Jane Blundell - Artist
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7 - Turquoise Watercolour Swatches

There are literally hundreds of artist quality watercolours available from many brands. I have tested many of them and created swatches as seen on the right. The square box is painted into a damp wash at the top to show the colour mixed in water, with more pigment added towards the bottom. The rectangle is painted in a juicy wash to show the mass-tone. The small squares at the bottom of the swatch have the pigment number and characteristics - staining, lightfast rating, granulation and transparency. 
Picture
The size of my swatches

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Turquoise Watercolours 

There are no PT (pigment turquoise) numbers, so apart from the Primatek mineral colours, turquoise watercolours are made from a single pigment green or blue such as PB16, PB36 or PG50, or a mixture of green and blue pigments, often including the transparent, staining phthalo colours PG7 and PG15. It can be easy to mix the hue but the granulation of Cobalt Turquoise makes it a useful colour to own.

PB16

This beautiful pigment varies a little from more blue to mid turquoise.
Phthalo Turquoise* - Aquarius; Phthalo Blue Turquoise* - Daniel Smith; Marine Blue - Holbein; Caribbean Blue* - Old Holland; Phthalo Turquoise - Winsor & Newton. 
Phthalo Turquoise - Aquarius Watercolour. PB16
Phthalo Blue Turquoise - Daniel Smith watercolour. PB16
Marine Blue, Holbein Watercolour PB16
Caribbean Blue - Old Holland Watercolour. PB16
Phthalo Turquoise - Winsor & Newton watercolour. PB16

Cobalt teal and turquoise Watercolours made from PB28

Cobalt Blue PB28 is usually associated with a mid blue colour. However it also creates an amazing granulating aqua/turquoise colour. PG50 creates an almost identical hue - see below.
  1. Cobalt Sea Blue - Aquarius; ​Cobalt Turquoise Light* - Holbein; Cobalt Blue Turquoise Light - Kremer​; Cobalt Teal - M.Graham; Cobalt Turquoise Blue - Rembrandt; 
Cobalt Sea Blue, Aquarius watercolour. PB28
Cobalt Turquoise Light, Holbien watercolours. PB28
Cobalt Blue Turquoise Light, Kremer watercolours. PB28
Cobalt Teal, M.Graham watercolour. PB28
Cobalt Turquoise Blue, Rembrandt watercolour. PB28. (new 2019)

PG26

Cobalt Turquoise Green - Rembrandt
Cobalt Turquoise Green, Rembrandt Watercolour. PG26.

Turquoise Watercolours made with PG36

See also Cerulean Blues made with PB36. These are the PB36 turquoise colours in alphabetic order by manufacturer. Shown here are:
  1. ​Cobalt Teal - American Journey; ​Cobalt Turquoise - Aquarius; Turquoise Blue - Blockx; Turquoise Green - Blockx; ​Cobalt Green Deep - Daler Rowney; 
  2. Cobalt Turquoise* - Daniel Smith; Cobalt Turquoise - Da Vinci; Cobalt Turquoise Deep - Da Vinci; ​Cobalt Blue Turquoise Dark, Kremer; ​Cobalt Blue Turquoise - Old Holland ​; 
  3. Cobalt Green Turquoise - Schmincke; ​​Cobalt Green - Sennelier; Cobalt Turquoise - Winsor & Newton (old version)
Cobalt Teal, American Journey watercolour. PB36.
Cobalt Turquoise - Aquarius Watercolour. PB36
Turquoise Blue, Blockx watercolour. PB36
Turquoise Green, Blockx watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Green Deep, Daler Rowney watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Turquoise - Daniel Smith watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Turquoise, Da Vinci watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Turquoise Deep, Da Vinci Watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Blue Turquoise Dark, Kremer watercolour. PB36.
Cobalt Blue Turquoise, Old Holland Watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Green Turquoise, Schmincke Watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Green, Sennelier Watercolour. PB36
Cobalt Turqoise - Winsor & Newton watercolour PB36 (old version)

