As described earlier, ultramarine blue and cobalt blue are very bright colors and cannot be used directly for painting. So, let us begin with shades that can be used to curate muted blue textures.
Every color is composed of three elements: value, chroma, and hue.
Value is how light or dark a color is.
Chroma is how intense the color is.
Hue is where it lands on the color wheel – red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple.
Want to learn even more about value, chroma and hue? Our art lesson plan worksheets teach you everything you need to know about color.
How to Mix Different Values of Blues
Blues can be very light and in value, like a baby blue. In order to make your blue lighter in value, you can add white. Simple enough.
Blues can also be very dark in value.
In fact, most people don’t realize that black is often just a very dark blue.
So if you need to make your blue darker, one option is to add black to it.
However, black is much more neutral than a sky blue. So not only will it darken your blue, it will also neutralize it, which we will discuss in a moment.
Another option to make your blue appear lower in value is to add a blue that is darker in value than the one you currently are using.
For example, if you are using a cerulean blue (which is medium in value), and add ultramarine blue (which is darker than cerulean blue in value), it will darken your overall blue when mixed together.
How to Adjust the Chroma of Blues
Most blues that we observe in the natural world are not super chromatic. In other words, many blues are not very intense. They are the opposite of chromatic. They are neutralized blues.
If you look at the ocean in New England, for example, there is a lot of particulate in the water which makes it appear muddy. The ocean in New England is still decidedly blue, just not a very intense blue. We would say it is a neutralized blue.
So, if you want to paint the ocean off the coast of Maine, how would you mix that blue?
If you want to neutralize the color blue, but NOT change its value, you need to add a neutral that is the same lightness/darkness as the blue you are using.
So if you are using a medium blue paint, but it is too intense (or chromatic), then you need to find a neutral that is the also medium in value.
A true neutral is a color that is as close to NO color as you can get. It’s like a grey, except that it is not even a little bit red-grey, or blue-grey, or yellow-grey. It is a grey that has no discernible color.
If you want to adjust the intensity of your blue, but NOT change the value, then you need to add a grey that is the same value as the blue you are using.
Our Yay! Color Theory Worksheets will help you master color theory once and for all.
Significance of Color Blue
Blue color can be easily found in our daily lives, associated with harmony and peace. Blue is a color that indeed invokes the feeling of trust, tranquillity, and relaxation. The blue color is very prominent on earth, but it is quite rare in nature.
Only one out of 10 flowers have a blue color, and the color is even rarer in animals. The main reason behind this is that there is not truly blue in color or pigment in nature. Both animals, as well as plants, perform tricks of the light to have a blue appearance.
Many shades of blue exist in nature. Some of these include light blue, dark blue, muted blue, warm blue, etc. The list is long, but by the end of this article, you will know what color makes blue, and you will be able to create a perfect color for your palette.
We are now coming back to our question, which is what color makes blue. The blue color is obtained by mixing primary shades, but the mixing of colors is not an easy task as it is quite difficult compared to following the color recipes. This article focuses on mixing colors rather than following a straightforward formula.
Mixing of Light Shades of Blue
Light blue is one of the favorite and most versatile colors. Light blue has a calming and relaxing appearance that is easy on the eyes, making it perfect for use in large amounts. Blue signifies trust and loyalty, which makes it a common choice for business logos.
There are many situations when there is a need for mixing different shades of the color blue that are lighter. Here is a chart depicting the mixing of light blue color with cobalt blue and ultramarine blue.
It can be seen from the chart that ultramarine blue is used in the first two-color mixtures, and the cobalt blue color is used in the last two-color mixtures. The light blue color is curated by mixing blue color with white color. The result of mixing these colors will give a bright saturated color.
Cobalt blue and Ultramarine blue produce a very bright and saturated color when they are mixed with white. A muted blue can be obtained by mixing a little bit of orange with the blue color.
As depicted in the chart, a little muted light blue is obtained by mixing the color orange with light blue. When the color blue is mixed with white, ultramarine blue gives a warmer tone, while cobalt blue provides slightly cooler hues. By now, it must be clear that what color makes blue.
How to Make Dark Shades of Blue Color?
Do you still have a question that what color makes blue? Do not worry. We will cover all the blue hues so that you can find the exact shade for your palette. Dark blue is a color that is often confused with navy blue as there is a close relationship between them.
It lies on the outer band of the color wheel and represents authority, intelligence, and elegance. The shade of blue which is used to create a dark blue color is ultramarine blue. It is very dark in color, so it becomes straightforward to create dark colors with it. Here is a chart depicting colors that make dark blue.
