Making dark navy blue paint can seem challenging since it is a deep, rich shade that can be difficult to mix. However, with the right combination of primary colors and a good understanding of color theory, you can easily make this sophisticated hue at home. In this article, we will walk through the basics of mixing paint to achieve dark navy blue and provide tips for getting the perfect shade.
Use Blue and Black Paint
The easiest way to make navy blue paint is to mix blue and black paint together. Start with a mid-range blue paint, rather than a light or bright blue. Some good options are ultramarine or phthalo blue. For the black, use either lamp black or ivory black.
Start by squeezing out more blue paint than black onto your palette. A good starting ratio is approximately 3 parts blue paint to 1 part black paint. Mix the colors thoroughly with a palette knife until you achieve an even color. Test the mixed paint on a piece of scrap paper or cardboard.
If the color is too light or bright, add more black paint in small amounts until you are satisfied with the darkness of the shade. Keep in mind that a little black paint goes a long way in darkening the blue, so add it slowly. Too much black can result in a muddied color rather than a rich navy blue.
Deepen Blue with Prussian Blue
Another option for darkening blue paint is to add Prussian blue. This very dark blue shade contains trace amounts of black pigment, making it great for mixing rich, dark blues.
Start with the same mid-range blue paint like phthalo or ultramarine blue. Squeeze out a small amount of Prussian blue and thoroughly mix it into the starting blue color. Prussian blue has very intense tinting strength, so you only need to add a little bit to darken the blue paint significantly.
Continue adding Prussian blue and testing the mixed color on scrap paper until you reach your desired navy blue shade. The benefit of using Prussian blue rather than black paint is that it won???t muddy or dull the color. Prussian blue allows you to make a pure, clean navy blue.
Add a Touch of Purple
For a slightly different approach, you can mix a touch of purple into your blue paint to create navy blue. The purple leaning undertones complement the blue nicely.
Use a blue violet or royal purple along with your base blue paint. Start with roughly a 4:1 ratio of blue to purple. Add the purple slowly and mix thoroughly before testing the color. Adding too much purple can result in a slate blue rather than a true navy blue.
Increase the ratio of purple paint gradually as needed to reach your desired darkness of navy blue. The purple undertones provide extra depth and dimension to the color.
Deepen with Blue Color Mixing Complements
The color mixing complement of blue is orange. While opposite on the color wheel, small amounts of orange can be used to intensify blue into a navy blue shade. Begin with a small amount of orange paint, no more than 10-20% of the total mixture.
Burnt orange, terra-cotta, or vermillion work well for deepening blue. Add the orange paint in very small increments, mixing completely before testing. Too much orange will skew the color brown instead of navy blue. Use a light touch and build up the orange intensity slowly.
Adjust Tone With White or Black
Once you have achieved a dark navy blue, you can adjust the tone by adding white or black paint.
– To make a richer, warmer navy blue add a touch of white paint. This will mellow the tone slightly.
– For a cooler, darker navy blue add a small amount of black paint. This will intensify the tone.
Make any tone adjustments gradually and mix thoroughly. Navy blue has many subtle variations, so take your time and test your mixed color as you go to get the exact navy blue tone you desire.
Achieve Navy Blue with Artist Quality Pigments
For the most pure, true navy blue color, use single-pigment artist quality paints. These professional grade paints provide access to wider range of deep, intense blue pigments not found in student grade paints.
Some great navy blue pigment options include:
– French Ultramarine – A very dark blue with a touch of red undertones
– Indanthrone Blue – A transparent, midnight blue
– Indigo – A classic, neutral navy blue pigment
– Anthraquinone Blue – A pure, clean navy blue
With artist quality paints, you can often achieve a deep navy blue with a single pigment. But you can still mix them together or with other colors like purple for further customization. The professional grade formulations mix and blend beautifully for dazzling navy blue tones.
Mix Navy Blue Acrylic vs. Oil Paint
You can mix navy blue in either acrylic or oil paints. The process is the same, but there are a few differences to be aware of between the mediums.
Acrylic paint dries very quickly, so color mixing must be done swiftly. The fast drying time can make it difficult to achieve subtle tonal variations in the color. Acrylics also tend to have a more matte, muted finish when dry.
Oil paints take much longer to dry, allowing more time for blending colors to get the perfect navy blue shade. Oils retain their vibrancy when dried, giving navy blue mixed from oils a richer, deeper finish.
For the best results making navy blue, lean toward higher quality paints with maximum pigmentation in either acrylic or oil paints. Take advantage of the longer drying time of oils for color subtlety or opt for intense single-pigment acrylics.
Mix Navy Blue Watercolor
With watercolor paints, you can make a variety of navy blue tones by mixing paints right on your palette. Here are some easy combinations for mixing navy blue watercolors:
– French Ultramarine + Burnt Umber = Classic navy blue
– Phthalo Blue + Burnt Sienna = Mid-tone navy blue
– Prussian Blue + Touch of Alizarin Crimson = Deep vivid navy blue
The transparency and quick blending of watercolors allows for beautiful variations in navy blue shades. Layer blended washes of color right on your paper to form rich, complex navy hues.
Aim for professional grade watercolor paints with high concentrations of pigment. Less expensive watercolors tend to be weak and watery, making it hard to reach the depth of navy blue.
Readymade Navy Blue Paint Options
While mixing your own custom navy blue can be rewarding, there are many readymade navy paint options available for convenience:
– Navy Blue acrylic paint – Liquitex, Vallejo, and Winsor & Newton all make reliable, pre-mixed navy blue acrylics.
