DEEP BLUE · CURATED PAINT RECIPE
How to mix navy blue
A restrained near-black blue for fabric, shadows, graphic accents, and night scenes.
STARTING MIX
5 : 2 : 1
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
Ultramarine and umber form a chromatic dark that still reads blue. A smaller phthalo addition cools the mixture without making it visibly cyan.
The displayed #263B59 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
Mix a deep blue with its orange-brown complement. Add black only if the available blue and brown cannot reach the required value.
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 ultramarine for a warmer navy, phthalo for cooler ink blue, or white to inspect the hidden undertone before committing.
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 black plus blue as the whole recipe
- Evaluating only the glossy wet mass tone
- Adding white to the final batch merely to identify the hue