Cobalt Turquoise Watercolours made from PG50 

  1. Cobalt Teal* - Aquarius; Cobalt Teal Blue* - Daniel Smith; ​Turquoise Cobalt* - Dirty Blue; Cobalt Blue Turquoise Light - Old Holland; ​Cobalt Teal - QoR; Cobalt Turquoise - Schmincke; ​
  2. Turquoise Green - Sennelier;​ Cobalt Turquoise Light - Winsor & Newton
Cobalt Teal - Aquarius watercolour. PG50
Cobalt Teal Blue, Daniel Smith watercolour. PG50
Turquoise Cobalt - Dirty Blue Watercolour. PG50
Cobalt Blue Turquoise Light, Old Holland Watercolour. PG50
Cobalt Teal, QoR watercolour. PG50
Cobalt Turquoise, Schmincke Watercolour. PG50
Turquoise Green, Sennelier Watercolour. PG50
Cobalt Green LIght - Winsor & Newton PG50

Other single pigment Turquoise Watercolours made with Primatek pigments

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Genuine* - Daniel Smith; ​Natural Kingman Turquoise Genuine* - Daniel Smith; Amazonite Genuine* - Daniel Smith; Fuchsite Genuine* - Daniel Smith; Azurite Genuine - Daniel Smith (Discontinued)
Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Genuine - Daniel Smith Watercolour.
Natural Kingman Turquoise Genuine - Daniel Smith Primatek watercolour. Series 5
Amazonite Genuine - Daniel Smith Watercolour
Fuchsite Genuine - Daniel Smith watercolour.
Azurite Genuine - Daniel Smith watercolour. Discontinued

Turquoise mixed pigment hues using granulating cobalt and viridian pigments such as PG18, PG19, PB28, PB36, PG50

The granulating pigments will tend to make these colours more granulating and less staining.
  1. Andrew's Turquoise - American Journey PB36, PG7, PW6; Blue Stone - American Journey PB36 + PY42; Cobalt Turquoise - Mission Gold PB28 + PY3 + PW6; Cobalt Green Turquoise - Old Holland PG19 + PG26 + PG50; Cobalt Turquoise - Renesans pan PB36 + PG50;
  2. Cobalt Turquoise* - Rosa PB28 + PB36; Deep Sea Green - Schmincke PG18 + PB29; Glacier Turquoise - Schmincke PG50 + PV16; Cobalt Turquoise - Winsor & Newton PB36 +  PB28  
Andrew's Turquoise, American Journey watercolour. PB36, PG7, PW6.
Blue Stone, American Journey watercolour. PB36, PY42.
Cobalt Turquoise, Mijello Mission Gold Watercolours. PB28+PY3+PW6
Cobalt Green Turquoise, Old Holland Watercolour. PG19+PG26+PG50
Cobalt Turquoise, Renesans half pan watercolour. PB36, PG50
Cobalt Turquoise - Rosa watercolour. PB28 + PB36
Deep Sea Green - Schmincke. PG18, PB29 (super granulating series)
Glacier Turquoise - Schmincke watercolour. PG50 + PV16. (super granulating series)
Cobalt Turquoise - Winsor & Newton Watercolour. PB36 PB28 (replaces single pigment version)

