What two colors make sky blue?

Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for sky blue?

Chromilla uses #8CB8DC as the target for sky blue. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #87BBE6.

Can I mix sky blue without black?

Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue.

How to Mix Sky Blue in Oil

Quick answer

To mix sky blue (#8CB8DC) in oil, use 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Chromilla is a web-based paint color mixer that turns any color, from a photo, the camera or a hex code, into exact paint-tube ratios for acrylic, oil and watercolor, using Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing and aiming at the color after it dries.

Adjust for my paints

Target

Sky Blue

#8CB8DC

Predicted dry result

95% match when dry

Mix to #87BBE6. It dries true to color.

Sky Blue in oil: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Share	100 ml batch
Titanium White	PW6	86%	86 ml
Ultramarine Blue	PB29	10%	10 ml
Phthalo Blue	PB15	4%	4 ml

How we calculated this: Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing, then a per-medium dry shift, scored with CIEDE2000. Method and accuracy benchmark. Last checked August 2026.

Terms used here: Tinting strength, Dry shift, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Pigment code, Gamut.

A soft, light mid-blue. Zenith on a clear day, tinted with white. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #8CB8DC in oil, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for oil. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

1. Titanium White
PW6
86%
2. Ultramarine Blue
PB29
10%
3. Phthalo Blue
PB15
4%

What colors make Sky Blue?

Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, and Phthalo Blue, in roughly a 86:10:4 ratio.

How to make Sky Blue in oil

Start with Titanium White at about 86% as your oil base, then work in Ultramarine Blue and Phthalo Blue in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #8CB8DC.

Why mix Sky Blue instead of buying it

Mixing Sky Blue yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Sky Blue across paint brands whose factory tubes differ, and rebuild the exact color when you run out mid painting. The recipe above is the working starting point.

Common mistakes

That pigment is a very strong tinter, add it a touch at a time or it will swallow the mix. White cools and chalks a mix as you add it, so tint in small steps and stop before it goes pastel.

Variations on Sky Blue

Each variation is its own target (lighter and darker move OKLCH lightness by 0.08; warmer and cooler turn the hue 12 degrees toward red or blue), solved fresh.

Lighter Sky Blue

#A5D2F7

92% Titanium White, 5% Ultramarine Blue and 3% Phthalo Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Sky Blue

#749FC2

86% Titanium White, 8% Phthalo Blue and 6% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Sky Blue

#95B5DF

8 parts Titanium White, 3 parts Viridian Green and 2 parts Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 96% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Sky Blue

#95B5DF

Sky Blue questions

What two colors make sky blue?: Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make sky blue paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter sky blue (#A5D2F7) in oil, Chromilla mixes 92% Titanium White, 5% Ultramarine Blue and 3% Phthalo Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for sky blue?: Chromilla uses #8CB8DC as the target for sky blue. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #87BBE6.
Can I mix sky blue without black?: Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue.

Sky Blue in other mediums

Sky Blue in Acrylic: 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Sky Blue in Watercolor: 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue, predicted 91% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for sky blue

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Sky Blue + oil pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

Open in mixer

Deep-dive guide

How to mix Sky Blue, the long version

Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.

Read the guide

Technique guides for this color

Related mixing guides

Pigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.