How to Mix Sky Blue in Watercolor
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 watercolor, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.
Target
Sky Blue
#8CB8DC
Mixed result
95% matchFrom these pigments
#87BBE6
Pigment recipe
Checked August 2026
Ratios calibrated for watercolor. 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 watercolor
Start with Titanium White at about 86% as your watercolor 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.
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Sky Blue + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
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 guideRelated mixing guides
Pigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.