To mix turquoise (#40C4C4) in watercolor, use 9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Yellow Ochre and 1 part Phthalo Blue. That falls short: Chromilla's model predicts an 82% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Try the mixer with your own tubes. 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
Turquoise
#40C4C4
Predicted dry result
82% match when dryMix to #70BDBC while wet. It dries to about #66AEAF.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium White | PW6 | 9 | 80% | 80 ml |
| Yellow Ochre | PY43 | 1 | 11% | 11 ml |
| Phthalo Blue | PB15 | 1 | 9% | 9 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 bright blue-green turquoise. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #40C4C4 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. Yellow Ochre
PY43
3. Phthalo Blue
PB15
Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, and Phthalo Blue, in roughly a 80:11:9 ratio.
Start with Titanium White at about 80% as your watercolor base, then work in Yellow Ochre and Phthalo Blue in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #40C4C4.
Mixing Turquoise yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Turquoise 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.
#5FDEDE
Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 88% Titanium White, 7% Yellow Ochre and 5% Phthalo Blue, and chromilla's model predicts a 76% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
#14AAAB
Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 12 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Yellow Ochre and 3 parts 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.
#49C5B5
Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 10 parts Titanium White, 2 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Phthalo Blue, and chromilla's model predicts an 82% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
#41C2D2
Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 83% Titanium White, 10% Phthalo Blue and 7% Yellow Ochre, and chromilla's model predicts an 83% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for turquoise
Open the live mixer with Turquoise + 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.