To mix sky blue (#8CB8DC) in watercolor, use 86% Titanium White, 10% Ultramarine Blue and 4% Phthalo Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% 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.
Target
Sky Blue
#8CB8DC
Predicted dry result
91% match when dryMix to #87BBE6 while wet. It dries to about #7BACD6.
| 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 watercolor, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.
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
2. Ultramarine Blue
PB29
3. Phthalo Blue
PB15
Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, and Phthalo Blue, in roughly a 86:10:4 ratio.
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.
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.
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.
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.
#A5D2F7
Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 92% Titanium White, 5% Ultramarine Blue and 3% Phthalo Blue, and chromilla's model predicts an 83% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
#749FC2
86% Titanium White, 8% Phthalo Blue and 6% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
#95B5DF
8 parts Titanium White, 3 parts Viridian Green and 2 parts Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
#95B5DF
8 parts Titanium White, 3 parts Viridian Green and 2 parts Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for sky blue
Open the live mixer with Sky Blue + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
Deep-dive guide
Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.
Read the guidePigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.