Dioxazine Purple
Dioxazine adds a little purple tint to the ultramarine blue. As seen from the graph, when combined with ultramarine blue, it creates a gorgeous dark color, which is perfect if you want to add depth to your masterpieces.
Dioxazine Purple with Pthalo Green
You can see in the second row of the chart when Dioxazine purple mixed with ultramarine blue and Pthalo green, and then it creates a dark blue shade along with a tint of green color in it.
Burnt Amber
Burnt umber is used to create a dark blue color and can be used to create a great muted blue. If your design requires a blue shade that is not very saturated or very bright, burnt umber is ideal.
Alizarin Crimson and Pthalo Green
When alizarin crimson is blended is Pthalo green, then a beautiful shade of black is created. If you want black color, you can use these two, but our question was what color makes blue. So, to obtain a lovely shade of dark blue, you can add ultramarine blue to this mixture.
Pro Tips When Mixing Different Shades of Blue
- Get the blue prepared by default. It is the base and primary color. You can’t make blue by mixing other colors.
- Light and dark tones of the secondary color matter for the outcome. For lighter tones, always get light secondary colors (yellow, orange, etc.); for dark tones, get dark secondary colors (magenta, crimson, black, etc.)
- Know the proper ratio of mixing. For lighter tones, take more secondary light colors and for dark tones, take more primary blue colors.
- You’ll get different shades of blue in the market (cobalt, Caribbean, Celesan, Prussian, etc.). Their default tone and functions are different. Using them with secondary or tertiary colors, you’ll explore various shades of blue.
- Always use the mixing knife up and down to fill up the whole mixture. This will ensure that you’ll be getting the mixture out of all the colors taken into account.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What Colors Make Blue Food Coloring?
Blue food coloring is a blend of cyan, magenta, and a dash of yellow. You can keep adding yellow to create lighter shades, while holding the yellow will give you a darker shade.
To create the actual shade of blue, you will only need to mix cyan (greenish-blue) with magenta (purplish-red). You can also make your blue food coloring from fruits and vegetables.
The easiest way is to extract the juice of red cabbage and mix it with baking soda. This will give you a standard blue shade.
Q: Does Red and Green Make Blue?
Red and green are complementary colors. Mixing them will leave you with an unappealing shade of brown. While some people think it is possible to get blue by mixing red and green, you will most likely end up with a muddy brown.
They are typically housed opposite of each other in the color wheel. On other mediums, such as light, mixing green and red light will create yellow light.
So, the possibility of getting blue from mixing red and green is pretty low. You may need to mix other colors the get a blue shade.
Q: Does Yellow and Green Make Blue?
No, pure yellow and green do not create the color blue. Once mixed, these colors will give you a yellow-green shade, which is also known as chartreuse.
Unlike other colors that create something new when mixed, yellow and green do not create any new colors. Instead, it only makes a tertiary color. You must mix yellow with cyan and magenta to get your desired blue color.
Q: How to Make the Sky-blue Color by Mixing Two Colors?
You will only need white and blue colors to create the beautiful shade of sky blue. First, take a generous amount of titanium white and add a tiny bit of ultramarine blue. Keep adding bluer till you get your desired shade.
Don’t take too much blue at first, as you can accidentally turn the color dark. A small amount of yellow and magenta can help you dull ultramarine blue and make different shades of light blue.
Here are some videos to help you understand the concept clearly:
Q: What Colors Make Light Blue Without White?
Light blue is the result of adding white with pure blue. However, you can make lighter shades of blue by mixing yellow with cyan and magenta. The more yellow you add, the lighter shade you will get.
From this, you can create various colors like cobalt, teal, turquoise, and aquamarine. On the other hand, mixing blue with colors like light pink will turn it into a different shade of blue such as periwinkle or lavender.
In CMYK color space, a lighter shade of blue, such as baby blue, is created by blending 43% cyan, 14% magenta, 0% yellow, and 6% black.
Final Words
So many shades; definitely, you must’ve been confused about all of them. Don’t be one because these are just a glimpse of what colors mixed make blue versatile.
No precautions to say today. But yeah, just be careful with the proportion of the secondary colors. Because if you overuse them, you’d have to make the mixture again, and no one would want to waste colors, including you.
This article is just a glimpse into exploring your creativity with the color blue. So, you know what to do now; use it to the fullest.
Hi there! I’m Eva, artist, designer, photographer and mom of three little gentlemen altogether. When I’m not playing with my kids, you’ll find me researching and writing for ChooseMarker.
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