What Colors Make Turquoise?
Blue, green and white make turquoise. Mix blue and green to a teal first, then lift it with white — turquoise is essentially a bright, pale teal.
Blue + Green + White = Turquoise
Blue
1 part
Green
1 part
White
2 parts
Turquoise
The reliable route. Get the blue-green balance right before adding white — white makes it much harder to judge the hue.
Teal + White = Turquoise
Teal
1 part
White
2 parts
Turquoise
If you already have teal, turquoise is just teal plus white. Add white gradually to stop at aqua or push on to pale robin’s egg.
Cyan + Yellow + White = Turquoise
Cyan
4 parts
Yellow
a touch
White
1 part
Turquoise
Starting from cyan gives the cleanest, brightest turquoise. The speck of yellow is what pulls cyan toward green.
Adjusting your turquoise
To lighten: Add white for aqua, pool blue and robin’s egg.
To darken: Add a little blue for teal, or a speck of black for deep lagoon.
To mute or soften: Add a touch of red-orange (its complement) for a dusty, stone-like turquoise.
Mixing paint vs. mixing light
The recipes above describe subtractive mixing — how paint, ink and pigment behave. Each pigment absorbs part of the spectrum, so the more you add, the darker the mixture gets.
Screens work the opposite way, using additive mixing with red, green and blue light: the more you add, the brighter it gets. With light (RGB), turquoise is strong green and blue light in near-equal amounts with a small amount of red, e.g. #3CC7C0.
Frequently asked about making turquoise
What colors make turquoise?
Blue, green and white make turquoise. Mix blue and green to a teal first, then lift it with white — turquoise is essentially a bright, pale teal.
What two colors make turquoise?
Blue + Green + White makes turquoise. The reliable route. Get the blue-green balance right before adding white — white makes it much harder to judge the hue.
How do you make turquoise lighter or darker?
Add white for aqua, pool blue and robin’s egg. Add a little blue for teal, or a speck of black for deep lagoon.
Is mixing turquoise paint the same as mixing turquoise light?
No. Paint mixes subtractively while light mixes additively. With light (RGB), turquoise is strong green and blue light in near-equal amounts with a small amount of red, e.g. #3CC7C0.