A deep magenta, slightly darker and more muted than PR122 or Quin Rose, but brighter and less violety than Quin Violet. Some versions err more red (e.g. DS Quin Fuchsia), while others err more magenta (e.g. DS Quin Magenta, DV Quin Fuchsia).
This is going to be a confusing post because of the color names. Da Vinci has a PR202 called Quin Fuchsia; Daniel Smith has two PR202s, one called Quin Magenta and one called Quin Fuchsia; and I keep comparing PR202 to PR122, which is typically called Quin Magenta. Whoof! I will try to consistently give color index codes and brands to be clear which Quin Fuchsia or Magenta I’m discussing.
Pigment Stats for PR202
Chemical Composition: Quinacridone
Lightfastness: LFI, Excellent (untested by me)
Toxicity: Nontoxic
Observations of DV Quinacridone Fuchsia
Gradient: Even, non-granulating grade. At masstone, medium-dark purple magenta that’s a bit purpler and darker than a primary magenta but not as dark or purple as violet. In dilute, a lilac color.
Opacity: Transparent.
Glaze: Glazes warmer, a dark crimson.
Comparison to Other Colors
PR202 is the third item in the comparison below: brighter and more magenta (less purpler) than PV19 violet; similar to, but less red than, DS Bordeaux (PV32); less bright than Holbein Quinacridone Magenta (PR122).
Here’s another view showing a variety of colors named Quinacridone Magenta, from Oto Kano’s Patreon dot card.
Daniel Smith’s Quinacridone Magenta (PR202) is the first one, and Schmincke’s PR202 is shown under that. The next column is PR122s, then the third column shows some PV19’s (two violets and a rose), and the thin ones on the end are comparison colors from my collection: Quin Violet, Bordeaux and Quin Rose.
You can see here that the PR202’s are more muted and darker than the PR122’s, but not as purpley as the Quin Violets.
Comparison to Other Brands
Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Fuchsia (PR202)
Daniel Smith has two PR202’s: this one called Quin Fuchsia and one called Quin Magenta, which I’ve reviewed below.
The hue is significantly warmer than DV’s Quin Fuchsia; almost borderline red instead of clearly purple. I would call this something like plum, bordeaux, or wine color. It’s a very beautiful color.
I find the Quin Fuchsia masstone quite similar to DS’s Bordeaux (PV32) which I really liked in my initial paintout of DS dot cards. Bordeaux tended to cool in tints, though, and Quin Fuchsia remains about the same hue throughout, diluting to dusty rose.
The low chroma in tints makes it obvious the whole color is quite significantly more muted than a vibrant primary magenta like Quin Rose.
The opacity is interesting here. It is fairly flat and semi-opaque in masstone but transparent in tints. Once it reaches midtone, it doesn’t get much darker. It does mix fairly dark, though.
Because it is so red, I find myself a bit nonplussed that it mixes such dull oranges. I really like its purples and earth mixes. It is not super-vibrant but I could see it being very useful for shadowy mixes.
Almost an exact complement of Phthalo Green Blue Shade (PG7).
The dry hue of this is really cute in the palette but I do confuse it with brighter ones like PV19 that I also tend to have.
Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Magenta (PR202)
Like the Fuchsia, the Magenta is easy and smooth to grade out. It has a bluer hue than the Fuchsia, though not so blue as Quin Violet. Unlike the Fuchsia, it seems to be quite transparent throughout. Because of this, it gets an even deeper, darker masstone. I find this to be a significant strength, since its darkness is the superpower it has over a more vibrant magenta.
Looking at the mixes, the oranges are not significantly more muted than those with the Fuchsia, and it’s more intuitive from such a blue-toned magenta. The purples are really nice and vivid. The Phthalo Green mix is a significant difference from the Fuchsia – a deep purple instead of a black!
Color Mixes
Lemon Yellow
Naples Yellow Deep (PBr24)
Better but not good.
Isoindolinone Yellow Deep (PY110)
That’s the stuff! I kind of love these autumnal reds and oranges, which are just desaturated enough to appear intense rather than in-your-face, but not so much that they look muted at all. They have a fall-leaf fieriness.
Transparent Pyrrol Orange (PO71)
This makes a lovely intense reds that can range from a cool strawberry hue to a warm fiery scarlet, though there isn’t a ton of value variation.
Transparent Red Oxide (PR101)
You can get a nice crimson in the more-PR202 mix; the orangeness of the TRO brings the magenta more into red territory, and the two deepen each other.
Venetian Red (PR101)
Like orange and earth orange, this mixes some lovely crimsons and cranberry colors. Although VR is a bit darker than TRO, there is less potential for increasing depth with more paint, as VR is opaque, so this is as deep as it gets. Still, it’s pretty nice!
Deep Scarlet (PR175)
I find it difficult to work up the consistent depth I want with Deep Scarlet, which tends to lose value as it dries.
