What Colors Make Blue? Mixing Guide with HEX Codes
No two paint colors mix to make blue, because blue is a primary color in traditional red, yellow and blue (RYB) painting. The closest you can get is to mix cyan and magenta, which makes a strong violet-blue in paint and in CMYK printing. On screens, blue is one of the three primary colors of light, so it is never mixed from other colors either.
The short answer
| Medium | Can you mix blue? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Paint (RYB) | No | Blue is a primary. Buy a blue pigment, then adjust it. |
| Modern paint (CMY) | Yes | Cyan + a little magenta |
| Print (CMYK) | Yes | Cyan 100% + magenta 70 to 100% |
| Screens (RGB) | No | Blue is a primary light: rgb(0, 0, 255) |
Once you have a blue, you can mix every shade of it: add white for light and sky blues, black or orange for navy, green for teal, and red or purple for royal blue and indigo. The recipes are below.
Why blue can't be mixed in paint
Traditional color theory treats red, yellow and blue as the three primaries. Every other hue is mixed from them, but no combination of the other two makes the third. Red and yellow make orange, never blue.
Modern painters and printers use a more accurate set of primaries: cyan, magenta and yellow. In that system blue is a secondary color, which is why the next section works.
What two colors make blue?
Cyan and magenta make blue. Start with cyan (for example a phthalo blue labeled "cyan" or "primary blue") and add magenta a little at a time. A small amount gives a bright, clean blue. More magenta pushes it toward ultramarine and violet.
- Cyan + a little magenta = bright blue
- Cyan + equal magenta = deep violet-blue
- Cyan + magenta + white = periwinkle and lighter blues
In print, the same rule holds. A process blue is roughly C100 M70 Y0 K0, and C100 M100 Y0 K0 gives a deep blue-violet. Results vary with press, paper and profile, so treat these as starting points. See what is CMYK.
What do blue and green make?
Blue and green make teal, turquoise or blue-green. In paint, equal parts give a teal. More blue moves it toward a deep peacock blue, and more green toward jade. Add white for turquoise and aqua.
On screens, blue light plus green light makes cyan: rgb(0, 0, 255) + rgb(0, 255, 0) = rgb(0, 255, 255), which is #00FFFF. For more on this mix, see what colors make teal.
What do red and blue make?
Red and blue make purple in paint. A cool red such as crimson or quinacridone gives a cleaner purple than a warm, orange-leaning red. On screens, red and blue light make magenta #FF00FF. The full guide is what colors make purple.
What do blue and yellow make?
Blue and yellow make green in paint. More yellow gives lime and spring green, more blue gives deep forest and teal greens. On screens it is different: blue and yellow light are complements, so together they make white. See what colors make green.
How to mix shades of blue
Every shade below starts from a mid blue (or cyan plus a little magenta). Add the second color in small amounts, mix fully, and test on paper before adding more.
How to make navy blue
Add a small amount of black to blue, or for a richer navy add a touch of orange, blue's complement. Orange darkens and slightly mutes the blue without the flat look black can give. Target: #000080 (CSS navy) or a softer #1F2A44.
How to make dark blue
Add black or burnt umber to blue, a drop at a time. Burnt umber keeps the color warmer and less gray. Target: #00008B.
How to make light blue and sky blue
Add blue to white, not white to blue. Start with mostly white and add blue until you reach the shade. A tiny hint of cyan or green makes it read as sky blue. Targets: light blue #ADD8E6, sky blue #87CEEB.
How to make powder blue
Mix white with a small amount of blue and the faintest touch of gray or black. The gray softens it. Target: #B0E0E6.
How to make royal blue
Add a very small amount of red or magenta to a bright blue, then a little white if it gets too dark. Target: #4169E1.
How to make cobalt blue
Mix a bright blue with a touch of white and a hint of magenta to keep it vivid. Target: #0047AB.
How to make cerulean blue
Mix blue with white and a small amount of green. Cerulean sits between sky blue and teal. Target: #007BA7.
How to make teal
Mix blue and green in roughly equal parts, then darken with a little black if needed. Target: #008080.
How to make turquoise
Mix blue and green, then add white until it brightens. A tiny amount of yellow makes it greener. Target: #40E0D0.
How to make indigo
Add a small amount of purple or violet to a dark blue, then a touch of black. Target: #4B0082.
Blue mixing cheat sheet
| Shade | Paint recipe | HEX | RGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy | Blue + a little black or orange | #000080 | 0, 0, 128 |
| Dark blue | Blue + black or burnt umber | #00008B | 0, 0, 139 |
| Light blue | White + a little blue | #ADD8E6 | 173, 216, 230 |
| Sky blue | White + blue + hint of cyan | #87CEEB | 135, 206, 235 |
| Powder blue | White + blue + touch of gray | #B0E0E6 | 176, 224, 230 |
| Royal blue | Blue + touch of magenta | #4169E1 | 65, 105, 225 |
| Cobalt | Blue + white + hint of magenta | #0047AB | 0, 71, 171 |
| Cerulean | Blue + white + a little green | #007BA7 | 0, 123, 167 |
| Teal | Blue + green (1:1) | #008080 | 0, 128, 128 |
| Turquoise | Blue + green + white | #40E0D0 | 64, 224, 208 |
| Indigo | Dark blue + violet + black | #4B0082 | 75, 0, 130 |
Paste any of these into the color converter for CMYK, HSL and OKLCH values, or into HEX to Pantone to find the closest Pantone match for print.
Why your blue mix turns muddy
- Your red has yellow in it. Warm reds turn blue mixes brown. Use a cool red or magenta.
- Too much black. Black flattens blue quickly. Try orange or burnt umber for darker blues.
- Too much white at once. White overpowers blue. Add blue to white instead.
- Mixing complements by accident. Any orange in the mix grays the blue. That is useful for navy, but not for bright blues.
To test mixes before you paint, use the color mixer, which shows paint, light and CMYK results side by side.
FAQ
What two colors make blue?
In paint and print, cyan and magenta make blue. In traditional red, yellow and blue painting, blue is a primary and can't be mixed from other colors.
Can you make blue from red and yellow?
No. Red and yellow make orange. No mixture of red and yellow paint produces blue, because blue is the third primary in that system.
What colors make blue in light?
None. Blue is a primary color of light on screens, so it is produced directly by the blue subpixels, rgb(0, 0, 255).
What do blue and green make?
In paint, blue and green make teal or blue-green. In light, blue and green make cyan, #00FFFF.
What color does red and blue make?
Red and blue make purple in paint and magenta in light.
How do you make dark blue paint?
Add a small amount of black, burnt umber or orange to blue. Orange and umber give a richer navy than black alone.
How do you make light blue paint?
Start with white and add blue gradually until you reach the shade you want. A hint of cyan or green gives a sky-blue look.
What colors make navy blue?
Blue plus a little black makes navy. Blue plus a touch of orange gives a deeper, warmer navy.