Tattoo Ink Blog - Purple Tattoo Ink: A Color Guide to Fantasy, Florals & Cover-Ups
Let me tell you about the color that always looks more expensive than it is.
Purple carries weight. It reads as rich, a little regal, a little mysterious — and it does jobs no other color quite does. It's also one of the most useful secondaries you own, because you build it from two of your primaries and it bridges the warm and cool sides of your whole palette. Here's how I'd teach you to run purple.
What Purple Actually Is
Purple is a secondary color — red plus blue. Push it toward red and you get warm plums and magentas; push it toward blue and you land on cool violets and indigos. Lighten it with white and you're into lavender. That whole range comes out of two bottles and a little control.
Where It Shines
Fantasy and galaxy work, florals — orchids, irises, roses sitting in shadow — sunsets, and the cool side of realism shadows. And here's a working secret: a good opaque purple is one of the best cover-up colors there is. Light Purple is built super opaque for exactly that — it lays over old work and gives you a clean base to build on.
The Color Theory of Purple
Where it comes from. Red + blue. Reach for Bright Red on the warm side and Mario's Blue on the cool side, and you can mix any purple you need. Add Snow White Opaque to walk it up into lavender.
Complement — the contrast that makes it pop. Straight across the wheel from purple is yellow. That's why a purple orchid throws so hard against a yellow center, and why a touch of Lemon Yellow nearby makes a violet sing. Opposites, working for you.
Neighbors — for harmony. On one side of purple sit the blues, on the other the pinks and magentas. Keep a palette in that band — Mario's Blue to True Magenta — for cohesive fantasy and floral work. Browse the full purple tattoo ink collection to see the range.
On Skin
Purple saturates well and holds up, but the lighter, bluer violets ask for the same care as any light color — clean, even passes, and don't overwork the skin. On deeper skin, lean on the more opaque purples like Light Purple so the color reads true. As always, clean saturation and good aftercare decide how it looks years from now.
Grab a Bottle
Super-opaque and endlessly useful — for fantasy, florals, and cover-ups. Available ½ oz to 4 oz.
Ask Me a Color Question
Here's where you come in. Got a question about purple — how to mix the exact violet you want, what to pair it with, how to use it for cover-ups? Drop it in the comments below. I read them, and I answer them myself.
I'm building a color guide out of these — the real questions artists ask at the bench, answered straight. So don't hold back. Ask me anything about color, and let's build this thing together.
KEEP ON BUZZING, and keep that good work coming. I love it. — Mario