– Navy Blue oil paint – Gamblin, Grumbacher, and Winsor & Newton have beautiful navy oil paints.
– Navy Blue watercolor – Daniel Smith, Holbein, and Winsor & Newton provide deep navy watercolor paint.
– Navy Blue spray paint – Krylon, Rust-Oleum, and Montana all offer navy blue spray paints.
Check the specific brand and color name when selecting a pre-mixed navy blue paint. Variations in tone like “midnight navy” or “navy blue hue” will look slightly different than a basic “navy blue” paint.
Buy Accurately Named Paint Colors
When purchasing paints labeled as “navy blue” confirm that the actual color matches what you envision as navy blue. There can be surprising variability between manufacturers.
For example, craft paint brands like Apple Barrel and FolkArt have colors called navy blue that are much lighter and brighter than the traditional deep, dark navy blue. Be sure to check the actual swatch before purchasing paints labeled as navy blue to ensure you are getting an accurate dark navy blue color.
Use Navy Blue House Paint
Navy blue is a classic, sophisticated color for interior and exterior house paints. All major house paint brands like Behr, Benjamin Moore, and Sherwin Williams offer navy paint colors.
For exterior house paint, look for a navy labeled as a “marine blue” which will have added blue and green undertones perfect for complementing shingles and siding. Brighter, purer navy blues work best for interior walls and trim.
Match existing navy blue paint colors by bringing in color swatches and paint chips. Paint stores can accurately scan chips and match the navy blue tone for touch ups or entire room paint jobs.
Apply Dark Navy Blue Stain
In addition to paints, navy blue is a popular color for wood stains and deck stains. When applied to natural wood surfaces, a navy stain provides a rich contrast and accentuates wood grain.
Many exterior wood stain brands offer a “dark navy” or “navy” in their stain color selections. These are formulated for use on decks, fences, outdoor furniture, and other wood surfaces.
For interior wood projects, try a navy gel stain. The thick formula allows you to control the intensity of the color for custom wood effects and unique navy blue stained finishes on furniture, cabinets, and trim.
Difference Between Navy Blue and Midnight Blue
Navy blue and midnight blue are two deep, dark blue colors that are easy to confuse. But there are subtle differences between the two popular shades of blue:
– Navy blue leans slightly more toward a greenish-blue hue. Traditional navy blue has a very slight teal tone.
– Midnight blue contains a hint of purple or red undertones. It appears deeper and slightly more blue-violet.
When placed side-by-side, midnight blue looks darker and richer. Navy blue has a touch more vibrancy. However, the differences are very slight between true navy and midnight blue paints and colors.
Convert RBG Values to Mix Navy Blue
If you have a specific RGB value for the navy blue you wish to mix, you can use online color conversion tools to help determine the paint colors needed to match that exact shade.
For example, a classic dark navy blue RGB color value is R=0, G=0, B=128. To mix paint to match these RGB values:
– 0 red means no red/orange/yellow paint required
– 0 green means no earth tone paints needed
– 128 blue means a good amount of bright-mid blue paint is needed
Start with a bold phthalo or cobalt blue and add black or violet paint while testing to match the dark navy blue RGB values.
Match Navy Blue CMYK Values
The CMYK color model is used for print publishing and design. To mix a navy blue paint matching CMYK values:
– C=100 – Max cyan/blue paint
– M=45 – Add moderate magenta/red violet paint
– Y=0 – No yellow paint needed
– K=5 – Just a touch of black paint
A navy blue CMYK color like C100, M45, Y0, K5 could be matched by mixing phthalo blue, cobalt violet, and touch of black acrylic or oil paints.
Mix Navy Blue Clothing Dye
To dye clothing or fabric a dark navy blue, purchase a navy dye kit or use basic RIT liquid dye:
– Navy dye kits from Dharma Trading or PRO Chemical provide everything needed for custom navy dyeing.
– RIT dye in Royal Blue or Navy Blue mixed with RIT Color Remover solution can dye fabrics deep navy shades.
For the darkest navy blue dye color, wet fabrics first with a RIT Color Remover bath to strip the original color. Then immerse in heated RIT dye bath for 30-60 minutes, stirring frequently until navy color saturation is reached. Rinse and dry finished navy blue fabrics.
Navy Blue Food Coloring
Standard blue food coloring drops will produce a medium navy blue shade when mixed into icing, fondant, or cake batter.
However, for richer, darker navy food coloring:
– Combine blue + red gel food colorings like Americolor or Wilton brands
– Use oil-based food dyes which produce truer blue tones
– Switch to gel paste colors for intense navy blue
Test navy blue food coloring on a small section of icing or fondant before adding it to the full recipe. Adjust the ratio of blue + red coloring as needed to prevent purple undertones.
Navy Blue Candles
For homemade navy blue candles, use liquid candle dye to color the wax before pouring into jars or molds to set:
– Liquid candle dye comes in a navy blue color from nearly any candle supply store.
– Alternately, mix blue + touch of red candle dye to create your own custom navy blue candle color.
The exact amount of navy candle dye needed will depend on the wax and intensity of color desired. Test dye a small wax sample before fully coloring bulk wax to achieve perfect navy blue candles.
Conclusion
With some color theory knowledge and the right selection of paints, you can easily mix customize shades of rich, dark navy blue. Use blue as your base and deepen it with blacks, violets, or complementary orange tones. Navy blue also comes readymade in any type of paint or dye project you may need from house paints to food coloring. Experiment with mixing and adding layers of color to find your perfect navy blue hue.
