Ultramarine Violet is a richly atmospheric violet valued for its depth, granulation, and subtle complexity. It occupies a critical transitional space between blue and red on the color wheel, making it especially useful for shadow passages, expressive neutrals, and structured color relationships.
Understanding Ultramarine Violet on the Palette
Ultramarine Violet is an INTERMEDIATE BLUE-VIOLET on the color wheel that sits naturally between blue and red. Its position allows it to bridge cool and warm passages while maintaining visual depth and harmony.
Unlike high-chroma, staining violets, Ultramarine Violet offers restraint and texture. This makes it especially effective for artists who prioritize atmospheric color, value control, and painterly surface variation.
Pigment Information: What Ultramarine Violet Is Made Of
Ultramarine Violet is typically made from Ultramarine Violet (PV15), a synthetic inorganic pigment related to Ultramarine Blue.
Key characteristics of PV15:
- Moderate chroma
- Semi-opaque to semi-transparent
- Natural granulation
- Moderate tinting strength
- Excellent lightfastness
Because it is an inorganic pigment, Ultramarine Violet tends to granulate beautifully, especially on textured watercolor paper.
Granulation & Handling Characteristics
Ultramarine Violet is known for its:
- Pronounced granulation
- Soft diffusion in wet washes
- Slightly muted, atmospheric appearance
Because of its semi-opaque nature:
- It settles into paper texture readily
- It creates visual interest in shadow areas
- It benefits from layered, controlled application
These qualities make Ultramarine Violet especially effective for expressive and naturalistic watercolor styles.
Why Ultramarine Violet Excels in Color Theory Systems
As an intermediate blue-violet, Ultramarine Violet:
- Establishes clear complementary relationships
- Produces rich, complex neutrals with warm colors
- Maintains structural clarity in split-complementary and triadic schemes
Its moderated chroma allows artists to explore color interaction without overwhelming saturation.
Color Schemes Using Ultramarine Violet
I use Ultramarine Violet as the INTERMEDIATE BLUE-VIOLET on the color wheel because it is a pure semi-opaque color 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 Ultramarine Violet, the complementary color is:
This pairing produces strong contrast and a wide range of expressive neutrals ideal for shadows and structural passages.
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 Ultramarine Violet:
This scheme softens contrast while preserving warmth, balance, and visual interest.
Analogous
Going clockwise on the color wheel from BLUE-VIOLET to RED-VIOLET, the analogous colors for Ultramarine Violet are:
These combinations are especially effective for floral work, shadows, and expressive color transitions.
Triadic
This Triadic consists of three INTERMEDIATE colors. In addition to Ultramarine Violet, the other colors that make up this Triadic color scheme are:
This triad creates dynamic interaction while maintaining structural balance across temperature and value.
Ultramarine Violet vs. Other Violets
Compared to brighter, staining violets:
- Ultramarine Violet: granulating, atmospheric, subdued
- Winsor Violet: high-chroma, staining, intense
- Permanent Mauve: softer, lighter, more red-leaning
Ultramarine Violet excels where depth, texture, and subtlety are desired.
Best Uses for Ultramarine Violet
Ideal applications include:
- Shadows and form modeling
- Atmospheric distance
- Floral and botanical work
- Neutral mixing with warm complements
- Painterly and expressive watercolor styles
Limitations of Ultramarine Violet
Despite its strengths, this pigment:
- Is less suitable for high-chroma passages
- Can appear dull if overused
- Requires layering rather than direct application for richness
Understanding these limitations helps artists use it intentionally rather than relying on it for saturation.
A Note on Ultramarine Violet’s Role on the Palette
Ultramarine Violet is a structural, atmospheric color. Its granulation, moderated chroma, and natural depth make it invaluable for artists who value expressive surface, balanced color relationships, and nuanced shadow work. Used with intention, it brings quiet sophistication and painterly complexity to watercolor palettes.