice you refer to watercolours and oils, but not acrylics. Can I apply this colour theory to acrylics or are there differences because of the medium? Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Hi Linda; Happy to hear that my explanations are helpful…..love hearing that because that I what I intend to do. Yes, you apply these approaches to acrylic. In fact, I have an online video course produced my Craftsy entitled, “Acrylic Color Mixing Made Easy!” Here is the URL. The course is reasonably priced and often they have sales. http://craftsy.com/ext/CarolMcIntyre_4990_F
I have received many positive testimonials from people how have taken the course. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to hearing from you again.
Hi Linda; I thought I had responded to your comment but my system says that I have not. Sorry for the delay. Absolutely you can apply the same color principles to watercolor as well as all media. My first color classes were with only watercolor….FYI.
Glad that you have found me and that my explanation are easy to understand. This is my goal! If you are interested, I do have have a color mixing course on http://www.craftsy.com Even though it is taught using acrylics, the information does transfer to watercolor. http://craftsy.com/ext/CarolMcIntyre_4990_F
I love the combination of A.Crimson laid next to Burnt Sienna. Just beautiful. (very good site!)………………………………
They do work well together because they are related in hue and chroma. Thanks for the comment and kind words about my site.
This is great information. I am new to oil painting and, yes, the teacher of my 1st class loved alizarin crimson. Now I understand – because of the desaturation you spoke about – why she recommended it for a muted mottled background. AND I now understand why it didn’t work for an area that I was wanting to make pop. Thank you, this is most helpful
Hi Judee;
I am so glad that m information has been helpful. 🙂
By the way, how did you find me and this blog? I would love to know. Thanks, Carol
How did I find you and your blog? I was searching for information about alizarin Crimson. Your blog gave me info that nobody else had mentioned. That information was about desaturation which to me is important to know because it affects the way that I would use it in a painting.
Fascinating information. I probably will not replace it when/if the tube ever runs out.
It took me years to embrace reds. I think it was because I’ve never found “that one” that I fell in love with.
Right now, I have Quin Magenta; lovely transparent, but can be too pinky. Cad Red Medium; more on the tomato red side but totally opaque. Pyrrole Red; strong, clean bright tomato red, but again, opaque.
I’d love to find one go-to red, that is transparent, or semi. Is your main red (acrylics) Quinacridone Magenta? Or maybe I need two, for that pinky side, and one for the org side?? If you could only pick two for that, which would you recommend?
Retta;
You are not a lover of reds? I know that many people are not, but I do love the color.
Q magenta or just magenta are my favorite blue reds. (I am not in my studio, but I think there is a dark magenta as well). For my orange red I often use pyrrole red light or cad red light.
When I painted with watercolors permanent rose was my must have blue-red. It is not offered in acrylics. 🙁
Hope this helps.
Thanks, Carol. Those are the reds I’ve settled on most now, too.
I’ve finally begun to embrace reds in the last year or two. I think I was just too unsure of how to control them, but now they add “jazz”, and I enjoy finding ways to use them. Thanks for another interesting post.
You are welcome Retta and keep discovering all of these lovely colors we have at our fingertips.
I don’t use alizarin anymore, but I miss it. I don’t need it for mixing, but nothing matches it in masstone. Piled on thickly, it is very, very deep and rich. Any other pigment or mix is either too warm/cool, not as rich, or not as deep. I have tried everything, and nothing really works.
Just an fyi, perm rose is offered in acrylics by Winsor and Newton in their pro line. It’s has the same pigment name/number as their watercolor option. Also I believe Golden make one, I think it’s named Quin. Red, with the same pigment as W&N perm rose. I swatches both of the acrylic versions out. They only depict very minor difference in color. With the W&N appearing thicker and more opaque due to a higher pigment load I think.
Just speeding through a few comments, the following jump out at me – a) Alizarin crimson is fugitive, especially when mixed with white; b) in oil, it’s extremely oily – it has to be to make it workable, and that makes it useful really only for modifying colours like cobalt blue in some flesh tints, and as a glazing paint: the best one I’ve found (that is, using the genuine pigment, is Michael Harding’s oil: the greater strength of the colour offsets its habit of fading; c) the pigment described as Alizarin Crimson in acrylics isn’t genuine Alizarin Crimson at all, because the pigment isn’t compatible with acrylic resins; d) in watercolour, Alizarin Crimson and Rose Madder Genuine are alike of such low lightfastness that, useful though they may be, I’d never use them again.
I do keep a small tube of Alizarin Crimson oil paint, for very sparing and judicious use; I agree it’s not a lot of use as a mixing colour. Some makers offer a colour they call Permanent Alizarin – a bit of a misnomer, because it’s NOT Alizarin at all. I do sometimes use that, or Quinacridone Violet or Red, also known as Rose, or Permanent Rose, and sometimes even as Rose Madder – although it isn’t the genuine madder pigment. Gets confusing, doesn’t it…..?
Yes, it does get confusing. Thank you for your information…interesting. Since I am not fan of the color, it doesn’t seem like I am missing out, eh? LOL!
Thanks for the FYI. I will have to disagree with you on perm rose in that it is not the same hue as alizarin nor is quin. red. I don’t think the color differences are minor at all. However, I do know that we all see color differently.
Robin, that sounds frustrating. Since I do not apply paint thickly, I cannot help you. Sorry. Have you consulted with other painters? I am sure that you are not alone. Good luck! and thanks for commenting.
No, ’cause I like the results I get from it…