How to Make Teal – Guide to Mixing and Using Shades of Teal
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When you sit back and think about teal as a color or the shades of teal, what do you picture and what do you imagine? Do you picture beautiful tropical beaches with an ocean ranging from a light teal to a darker and deeper version of the shade? Or, perhaps you picture a rainforest, filled with greenery, including shades of teal. Maybe your first thought when thinking of teal is a modern, freshly renovated bohemian-styled apartment, with scatter pillows in teal and perhaps even a massive, book-laden, teal-colored feature wall. No matter what comes to mind when you imagine shades of teal, the color itself represents calmness, renewal, and balance. This is because of the combined green and blue colors which make this intense color. So, what colors is teal made up of? How can you make teal yourself? Keep reading for the answers to these questions and much more.
The Color Teal: A History of this Beautiful Color
While many colors have a rich and extensive history, teal is not as extensive as some. That said, there are still facts and interesting things that make this color stand out throughout time. In 1917, Teal was first mentioned. The Common or Eurasian Teal is a species of duck that has a beautiful blue-green stripe on its head, which is obviously where its name comes from. It is often considered to be a darker shade of the color cyan, which you will remember from printing. In 1987, the color teal was added to the 16 colors used to form HTML – this is the coding that builds websites on the internet.
Teal is often confused with the color aquamarine. This is because both teal and aqua are made of two colors, which are green and blue. Despite what colors make teal, it is different as it has a lower saturation than aqua blue. It is also a lot softer to the eye, making it a very popular color inside homes. In the 90s, teal rose to fame after many sporting teams selected shades of teal to be part of their uniforms. The color teal is also one that evokes feelings of trust and reliability, and because of this, it is often used for marketing campaigns.
What Two Colors Make Teal?
So, what colors make up teal? It is quite simple, blue and green. Many people consider colors containing greens, blues, or greenish blues to be shades of teal. Teal is considered a tertiary color, which means it is not a primary or secondary color, but is made up of a primary (blue) and a secondary color (green). When you want to make teal, or more specifically, when learning how to make teal paint, you will be combining blue with green. You will also need to add a bit of white paint to your mix, depending on what shade of teal you are trying to accomplish, and, there are many!
What this means is that you are able to combine a wide variety of green and blue tones to create shades of teal. That said, for a darker teal shade which is more blue-green in color, you will not need to add any white paint. If you would prefer a light teal color, white can be added to achieve this. So, what colors is teal generally made from? Phthalo green and phthalo blue are both very common colors used in mixing teal-colored paint. When learning about what two colors make teal, you should look at the color wheel and have some understanding of color theory. You are able to adapt color to be either a warmer shade or a lighter one, this is called a color bias.
If you want more control over the shade of teal you mix from scratch, start by creating your own green using the primary colors yellow and blue. Then, you will add blue to eventually end up with teal.
If you would like to make a light teal color, you can now add a little bit of white to your paint mix. If you prefer a darker shade of teal, you may choose to omit the white completely. Mixing a perfect teal can be tricky! If you are careful, you could also add a tiny amount of gray color or a smidge of black. Even burnt umber is used in some warmer shades of teal. When looking at what colors make teal, you can use many other shades within your primary colors to make it more muted, brighter or darker, or however you prefer.
Remember, when looking at your color wheel, colors that complement one another sit in opposite positions. When you put two opposite colors alongside one another, they help bring the effect of them being brighter and bolder. Colors that work beautifully shades of teal are coral and orange, as they truly help to make teal stand out and pop.
Learning How to Make Teal Paint
When you know what colors teal is made up of, it is easier to create paint in this shade. We will now explain how to make teal paint properly. As mentioned earlier, you will need to blend both blue and green paint, and then add some white if you wish to create a light teal color. So, this will depend on the shades of teal you are wanting to create and the exact tone you need. As we have stated before, a favorite choice of blue is phthalo. Remember, your choice in blue shade should be more green than red.
