LIGHT BLUE · CURATED PAINT RECIPE
How to mix cerulean sky
A clear daylight blue suitable for open sky, water, painted signage, and cool highlights.
STARTING MIX
5 : 2 : 0.25
Use one consistent unit for every part. For the smallest fractions, scale the entire recipe up instead of estimating a partial drop.
PIGMENT LOGIC
Why this mixture works
Cerulean naturally sits near the required green-biased blue. White controls atmospheric value and the small ultramarine addition prevents a flat pastel cyan.
The displayed #6CA7D6 swatch is an sRGB target, not a promise that every brand will dry to the same color. Pigment identity, tint strength, opacity, medium, surface, and lighting remain part of the result.
BASIC-PALETTE ROUTE
Alternative recipe
Without cerulean, tint white with a cyan-leaning blue and add a small ultramarine amount to keep it from becoming turquoise.
Apply the mixture on the same ground and at the same thickness planned for the final work. Label the wet ratio, wait for a complete dry-down, and compare in neutral light before adjusting.
CORRECTION MAP
How to adjust the result
Add white and a touch of warm color near the horizon, or more ultramarine for higher, deeper sky. Keep mixtures separate for a gradient.
Correct value first, then hue, then chroma. This order prevents a lightness error from turning into an unnecessarily complicated recipe.
WATCH FOR
Common mistakes
- Using one blue mixture for the whole sky
- Adding black to deepen the upper sky
- Ignoring reflected warm light near the horizon