How to mix sky blue paint
Sky blue is a lot of white with a little blue. Phthalo blue gives a clear, cold sky; ultramarine a softer, warmer one.
Ways to mix it
This mix The colour Way 1
very close · difference 2.5
- 10 parts Titanium white PW6
- 1 part Ultramarine blue PB29
- a touch Phthalo blue PB15:3
This mix The colour Way 2
a visible difference · difference 4
- 9 parts Titanium white PW6
- 2 parts Ultramarine blue PB29
- a touch Hansa yellow light PY3
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 8 parts Titanium whiteWhite lightens but also cools and greys: a touch of yellow brings the warmth back.
- DarkerAdd a touch Burnt umber and 2 parts Ultramarine blueDarken with a dark colour of the same family rather than black, which kills the colour.
- WarmerAdd a touch Quinacridone magentaWarmer means towards yellow and orange.
- CoolerAdd 8 parts Titanium white and 1½ parts Ultramarine blueCooler means away from yellow and orange: towards pink, blue or green.
- DullerAdd a touch Yellow ochreIts opposite colour dulls a colour while keeping it alive; black dulls and darkens at once.
A tip
A real sky is lighter and warmer near the horizon: add a touch of yellow ochre to the low part.
To understand why
Close colours
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)
All the colour recipes