Bob Ross Painters, STOP using Phthalo Blue in your skies!

Phthalo Blue is a vibrant and intense pigment used by Bob Ross to create skies in many of his landscape paintings. But did you know that it’s not the best color to use for blue skies in your landscape paintings? In this blog post, we will delve into the reasons why Phthalo Blue may not be suitable for skies in landscape paintings, while also exploring its potential in other artistic endeavors.

Why Not Phthalo Blue?

While it can be a valuable color in many applications, it is often considered less suitable for depicting skies in landscape paintings. Here are a few reasons why:

Intensity and Chroma:

Phthalo Blue is an extremely intense and saturated color. It possesses a high chroma, meaning it has a strong presence and can overpower other colors in a painting. It also has a subtle green hue within it. When used for skies, it can create an unrealistic and overly vibrant appearance, which may not accurately represent the subtle variations and softness of the natural sky. The blue of the sky is not as saturated as you may think it is. 

Lack of Atmosphere:

The sky, especially when painting landscapes, often contains atmospheric effects such as haze, moisture, and distance-related color shifts. Phthalo Blue’s intense hue tends to lack the subtle variations and muted tones needed to depict these atmospheric qualities effectively. As a result, using Phthalo Blue alone for skies can make them appear flat and lacking depth. Bob sometimes compensates for this with the use of Liquid White or leaving some white spots in the sky then blending to give it some character.

Realism and Perception:

Most artists aim to capture the essence and realism of the scene they are painting. While Phthalo Blue can create striking and eye-catching effects, it may not accurately represent the way we perceive the sky in reality. Our eyes perceive the sky as a more nuanced and delicate mix of colors, ranging from darker and warmer near the zenith (top) to cooler and lighter towards the horizon. Phthalo Blue, with its intense and warm tone, does not fully capture this natural gradation.

Limited Color Harmony:

Phthalo Blue, when used predominantly in a painting, can create a limited color harmony. By overpowering other colors, it may make it challenging to create a cohesive and balanced color scheme throughout the landscape painting. Skies typically interact with other elements in the scene, such as clouds, foliage, and terrain. Using a more versatile and nuanced blue can allow for better integration and harmonization with these other elements.

All of these reasons may not mean much to the beginner Bob Ross painter but as you grow in your art journey, you will begin to realize these concepts as you more deeply understand artistic principles. Bottom line, is ditch the Phthalo Blue for your skies going forward. 

What Colors to Use?

While Phthalo Blue can have its uses in certain artistic styles and techniques, it is often recommended to explore other blue pigments, such as Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue, or Cobalt Blue, to achieve a more realistic and harmonious depiction of skies in landscape paintings. You may already have Prussian Blue in your arsenal. This is a good blue to create a dark and moody sky. These alternatives offer a wider range of tones, greater subtlety, and better ability to capture the atmospheric qualities of the sky. 

As stated earlier, blue skies start darker and warmer towards the top and become cooler and lighter as it reaches the horizon. Bob demonstrates this all the time by letting the color mix with the Liquid White as he works down the canvas. 

To take your blue skies to the next level, start at the top with a warm blue such as Ultramarine or Cobalt Blue and gradually work down and add a cooler blue such as Cerulean Blue. Give it a try for yourself and see what you think. 

What to do with my Phthalo Blue?

Despite its challenges when used for depicting skies in landscape paintings, Phthalo Blue has several excellent applications in the world of art. Here are a few areas where Phthalo Blue can be particularly useful:

Vibrant Water and Aquatic Scenes:

Phthalo Blue’s intense and saturated hue makes it an excellent choice for painting water bodies like oceans, lakes, and rivers. It can capture the deep, rich blues often seen in clear, tropical waters or create a sense of transparency in shallow pools. When mixed with other colors, such as Phthalo Green, Phthalo Blue can create a wide range of aquatic tones and contribute to the dynamic and captivating nature of water-themed artworks.

Foliage and Plant Life:

Phthalo Blue can be utilized effectively when painting foliage and plant life. In particular, it can be mixed with green and yellow (Cad Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Indian Yellow, or Cadmium Lemon) pigments to create vivid and lush vegetation. The intense blue undertones can add depth and complexity to leaves, grasses, and other plant elements, creating a sense of vibrancy and life. 

Underpainting:

Phthalo Blue’s staining properties and high transparency make it an excellent choice for underpainting techniques. It can be applied as a base layer on black canvases, providing a strong foundation for subsequent layers of paint. Extremely useful for Northern Lights or galaxy paintings. It is also a good color to mix with Alizarin Crimson to create a beautiful purple color.

So Why did Bob use Phthalo Blue?

My guess is because of the TV. Bob often used brighter than normal colors especially for highlights in order to show up better on the TV screens of the time. This is why he extensively used a lot of Cad yellow for his highlights. Therefore, in order to show a bright blue sky on TV, he had to use the intense saturated color of Phthalo Blue.

Conclusion:

Don’t throw out your Phthalo Blue! Overall, Phthalo Blue is a powerful and striking color that finds its strength in applications where intensity, vibrancy, and transparency are desired. Despite its limitations in painting skies for landscapes, it is a powerful color that can find its place in your palette. Its intense and vibrant nature allows for expressive and impactful artistic expressions, especially in water-themed artworks, foliage depictions, underpainting, and experimental approaches. It is a valuable addition to an artist’s palette when used thoughtfully and in contexts that play to its unique properties. Play around with the blues and take your landscape paintings to the next level!