Ultramarine is one of the deepest and most vivid shades of blue, originally extracted from a mineral called lazurite. The name comes from the ancient Latin word "ultramarinus", meaning "beyond the sea", referring to the Asian origin of this precious and rare pigment. Ultramarine's special property is that it is extremely stable and does not fade over time, making it one of the most valuable and sought-after blue colours in the history of painting.
Renaissance masters, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, often used ultramarine to depict divine or royal figures. Today, synthetic ultramarine pigment has become much cheaper and widely available to artists. Ultramarine is particularly popular in modern art and design because the depth and clarity of the colour creates a strong visual impact.
Ultramarine colour RGB and HEX colour codes
Ultramarine is a deep and bright blue colour with RGB code (18, 10, 143) and HEX code #120a8f.
| Colour scheme | Code/Weights |
|---|---|
| Hex |
#3F00FF |
| RGB |
rgb(63, 0, 255) |
| HSL |
hsl(255, 100%, 50%) |
| HSV / HSB |
hsv(255, 100%, 100%) |
| CMYK |
cmyk(75, 100, 0, 0) |
| Contrasting colour |
#00FFBF |
| Complementary colour |
#FFBF3F |
Dark and light shades of ultramarine
Click on the colour codes below to copy them to the clipboard.
Dark shades
Light shades
Ultramarine complementary colour palettes
Ultramarine is a deep blue colour with a rich historical background. Below we present palettes based on the different colour types of ultramarine: complementary, analogue, monochrome, triad, tetrad, split complementary and neutral.
Complementary palette
Analogue palette
Monochrome palette
Triad palette
Tetrade palette
Split complementary palette
Neutral palette
What is the colour of ultramarine?
Ultramarine is a bright, deep blue colour with a slight purplish tinge. Ultramarine was originally produced from a semi-precious stone called lapis lazuli, but is now often produced synthetically.
What is the colour of ultramarine?
The colour of ultramarine depends mainly on the composition of the pigment. Ultramarine pigment is based on a mineral called lazurite, which is mostly blue in colour. The intensity and hue of ultramarine colour is influenced by the purity of the crystals and the mineral composition of the background, including the presence of impurities such as pyrite and calcite. In addition, the grain size and the binder used can also modify the final colour.
How is ultramarine colour colour mixing possible?
When mixing the ultramarine colour, the key is to get a strong, vibrant shade of blue. To do this, the following steps are required:
1. Mix a strong blue colour, like cobalt blue or prussian blue, with a little white paint. This will give the base ultramarine blue shade.
2. If you need a deeper or darker shade, add a very small amount of black paint. Be careful not to use too much as it can darken the colour.
3. If you want a more vibrant shade of blue, you can experiment with red, but be very careful not to get a purple tint.
Ultramarine is most often produced by a combination of blue and white, but the exact shade depends on the quality of the dye used.
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