Navy blue is a very dark shade of blue that got its name from being used as the color for British Royal Navy uniforms. While navy blue looks like a single dark blue color, it can actually be created by mixing together several different colors.
Primary Colors
The three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These are called primary colors because they cannot be created by mixing other colors together. All other colors are derived from some combination of these three primary colors.
To make navy blue using only primary colors, you would need to mix together some amounts of blue and red. Adding some red to blue darkens the blue and gives it more of a purple tint, creating navy blue. The exact ratio needed would depend on how dark you want the navy to be.
Secondary Colors
The three secondary colors are green, orange, and purple. Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors together. For example:
- Red + Yellow = Orange
- Yellow + Blue = Green
- Blue + Red = Purple
Since navy blue is a dark purplish shade of blue, using the secondary color purple is a good option. To make navy blue from secondary colors, you would mix together blue and purple.
Tertiary Colors
Tertiary colors are created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. There are 6 tertiary colors:
| Tertiary Color | Made From |
|---|---|
| Red-orange | Red + Orange |
| Yellow-orange | Yellow + Orange |
| Yellow-green | Yellow + Green |
| Blue-green | Blue + Green |
| Blue-purple | Blue + Purple |
| Red-purple | Red + Purple |
The best tertiary color to use to make navy blue is blue-purple, since navy has a purplish tint. So you could mix blue and purple to create a nice navy blue.
Shades of Blue
Rather than using other color mixtures, you can also create navy blue just by mixing different shades of blue together. Navy blue is a very dark shade of blue, so you would need to start with a darker blue and add in some amounts of lighter and medium blues.
Some blue shades that you could mix together to create navy include:
- Indigo – A dark blue with purple undertones
- Midnight blue – A very dark blue with hints of purple
- Dark turquoise – A slightly greenish darker blue
- Royal blue – A medium-dark blue with hints of purple
- Periwinkle – A light purplish-blue
Mixing mostly darker shades like indigo and midnight blue, adding in some small amounts of lighter blues like periwinkle and royal blue, would result in a nice rich navy blue.
Specific Color Mixes
Here are some examples of specific color mixes and ratios that can create navy blue:
| Colors | Ratios |
|---|---|
| Blue + Red | 5 parts blue : 1 part red |
| Blue + Purple | 4 parts blue : 1 part purple |
| Indigo + Midnight Blue + Periwinkle | 4 parts indigo : 3 parts midnight blue : 1 part periwinkle |
| Dark Turquoise + Royal Blue | 3 parts dark turquoise : 2 parts royal blue |
You can play around with mixing different shades and ratios to find the specific navy tone you are looking for. Just remember navy leans more blue than purple, so the blue shades should dominate the mix.
4 Color Combinations
While navy blue can be created by mixing just three colors, you can also use four colors to make more complex or refined navy tones.
Here are some four color combinations you could use:
- Blue + Purple + Red + White
- Indigo + Royal Blue + Periwinkle + Black
- Midnight Blue + Dark Turquoise + Violet + Light Blue
- Navy Blue + Ultramarine Blue + Iris + Lavender
The extra colors like white, black, violet, or lavender help lighten or darken the navy and fine-tune the shade. You would still want the mix to be dominated by the blue and purple base colors.
Natural Dyes
Before synthetic dyes were developed, navy blue fabric had to be colored using dyes made from natural materials. Some natural dyes that were commonly used to create navy blue include:
- Indigo – Made from the leaves of indigo plants, it creates a deep sky blue color.
- Logwood – Produces a purple-red hue from the logwood tree.
- Indigofera – Another tropical plant that can provide an indigo blue dye.
- Elderberries – Berries that create a light purple or lilac dye.
By mixing indigo and logwood dyes, with small amounts of elderberry or indigofera, traditional navy blue fabric was able to be produced before synthetic dyes.
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the three colors used in color printing. While not traditional pigment colors, these three inks can still mix to create a wide range of hues.
To make a navy blue using CMY, you would mix:
- Mostly cyan – Provides the blue
- Some magenta – Adds a purple/red tint
- Little to no yellow
The more magenta you add, the more purple the navy becomes. Leaving out yellow keeps the color dark. So a combination like 4 parts cyan, 1 part magenta, and no yellow would give a nice clean navy blue.
Pigment Colors
Navy blue can also be mixed using traditional artist’s pigment colors:
- Ultramarine blue – A primary blue pigment
- Dioxazine purple – A dark purple pigment
- Prussian blue – A dark blue green pigment
Mixing mostly ultramarine blue with small amounts of dioxazine purple and prussian blue produces a vivid navy blue with depth and subtle color variations.
Acrylic Paints
For painting, acrylic paint is a good medium for easily mixing up custom navy blue tones. Some acrylic paint colors that work well include:
- Phthalo Blue
- Dioxazine Purple
- Ultramarine Blue
- Primary Cyan
- Carbon Black
Mix phthalo blue, dioxazine purple, and ultramarine blue as the base, adding primary cyan to lighten it up and carbon black to darken as needed. Play with different ratios until you achieve your desired navy tone.
Oil Paints
Like acrylics, oil paints can also be blended to create navy blue for painting. Some good options include:
- French Ultramarine
- Prussian Blue
- Cobalt Blue
- Winsor Blue
- Dioxazine Purple
Mix mostly french ultramarine and prussian blue, adding some cobalt blue to lighten. Add small amounts of winsor blue and dioxazine purple to refine the tone. The thick blendable consistency of oils makes them ideal for easily mixing up rich navy tones.
Textile Dyes
For dyeing fabric or yarn, these three textile dyes work very well for navy blue:
- Navy Blue Dye
- Violet Dye
- Black Dye
Mix 3 parts navy blue dye with 1 part violet dye as the base. Add small amounts of black dye to reach your desired darkness. The violet gives it a purple undertone while the black helps deepen and darken the color.
Food Coloring
Surprisingly, even food coloring can be mixed to create a DIY navy blue dye. The best food color combination is:
- Blue Food Coloring
- Red Food Coloring
- Black Food Coloring
Mix several drops of blue with just 1-2 drops of red to create a purple navy base. Add a drop or two of black to darken it to perfection. This edible navy dye can color icing, cake batter, or anything you want to dye blue!
Conclusion
While it may seem counterintuitive, navy blue is not actually made by mixing just plain blue and black. Real navy blue has a subtle purple or reddish undertone. This rich navy tone comes from blending a darker blue with purple and optionally red, white, or black to fine tune the color.
So in summary, the three colors that make the best navy blue are:
- A dark blue – Provides the blue foundation
- Purple – Adds subtle red/purple tones
- Optional 3rd color – Black, white, or red used for shading
Popular combo choices are blue + purple + red or blue + purple + black. But many other three or four color combinations can make great navy blues as well. Experiment to find your perfect navy tone!