It is often a good idea to create a color pallet where you can make notes and document what two colors make teal shades. This will help immensely should you ever wish to make those same shades of teal in the future. Try using darker blues and lighter ones in your experimentations, this way, you will find the perfect shades of teal to your taste. Green is also very important when you are learning how to make teal. It is best not to select a green that is too dark. Emerald green is a good option, so is kelly green.
For a light teal color, add some white, simple! However, if you would like a brighter teal a little bit of yellow could make all the difference. Various yellows will achieve different results, some may make your shades of teal bolder, others will make it brighter. You could still add some white if you prefer to tone it down a little or if you have added too much of the other colors. When you start, a good rule of thumb is two parts blue to two parts green paint. Then, should you want to change it at all, you can begin adding some of the other colors to your mix of paint.
Knowing what colors are used to make teal will help you immensely, so, it should be noted that you can make shades of teal simply by using one part of white paint and adding it to your palette. Now, add three parts cyan blue and place it next to your white paint. Gradually begin mixing the two. Once mixed, put one part cadmium yellow paint next to this and mix the yellow in ever so slowly. The end result should be a lovely but basic bright teal shade. If you want it to be a bit darker, add some burnt umber to your mix. Bear in mind that this may cause your color to dampen, though.
If you want to make a light teal color, add some white in tiny amounts. You could also add a little bit of blue or some green, which will result in a bluer or greener teal. Should you have added a little too much green or blue paint, you can add some yellow to help even it out again. Do not forget to take notes of the ratios you use and make samples to look back on when you have forgotten how to make teal in the perfect shade!
The Various Shades of Teal
Like most colors, teal has many tones and many shades. You will need to experiment to find the perfect shades of teal for your specific needs by learning what two colors make teal. Remember, when learning how to make teal paint, the color will be a direct result of the medium you use, as well as what surface you are painting on. Keep testing to find out what two colors make teal in the perfect shade, depending on your medium.
Color mixing and creation can be approached in different ways, as well. Many painters first combine the primary colors they need and then the other hues to achieve the perfect shades. However, when you look at digital colors, you are using RGB which is combining red, green, and blue. Then, when you are printing color, CMYK is used, which is a combined mixture of four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black Have a look at the table that follows which shows various shades of teal as well as their hex codes.
| Teal Color Name | Shades of Teal | Hex Code | RGB % | CMYK % |
| Teal | #008080 | 0, 50.2, 50.2 | 100, 0, 0, 50 | |
| Dark Teal | #014d4e | 0.4, 30.2, 30.6 | 99, 1, 0, 69 | |
| Bright Teal | #01f9c6 | 0.4, 97.6, 77.6 | 100, 0, 20, 2 | |
| Teal Blue | #01889f | 0.4, 53.3, 62.4 | 99, 14, 0, 38 | |
| Tropical Teal | #008794 | 0, 52.9, 58 | 100, 9, 0, 42 | |
| Common Teal | #009193 | 0, 56.9, 57.6 | 100, 1, 0, 42 | |
| Deep Teal | #00555a | 0, 33.3, 35.3 | 100, 6, 0, 65 | |
| Dull Teal | #5f9e8f | 37.3, 62, 56.1 | 40, 0, 9, 38 | |
| Empress Teal | #10605a | 6.3, 37.6, 35.3 | 83, 0, 6, 62 | |
| Marine Teal | #008384 | 0, 51.4, 51.8 | 100, 1, 0, 48 |
Decorating Your Home or Office With Teal Colors
When you use teal inside your home or office, you create a lovely calm and very inviting space and atmosphere. Of course, this explains why the color teal is so often used in homes and workspaces around the world. You could mix up your paint to be a more vibrant shade of teal and combine it with other colors to make a real statement!