Mixed Pigment turquoise watercolours using phthalo pigments PG7, PG36 and PB15 

The phthalo pigments PG7, PG36 and PB15 can be mixed to create gorgeous turquoise hues with ease. They will be staining and non-granulating. Using Ultramarine (PB29) instead of phthalo blue will add a little granulation but if PG7 is included it will still tend to be a staining colour.
  1. Copper Blue* - A Gallo PW4 + PG7 + PB15.3 + PY3; Aquamarine*- A Gallo PB15:4 + PG7 + PB29; Harbor Blue* - A Gallo PB15:3 + PBr8; Ocean Blue - Aquarius PB24 + PB15.3; Transparent Turquoise - Aquarius PB15:3 + PG7; 
  2. June Bug (Greenish Blue) - American Journey PB27 + PG7; Transparent Turquoise - Daler Rowney PG7 + PB15; Ultramarine Turquoise* - Daniel Smith PB29 + PG7; Phthalo Turquoise* - Daniel Smith PG36 + PB15; Peacock Blue - Holbein PB15 + PG7; 
  3. Turquoise Blue* - Holbein  PG7 + PB15 + PW6; Horizon Blue - Holbein PB15 + PG7 + PW1; Green Blue - Maimeri Blu PG7 + PB15:3 (discontinued); Turquoise - M.Graham PB15:3 + PG7; Turquoise Blue - Mission Gold PG7 + PB15:3 + PW6; 
  4. Peacock Blue - Mission Gold PB15:3 + PG7; Turquoise Blue Deep - Old Holland PB15:3 + PG7 + PW4; Turquoise Blue - Rembrandt PB15 + PG7; Ultramarine Green - Renesans pan PG7 + PB15:3; Turquoise* - Rosa PB15:3 + PG7; 
  5. Phthalo Turquoise - Sennelier PB15:3 + PG7; ​Peacock Green - Shin Han PG7 + PB15; ​Richeson Turquoise - Stephen Quiller PB15:3 + PG7
Copper Blue - A Gallo watercolour. PW4, PG7, PB15.3, PY3
Aquamarine - A Gallo Watercolour. PB15:4, PG7, PB29
Harbor Blue - A Gallo Watercolour. PB15:3, PBr8
Ocean Blue, Aquarius Watercolour. PB24, PB15.3
Transparent Turquoise, Aquarius watercolour. PB15:3 + PG7
June Bug (Greenish Blue), American Journey watercolour. PB27, PG7.
Transparent Turquoise, Daler Rowney watercolour. PG7 + PB15
Ultramarine Turquoise - Daniel Smith watercolour. PB29 + PG7
Phthalo Turquoise - Daniel Smith watercolour. PG36 + PB15
Peacock Blue, Holbein watercolours. PB15 + PG7
Turquoise Blue, Holbein watercolour. PG7 + PB15 + PW6
Horizon Blue, Holbein watercolour. PB15, PG7, PW1
Green Blue, Maimeri Blu. PG7 + PB15:3
Turquoise, M.Graham Watercolour. PB15:3+PG7
Turquoise Blue, Mijello Mission gold watercolour. PG7+PB15:3+PW6
Peacock Blue, Mijello Mission Gold watercolours. PB15:3+PG7
Turquoise Blue Deep, Old Holland Watercolour. PB15:3+PG7+PW4
Turquoise Blue, Rembrandt watercolour. PB15, PG7
Ultramarine Green, Renesans half pan watercolour. PG7 PB15:3
Turquoise - Rosa Watercolour. PB15:3 + PG7
Phthalo Turquoise, Sennelier Watercolour. PB15:3+PG7
Peacock Green, Shin Han watercolour. PG7 + PB15
Richeson Turquoise, Stephen Quiller watercolour. PB15:3 + PG7
These swatches are painted and added as a guide. The intention is show the characteristics of each colour when painted. The colour reproduction is not perfect but hopefully will still be helpful used in conjunction with the manufacturer's website.  Thank you to those of you, from Canada, Sweden, Australia and the USA, who have helped me with this section by sharing your favourite colours. If you notice errors please let me know so I can correct them. If you have artist quality watercolour that are not shown here and want to help me build up this resource, also please let me know :-)
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This pages was last edited in September 2024.
​Note that the * means that I have colour-checked the swatch again in a process I am doing - checking every colour swatch and updating pigment information on my blog and website. It doesn't mean that the swatches without an asterisk are wrong, just that those with are as accurate as I can make them.
© Jane Blundell. All rights reserved.