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To make the color aqua, you will need to mix blue and green together. Start with equal parts of blue and green paint or dye. Gradually add more blue or green to achieve the desired shade of aqua. Remember to mix well and adjust the ratio of blue and green as needed. Experiment with different amounts to find your preferred tone of aqua. Keep in mind that aqua can vary from a lighter, more pastel shade to a deeper, more vibrant hue. Enjoy the process of creating your own unique aqua color!
The color aqua, which is often mistaken for turquoise, is a vibrant blue-green shade. It is also known as cyan, a color that falls between blue and green on the color wheel. In photography and color printing, cyan is considered a primary color, while in lighting it is a secondary color. To create an aqua color, you can mix a light shade of blue with green or combine a lot of blue with a small amount of yellow.
Defining the True Aqua Color
Aqua can vary depending on personal interpretation. It can encompass shades ranging from aquamarine and cerulean to turquoise and even Maya blue. Aqua and teal are often similar or identical. In general, aqua represents the blue color of tropical water. The word “aqua” comes from Latin, meaning “sea,” while “marina” means “water.”
However, aqua has a shimmering quality that makes it appear turquoise under certain lighting conditions, and blue-green under others. Turquoise leans more towards the blue spectrum and is a lighter version of blue-green with added white. Aqua may have a subtle hint of yellow, giving it a slightly greener appearance. An argument about the exact hue of aqua would likely result in a stalemate.
A Painter’s Palette
An artist can create aqua by starting with a base of titanium white and adding a small amount of true blue, such as brilliant blue, and an even smaller amount of cadmium yellow. Adding too much color to white will result in a deep, dark shade. Adding too much yellow will turn the color into a depressing bluish yellow-green. Therefore, aqua on a canvas is as delicate as a ripple in a lagoon or the hue of a robin’s egg.
Mixing and Painting
The easiest way to paint with aqua is to choose one of the many pre-mixed blue-green shades available at a local paint store. Alternatively, you can create your own custom color by starting with a white base, adding blue until the paint becomes light blue, and then incorporating small amounts of yellow until the blue takes on a slightly greenish tint.
You can also mix blue-green paint with blue paint to achieve a pleasing shade, and lighten it with white to adjust the intensity. However, duplicating your custom aqua color precisely may prove difficult if you run out of paint before finishing your project. It is advisable to make more paint than you initially anticipate needing.
Serenity, Healing, Refreshing
Aqua, like turquoise, is associated with emotional healing and protection. It is a balancing and sometimes playful color that can evoke memories of a Caribbean vacation or help you relax and sleep soundly after a long day.
The Pantone Color Institute selected aquamarine as a leading color for the 2015 spring-summer fashion season, describing it as an “airy blue with a dreamy feel, cool, calming, and ethereal.” When used in bedding, carpeting, drapes, or upholstery, aqua reduces stress, creates a sense of openness and tranquility, and adds a refreshing touch to neutral colors or a calming element to vibrant shades.