The contrast of teal paint with colors such as coral or orange is bold and eye-catching, whereas combining shades of teal with neutral browns will have a more subdued effect. As we are sure you can tell, teal is such a versatile color! Remember, should you wish to use a grey with your teal paint, choose a warmer grey to prevent making your space feel too cold. Here are a few ideas for how you could use teal in your space:
- Using a muted teal wall, add a mirror with a golden frame
- Paint an accent wall in teal paint and pair it with cream or white furniture and picture frames
- You could create an accent wall in shades of teal ombre
- Theme your kitchen with the color teal along with wooden accents
- Kitchen cabinets in a more subdued teal tone as well as teal-colored walls
Remember, wall painting is a massive task, no matter how simple it may seem! Painting can end up being an expensive exercise, to say the least! Remember to choose some samples before buying your paint cans so that you are able to try them at home. Doing this will help you choose the perfect shades of teal for your project.
Handy Hints for Working with and Making Shades of Teal
Color exploration through painting is fun, however, many artists have tricks of the trade we can all learn from! While on your journey to find out exactly how to make teal paint and of course what colors are teal’s best complementary colors, you can learn so much! Here are a few handy hints for working with teal:
- If you want a lustrous shade of teal, use metallic acrylic paints in the mix to help make yours more iridescent.
- You must remember that as they dry, acrylics will become darker, therefore, it is often better to mix a slightly light teal color than the one you had in mind.
- Use a paint brush or a palette knife to blend your teal paint colors. Using a brush is helpful for larger amounts of paint, where a palette knife is often better when mixing up smaller amounts.
- It is often advised not to use black to darken teal, as it could cause it to appear dull. If you add too much black, it is very difficult to fix! It is far safer to use a darker shade of the colors you are already using for your paint, perhaps a burnt umber or gray for teal.
- You can store unused acrylic paint in an airtight container for a short amount of time, it is always best to use it all once mixed.
- You can create various shades of teal by using different tones of green and blue
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Teal Considered a Primary or a Secondary Color?
The color teal is known to be a tertiary color. This means it is created by mixing primary colors and secondary colors. In the case of teal, you would combine blue and yellow (primary colors) to create green paint (secondary color). Now, add a little bit of blue and some white to create a teal color!
What Two Colors Make Teal in Printing and Painting?
When it comes to mixing paint, you may find yourself wondering what colors make teal. The answer is simple, blue and green! You should blend an equal amount of both these colors before adding a tiny drop of white.
Are Shades of Teal Warmer or Cooler in Tone?
Color theory will be of much help when you want to know if a shade is warm or cool. Colors have a color bias, which implies it being either warmer or cooler. Teal would be a cool color as it is made up of blue and green (both of these colors are cool colors). However, you can also create a warmer teal, depending on which tones of green and blue you choose!
How Can I Darken my Teal Color?
You may be tempted to reach for the black paint when wanting to darken your teal, however, burnt umber or orange are far better choices! Both are complementary colors to teal, and the chance of ruining your teal paint mix is greatly reduced.
Is Turquoise a Shade of Teal?
No, teal is its very own color with the hex code #008080 and turquoise is also its very own color with the hex code #30d5c8. Turquoise is more blue than green and is far more light and vibrant. That said, both teal and turquoise fall into the in-between blue and green categories, making them easy to confuse.
Larissa Meyer is a 32-year-old mother from Michigan and creative spirit since childhood. Her passion for painting and drawing has led her to an education as an illustrator and a career as a freelance graphic designer. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and a degree in Graphic Design. Larissa is a talented artist who is able to master a wide range of styles and techniques to bring her artistic vision to life. Her greatest passion is currently fluid painting and epoxy resin art. Larissa’s love for art and her knowledge and experience in illustration make her the perfect Creative Director for our fluid-painting.com team. She is the creative head of our team and shares her passion and knowledge with our community through articles and tutorials.
As a mother of a 2-year-old daughter, Larissa also understands the importance of fostering creativity in early childhood. She uses her experience and knowledge to help other parents inspire their children and develop their artistic skills as well.
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