Winsor Violet is a powerful, high-chroma violet known for its intensity, staining strength, and clarity. It brings dramatic saturation and bold color relationships to structured watercolor palettes.
Understanding Winsor Violet on the Palette
Winsor Violet occupies the RED-VIOLET position on the color wheel and is valued for its exceptional chromatic strength and clarity. Its red bias places it closer to warm passages than blue-violet hues, making it especially effective for expressive transitions, floral passages, and strong color contrast.
This pigment represents the most intense end of the violet spectrum. Rather than offering subtle atmospheric effects, Winsor Violet delivers immediacy and saturation, making it best suited for confident, intentional color use within structured palettes.
Pigment Information: What Winsor Violet Is Made Of
Winsor Violet is typically formulated from Dioxazine Violet (PV23), a modern synthetic organic pigment prized for its strength and permanence.
Typical characteristics include:
- Transparent
- Extremely high chroma
- Strong staining behavior
- Very high tinting strength
- Excellent lightfastness
Because of its strength, even small amounts of Winsor Violet can dominate a mixture.
Handling & Mixing Characteristics
Winsor Violet is known for:
- Intense, saturated washes
- Smooth, even application
- Strong presence in mixtures
Because it is highly staining:
- It is difficult to lift once dry
- It rewards deliberate, controlled application
- It is best introduced gradually in mixes
Its non-granulating nature makes it ideal for smooth passages and glazing when used sparingly.
Why Winsor Violet Works Well in Color Theory Systems
As an intermediate red-violet, Winsor Violet:
- Creates bold complementary relationships
- Produces dramatic neutrals with greens
- Maintains saturation across split-complementary and triadic schemes
Its intensity makes color relationships immediately visible, which is valuable for both learning and expressive work.
Color Schemes Using Winsor Violet
I use Winsor Violet as the INTERMEDIATE RED-VIOLET on the color wheel because it is a pure transparent staining watercolor that is perfect for its complementary color listed below.
The following color schemes are based on Stephen Quiller’s “Quiller Color Wheel” and his book “Color Choices: Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory.“
Complementary
The complementary color sits on the opposite side of the color wheel. For Winsor Violet, the complementary color is:
This pairing produces powerful contrast and deep, expressive neutrals when mixed.
Split-Complementary
The split-complementary colors are the two colors located on either side of the complementary color on the color wheel. The following are the split-complementary colors for Winsor Violet:
This scheme maintains vibrancy while offering more control than a direct complementary pairing.
Analogous
Going clockwise on the color wheel from RED-VIOLET to RED-ORANGE, the analogous colors for Winsor Violet are:
These combinations are especially effective for florals, dramatic accents, and warm expressive passages.
Triadic
This Triadic consists of three INTERMEDIATE colors. In addition to Winsor Violet, the other colors that make up this Triadic color scheme are:
This triad offers strong visual energy while maintaining balance across temperature shifts.
Winsor Violet Compared to Other Violets
- Winsor Violet: high-chroma, intense, staining
- Permanent Mauve: balanced, clean, controlled
- Ultramarine Violet: granulating, atmospheric, subdued
Winsor Violet sits at the most saturated end of the violet range.
Best Uses for Winsor Violet
Winsor Violet is particularly effective for:
- Florals and botanical accents
- Expressive color statements
- High-chroma passages
- Strong complementary contrasts
- Contemporary watercolor styles
Limitations of Winsor Violet
While powerful, Winsor Violet:
- Can overwhelm mixtures easily
- Is unforgiving due to staining
- Benefits from dilution and restraint
Pairing it with softer or granulating pigments helps balance its intensity.
A Note on Winsor Violet’s Role on the Palette
Winsor Violet brings energy, saturation, and boldness to the palette. Used intentionally, it anchors strong color relationships and provides dramatic contrast within structured color theory systems, making it an essential tool for confident watercolorists.