http://www.soapcrafts.org/cobalt-blue/
Is there an alternative for cobalt blue?
I've just started dabbling in watercolour and I have a beginner's set that contains phthalo blue, ultlramarine , sap green and viridian for its green-blues. The beginner book I'm using keeps calling for cobalt blue to make a grey wash with other warm tones. I've been using phthalo blue and it just seems too bright. Am I not getting the correct value or is just in the wrong family of blue to be acting as a substitute for cobalt?
Thx guys 
That helps...all my "stormy" seas were coming out bright blue...hopefully I can head in the right direction now Should I still mix the indigo/ultramarine with something like raw or burnt sienna? how would i best achieve a grey wash?
Hi:
Winsor and Newton has phthalo blue (they call it Winsor Blue) in Green and Red shades. You could try the ultramarine - I think this is a little blacker, and it might also dry to be on the granular side. W and N also makes watercolor medium to cause granularity - which can be a nice effect. Some paints are also more transparent than others - I think ultramarine is more transparent, but a color like yellow ocre is more opaque. To maybe dull down the blue in the phthalo blue, try adding an orange color maybe that will help, too.
You can get a prepared gray color from "Payne's Gray" and there is a watercolor called "neutral tint".
Check out Jerry's Artarama and its watercolor paint section. There are online approximations of the colors that might help you find a good replacement.
Also, there is an excellent online artist community, wetcanvas, with currently more than 99,000 worldwide members. Basic membership is free, and there is a watercolor forum and there may be more artists who primarily use watercolors that might also be able to really offer you some help.
Hope this helps!
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