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The steps
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How to mix navy blue paint

Navy is a very dark, dull blue: ultramarine darkened with a little of its opposite, orange or brown.

Navy blue

Ways to mix it

  1. This mix
    The colour

    Way 1

    very close · difference 2.3

    with earth colours

    • 4 parts Ultramarine blue PB29
    • 1 part Yellow ochre PY42
    • a touch Quinacridone magenta PR122

    In practice: First Ultramarine blue, then Yellow ochre, and last Quinacridone magenta, a little at a time.

    Try it on the palette
  2. This mix
    The colour

    Way 2

    very close · difference 2.9

    with earth colours

    • 5 parts Ultramarine blue PB29
    • 1 part Yellow ochre PY42
    • a touch Burnt sienna PBr7

    In practice: First Ultramarine blue, then Yellow ochre, and last Burnt sienna, a little at a time.

    Try it on the palette
  3. This mix
    The colour

    Way 3

    a visible difference · difference 4

    from the primaries

    • 7 parts Ultramarine blue PB29
    • 1 part Cadmium red medium PR108
    • a touch Titanium white PW6

    In practice: First Ultramarine blue, then Cadmium red medium, and last Titanium white, a little at a time.

    Try it on the palette
Get it with my own tubes

The palette opens with this colour as the colour you want; the coach finds it with the tubes of your box.

Lighter, darker, warmer, cooler, duller

What to add to way 1, as the coach on the palette would tell you:

  • LighterAdd a touch Titanium whiteWhite lightens but also cools and greys: a touch of yellow brings the warmth back.
  • DarkerAdd 3 parts Ultramarine blueDarken with a dark colour of the same family rather than black, which kills the colour.
  • WarmerAdd a touch Yellow ochre and ½ part Quinacridone magentaWarmer means towards yellow and orange.
  • CoolerAdd 3 parts Ultramarine blue and ¾ part Hansa yellow lightCooler means away from yellow and orange: towards pink, blue or green.
  • DullerAdd ½ part Cadmium yellow medium and 3 parts Ultramarine blueIts opposite colour dulls a colour while keeping it alive; black dulls and darkens at once.

A tip

Check a navy with a dot of white: it should turn into a clear blue, not a grey.

To understand why

Computed from a common box: Titanium white, Hansa yellow light, Cadmium yellow medium, Cadmium red medium, Quinacridone magenta, Ultramarine blue, Phthalo blue, Yellow ochre, Burnt sienna, Burnt umber and Ivory black. Parts are by volume; a touch is about a quarter of a part. Your screen shows the colours close, not exact.

Print a mixing chart of these tubes (PDF)
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