Perylene Red (PR178)
No surprises here; the two colors aren’t too far apart on the color wheel and are similar moderate chroma, so the mix is just a cool red in between the two.
Purple Magenta (PR122)
PR202 is slightly darker than PR122, but mostly they’re too similar to be truly worth mixing.
Ultramarine Blue (PB29)
Fairly vibrant cool violets.
Cobalt Blue (PB28)
Fairly clean violets; with just a hint more depth than you would find from a lighter pink.
Cerulean Blue (PB36)
Phthalo Blue Green Shade (PB15:3)
I love the dark colors that are possible here, including a Carbazole/Dioxazine Violet hue and an Indanthrone Blue hue!
Phthalo Turquoise (PB16)
Similar to PB15:3 mixes.
Phthalo Green (PG7)
Grayish mauves, I can see these being useful in clouds though I’m not sure I’d think to use green this way in my everyday.
I thought these might be more evenly balanced than the PG7 mixes but it’s hard to tell. Surprisingly, I struggled to get these mixes dark.
What Others Say
This is an attractive pigment, especially as a darker “rose” complement to quinacridone red (PR209) or as a more lightfast alternative to quinacridone rose (PV19). The violets mixed with PR202 and a blue paint are somewhat duller than those mixed with PR122 or PV19 rose (which is an advantage if you use purple mixtures primarily as shadow color); it dilutes down to a red violet rather than pinkish undertone, making it a good floral color.
Bruce MacEvoy, handprint.com (2010)
Some artists recommend PR202 on the basis of it being more lightfast than PR122 (e.g. Jane Blundell below), but I think this is based on an incorrect ASTM rating of PR122. By Bruce MacEvoy’s tests (and my own), PR122 is just as lightfast.
The Daniel Smith Quinacridone Magenta PR202 is better lightfast rated and more powerful though not quite as clean-mixing as PR122.
Jane Blundell, Cool Reds
Many reviews focus on a comparison between PR202 and PR122 as primary magenta options.
PR202 is the same general hue as PR122 but it is slightly darker and less intense… I feel like PR202 is a prettier color on its own, but overall I felt really underwhelmed by the mixes it made, especially following PR122. If the vibrancy of PR122 is too much for your palette, then this would be a good secondary option. Even though the cooler mixes are adequate, though, I do feel like the warmer mixes suffer quite a bit.
Denise Soden, “Color Spotlight: PR122 + PR202” [video] (2018)
[DS] Quinacridone Magenta [PR202] is a bit more red-violet than its newer partner [DS] Quinacridone Lilac [PR122]. They are very similar except the lilac will give you more pink as it’s diluted whereas the magenta leans towards red wine. I love both and use them interchangeably. They both create vivid oranges and purples. With a warm yellow they create a rich red making them perfect for a limited CMYK palette.
Sarah Burns (The Fearless Brush), Daniel Smith Watercolors: The Colors I Love and How I Use Them (2023)
My Review of Quin Magenta PR202
This is an in-between color: it’s on the muted end of bright colors, but the bright end of muted colors. It’s on the dark end of light colors, but the light end of dark colors. It’s generally considered a subpar option for a primary magenta: it’s not as bright as Purple Magenta (PR122) or Quin Rose, and bright colors are usually preferred as primaries since they mix cleaner and are more versatile.
However. Now that I have the Daniel Smith Quin Magenta version, I find it strangely compelling. It doesn’t feel too similar to PV19 to have both (especially if, like me, you prefer a warmer PV19 like Quin Red). PR202 is close to fulfilling the elusive role of dark magenta. While I found the Da Vinci PR202 a bit too mid-value in my dark magenta search, the Daniel Smith one has more range.
One thing it can do better than PR122 is to mix very dark blues and violets, such as for night skies.
A palette role that I use it for is mixing deep, rich crimsons, reds, and maroons, especially when mixed with earth colors like Transparent Red Oxide or Venetian Red. In this way it could be considered a sort of alternative to Perylene Maroon and similar, though granted one that requires more work.
As a red deepener, PR202 has found a place on my Autumn Palette. Together with a very warm red or deep orange, such as Transparent Pyrrol Orange (PO71), it makes lovely deep crimsons perfect for fall red maple leaves.
Favorite version: Overall I think my favorite is DS Quin Magenta. Subjectively, I like the warmer/redder versions better and I find DV too cool; it is more similar to Quin Violet, which I don’t like as well. DS Quin Fuchsia is warmer/redder still, but I find its semi-opacity less useful (Quin Magenta gets darker). I like the mixes from Quin Magenta a little better. Both mix dull oranges but at least I find it more intuitive and expected from Quin Magenta.
See Also:
- Color Comparison: Quin Fuchsia (PR202) vs Quin Violet (PV19)
- Autumn Leaf Studies
- Autumn Palette 2024
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Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Magenta (PR202), 5 ml Tube: Jackson’s US