blue · Oil and Watercolor

Cerulean Blue

Cool, grainy and weak. For skies near the horizon and for cool half-tones.

IndexPB35

Color#2A6DA8

Tinting strength3/10

Opacityopaque

Lightfastnessexcellent

Dryingfast

In watergranulates

Low tinting strength, which means it will not overpower anything. Useful when you want a colour to sit back.

With white, step by step

pure #2A6DA8 6:1 #4083BB 3:1 #5091C5 2:1 #5C9BCB 1:1 #74ADD6 1:2 #8EBEDF 1:3 #9DC8E4 1:6 #B4D5EA pure #F8F7F3

From pure Cerulean Blue on the left to titanium white on the right. Watch how much chroma you lose on the way — that is the cost of lightening with white, and the reason a tint often needs a trace of something warm putting back.

What to mix it with

These are the partners that take Cerulean Blue furthest towards neutral, which makes them the ones you reach for when you need a shadow or a gray rather than a color.

with Mars Black quietest point #232323 with Ivory Black quietest point #2C2D2C with Zinc White quietest point #FBFAF7 with Titanium White quietest point #F8F7F3 with Burnt Sienna quietest point #53514A with Burnt Umber quietest point #45463C

Every pair

Titanium White Zinc White Lemon Yellow Cadmium Yellow Light Cadmium Yellow Deep Yellow Ochre Raw Sienna Naples Yellow Cadmium Red Light Cadmium Red Deep Alizarin Crimson (permanent) Quinacridone Rose Indian Red Burnt Sienna Raw Umber Burnt Umber Ultramarine Cobalt Blue Phthalo Blue Prussian Blue Phthalo Green Viridian Chromium Oxide Green Dioxazine Purple Ivory Black Mars Black Payne’s Gray

Is it on your palette?

Tick off what you own and every recipe is worked out for that set, from a color you pick out of your own photo.

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