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How to mix Turquoise in oil paint
Turquoise is a bright greenish blue. Below are the oil paint mixing recipes PaintMixLab calculates for it from three common paint sets, in parts you can measure on the palette.
Target colour #40C7C0
Predicted mix #69BBB5
Target #40C7C0 against the predicted mix from the Winton recipe (close, ΔE 5.1).
Turquoise mixing recipes by paint set
| Paint set | Recipe (parts) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Winsor & Newton Winton | 26 Soft Mixing White + 1 Cobalt Blue Hue + 1 Cadmium Lemon Hue 26 Soft Mixing White1 Cobalt Blue Hue1 Cadmium Lemon Hue |
Close (ΔE 5.1) |
| Gamblin 1980 | 9 Transparent White + 5 Turquoise 9 Transparent White5 Turquoise |
Very close (ΔE 2.9) |
| Magicfly 40 | 57 Titanium White + 8 Sky Blue + 1 Lemon Yellow 57 Titanium White8 Sky Blue1 Lemon Yellow |
Close (ΔE 3.8) |
Parts are by volume. Recipes follow the app’s standard engine, which adds white to bring the mix up to the predicted value on the palette. Match quality (ΔE 2000) compares the predicted mix with the target: under 1.5 is excellent, under 3.5 very close, under 6 close.
Dark Mode recipes (original engine, no extra white)
- Winsor & Newton Winton: 12 Soft Mixing White + 1 Cobalt Blue Hue + 1 Cadmium Lemon Hue
- Gamblin 1980: 5 Turquoise + 2 Transparent White
- Magicfly 40: 24 Titanium White + 8 Sky Blue + 1 Lemon Yellow
What two colours make Turquoise?
With only two tubes from the Winton range, the closest PaintMixLab finds is 33 Soft Mixing White + 1 Phthalo Deep Green (approximate, ΔE 6.1). Two-tube mixes are simpler to repeat but usually a little further from the target than three.
How to mix Turquoise by hand
- Put out Cobalt Blue Hue as the base — it carries the hue.
- Work in Cadmium Lemon Hue a little at a time until the hue swings towards turquoise; stop as soon as it reads right, it is easy to overshoot.
- Lighten with white until the value matches your reference. Check it next to the target in daylight — a mix always looks lighter on the knife than on the canvas.
- Mix more than you think you need, and save the swatch in PaintMixLab so you can repeat it tomorrow.
Blue-greens sit between a cool blue and a cool yellow or green. Cerulean or Phthalo Blue with a lemon yellow gets you the hue; lighten with white and grey with a dab of red if it looks too electric.
Related colour recipes
Turquoise questions
What colours make turquoise?
In the Winton range: 26 Soft Mixing White + 1 Cobalt Blue Hue + 1 Cadmium Lemon Hue. Other sets use different tubes because tinting strength varies by brand — see the table above for Gamblin 1980 and Magicfly.
Can I mix turquoise without black?
Yes. None of the recipes above rely on black alone; where a dark is needed the engine prefers a deep colour or an earth so the mix stays lively. PaintMixLab has an “avoid black” option if your set includes black and you would rather not use it.
Why does my turquoise look different from the swatch?
Pigment batches, how much medium you use, the lighting and your screen all shift the result. Treat the ratio as a measured starting point: match the value first with white, then nudge the hue with the smallest tube in the recipe.
Does this recipe work for acrylic turquoise?
Roughly. Acrylic ranges share many pigment names, but acrylics dry darker and the tinting strengths differ, so expect to add a little extra white and re-check once dry.
Mix turquoise from a photo instead
Point PaintMixLab at the colour you actually see and it writes the recipe for your own paint set — free for 3 days.
