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Midnight Blue Color and Navy: What Black and Blue Make

Curious about the answer to, “What color do blue and black make?” Well, there are several answers to this color mixing question, including navy blue, and midnight blue color! Let’s explore what and why.

First, some quick background. My name is Lillie, and I’m a teacher and artist who has been doing hands-on experiments answering to questions like “Red and blue make what color?”

What color to blue and black make?
What color to blue and black make?

Each of the illustrations and explanations in this article are hand-created with love, as with all my posts from the one on blue green color fun, and beyond. Ready to dive in to today’s quest? Let’s go!

What Color Do Blue and Black Make?

The simplest answer to the question of what color is produced when we mix black and blue is: dark blue. (This is a more straightforward result than the answer to “Brown and blue make what color?”)

The thing is, though, there are so many different varieties of dark blue shades that exist! What are some of the most notable ones?

Different shades of dark blue from mixing black and blue.
Making different shades of dark blue.

Navy Blue Color Code

The most popular shade of dark blue is navy blue color, created with half blue and half black. Given this “color math,” the navy blue color code in the hexadecimal system is #000080. (For more on mixing shades, check out “What Does Red and Black Make?”)

Similarly, in the RGB system, navy blue is made with 0% red, 0% green, and 50% blue — sometimes 50.2% blue. (See my article on what colors make blue for more.)

In sum, navy blue color is a medium-dark blue, which will come into play as we move on to an even darker shade… (Want more on mixing blue? Check out what blue and purple make!)

Midnight blue color and navy blue color hex code.
Midnight blue color and navy blue color hex code.

Midnight Blue Color

Add a bunch more black to your blue mix, and when you’re almost at pitch black but still with a hint of blue, you get the incredibly deep, rich shade called midnight blue color! Fittingly, this is the color of the night sky. (In contrast, the color of a clear daytime sky is azure color.)

The hex code of midnight blue color is #191970 — basically, blue with a ton of black in it (and sometimes with a dash of the other primary colors). As you can see from my illustration above, navy color is a medium-dark blue, whereas midnight blue color is an ultra-dark shade — like midnight purple!

Midnight blue is a very useful color, because it’s professional-looking for fashion or interior design, but more exciting than simply black. Want more color mixing? Check out: “Blue and yellow make what color?”

What Blue and Black Make, in Sum

Now you know that the answer to, “What color do blue and black make?” is more complex than just “dark blue” — there are all sorts of unique colors and shades with names that have a whole world behind them. Which are your favorites? Do share!

Want more? Check out what blue and orange make when mixed, and the meaning of a blue aura! If you want to get into complimentary colors in the color wheel, click on over to “What is the Opposite of Blue?”