Blue Watercolour Swatches
Blue Swatches
the swatch library
Cobalt Blue, Schmincke Horadam, PB36
Marine Blue, Holbein Watercolours, PB16
Manganese Blue Hue, Winsor & Newton, PB15
Cerulean Blue, Winsor & Newton, PB35
Cerulean Blue, Rembrandt, PB35
Cerulean Blue Pthalo, Rembrandt, PB15, PW4
Cerulean Blue, Daniel Smith, PB35
Verditer Blue, Daniel Smith, PW28, PB36, PW4
Cobalt Blue, Daniel Smith, PB28
Pthalo Blue (Red Shade), Daniel Smith, PB15
Winsor Blue (Red Shade), Winsor & Newton, PB15
French Ultramarine, Daniel Smith, PB29
French Ultramarine, Schmincke Horadam, PB29
Blue Violet, Old Holland, PB15, PV23
Prussian Blue, Winsor & Newton, PB27
Indanthrone Blue Daniel Smith PB60
Mayan Blue Dark, Daniel Smith, Hybrid Pigment / PB82
Indigo Daniel Smith PB60, PBk6
PB15: Phthalocyanine Blue Pigments
the Pb15 pigments
Phthalocyanine Blue is a family of vibrant blue shades under the bracket PB15, with a wide spectrum of shades from green-blues (PB15:3), mid-blues (PB15:1), to red-blues (PB15:6). These synthetic blue pigments share some key characteristics; they are all lightfast, transparent and strongly-staining. Phthalocyanine is often abbreviated to Pthalo (pronounced ‘Thalo’).
Modern Primary Cyan
I use Pthalo Blue GS as my primary cyan, as part of my modern primaries. Its transparent nature is perfect for glazing techniques and can appear luminous on paper. However, be cautious—it’s a very staining pigment, which means it absorbs into paper quickly, making corrections and lifting difficult. It also has strong tinting strength, meaning it strongly influences the final colour when mixed with other pigments. Pthalos do generally experience a large drying shift; as they dry, they lighten, and will lose some saturation. This drying shift is more visible with the redder-blue pigments, which lighten considerably more when dry.1
Manganese Blue Hue (Winsor & Newton) & Cerulean Blue Hue
PB15 and PB15:3 is often used as a substitute for Manganese Blue (PB33) or Cerulean Blue (PB35), which are marketed as “Hues”. This is because both genuine Manganese and Cerulean Blue are known to be toxic, and expensive. Their production can also have environmental impacts.
Genuine Cerulean Blue also has a weak tinting strength, and is strongly granulating. Cerulean Blue Hue offers a much cheaper alternative that can be adjusted to be non-granulating, and has a stronger tinting strength, making it more prominent in colour mixes.
- Pthalo Blue (Red Shade), Daniel Smith, PB15
- Winsor Blue (Red Shade), Winsor & Newton, PB15
- Cerulean Blue Pthalo, Rembrandt, PB15, PW4
- Manganese Blue Hue, Winsor & Newton, PB15
PB26: Cobalt Blue
pthalo blue (rs), winsor blue, intense blue
A soft, light blue with a good tinting strength. It’s expensive, but artists value it’s permanence and muted tone.
Pthalo Blue (Red Shade), Winsor Blue, Intense Blue, Pthalo Blue (Reddish Blue)
PB27: Prussian Blue
Pthalo Blue (Red Shade), Winsor Blue, Intense Blue, Pthalo Blue (Reddish Blue)
A dark, rich blue pigment, which is both transparent and reasonably lightfast.
- Prussian Blue, Winsor & Newton, PB27
PB28: Cobalt Blue
- Cobalt Blue, Daniel Smith, PB28
PB29: Ultramarine Blue
A classic deep blue pigment, derived from Lapis Lazuli, traditionally from Afghanistan. It has a good lightfastness, and mixes well with other colours.
- French Ultramarine, Schmincke Horadam, PB29
- French Ultramarine, Daniel Smith, PB29
PB33: Manganese Blue
Pthalo Blue (Red Shade), Winsor Blue, Intense Blue, Pthalo Blue (Reddish Blue)
PB15:3 is at the redder end of the Pthalo Blue spectrum. It’s often used to achieve deeper, more violet-leaning tones.
PB35: Cerulean Blue
Pthalo Blue (Red Shade), Winsor Blue, Intense Blue, Pthalo Blue (Reddish Blue)
A light, sky-blue pigment that is opaque and strongly granulating. Ideal for painting skies and water. Toxic and expensive.
- Cerulean Blue, Winsor & Newton, PB35
- Cerulean Blue, Daniel Smith, PB35
- Cerulean Blue, Rembrandt, PB35
Pb36: Cobalt Teal Blue & Cerulean Blue Chromium
Cobalt Teal Blue / Cobalt Turquoise
An opaque muted green-blue pigment, which mixes well with other colours.
Cerulean Blue Chromium
Similar to genuine Cerulean blue, but is more lightfast.
- Cobalt Blue, Schmincke Horadam, PB36
PB37: Cerulean Blue Deep
Cobalt Teal Blue / Cobalt Turquoise
A deeper, more intense version of Cerulean Blue, used to create darker blue tones.
Pb60: Indanthrone Blue & Maya Blue
Indanthrone Blue
PB15:3 is at the redder end of the Pthalo Blue spectrum. It’s often used to achieve deeper, more violet-leaning tones.
Maya Blue
A historical pigment made from indigo and palygorskite clay. Known for its colour stability and durability.
- Indanthrone Blue Daniel Smith PB60
Smalt
glass based pigment
Mixed Blues
- Verditer Blue, Daniel Smith, PW28, PB36, PW4
- Blue Violet, Old Holland, PB15, PV23
- Indigo Daniel Smith PB60, PBk6
- Mayan Blue Dark, Daniel Smith, Hybrid Pigment / PB82
- https://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/waterb.html ↩︎
