Maypole ribbons: red to violetRed, orange, yellow, leaf green, blue and violet. One of each wheel color, all bright.#DA1B1B · #F58019 · #F9DC1F · #5EB234 · #196EE6 · #783BCE
Baby socks: pink to lavenderPink, peach, vanilla, mint, powder blue and lavender. One of each wheel color, all pale.
Bead string: scarlet to violetScarlet, tangerine, lemon, lime, electric blue and violet. One of each wheel color, all bright.
Bunting: cherry red to orchidCherry red, pumpkin, gold, green, azure and orchid. One of each wheel color, all bright.
Chalk sticks: blush to pale lavenderBlush, apricot, straw, pale mint, ice blue and pale lavender. One of each wheel color, all pale.
Clay beads: wine to plumWine, rust, ochre, moss green, denim and plum. One of each wheel color, all earthy.
Harvest table: maroon to plumMaroon, chestnut, old gold, fern green, slate blue and plum. One of each wheel color, all earthy.
Ink bottles: deep red to dark plumDeep red, dark brown, olive, pine green, midnight blue and dark plum. One of each wheel color, all deep.
Marble bag: ruby to purpleRuby, burnt orange, gold, emerald, cobalt and purple. One of each wheel color, all rich, like jewels.
Maypole ribbons: red to violetRed, orange, yellow, leaf green, blue and violet. One of each wheel color, all bright.
Show all 48 palettes (39 more)
One of each wheel color, continued
Mud kitchen: brick red to grapeBrick red, leather brown, bronze, moss green, steel blue and grape. One of each wheel color, all earthy.
Old quilt: dusty pink to mauveDusty pink, clay, wheat, sage, dusty blue and mauve. One of each wheel color, all muted.
Ring tray: crimson to violetCrimson, copper, amber, jade, royal blue and violet. One of each wheel color, all rich, like jewels.
Seed packets: old rose to amethystOld rose, terracotta, khaki, fern green, steel blue and amethyst. One of each wheel color, all muted.
Sherbet straws: pink to pale lilacPink, pale peach, pale gold, pale green, ice blue and pale lilac. One of each wheel color, all pale.
Velvet ribbons: burgundy to deep purpleBurgundy, cocoa, bronze, forest green, navy and deep purple. One of each wheel color, all deep.
Winter scarves: brick red to mauveBrick red, caramel, brass, sage, slate blue and mauve. One of each wheel color, all muted.
Two colors in three values 16
Bark and lichen: green and brownPale green, fern green and dark green; tan, brown and dark brown. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Beach umbrella: teal and yellowPale cyan, turquoise and teal; vanilla, amber and old gold. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Bee on slate: gray and yellowSilver, slate gray and soft black; lemon, honey and ochre. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Bubblegum jeans: pink and bluePale pink, rose and wine; ice blue, azure and deep blue. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Fig and apricot: plum and orangePale lilac, orchid and plum; apricot, pumpkin and cocoa. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Guava half: pink and greenPink, hot pink and mulberry; mint, emerald and pine green. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Harbor buoy: blue and orangePale blue, blue and navy; peach, orange and chestnut. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Koi ripple: orange and tealPale peach, ember orange and rust; pale cyan, teal and deep teal. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Lifeguard chair: red and blueSalmon, scarlet and maroon; pale blue, bright blue and deep indigo. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Night kite: blue and goldSky blue, cobalt and midnight blue; butter, gold and bronze. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Pansy pot: yellow and violetPale yellow, gold and old gold; lavender, violet and deep violet. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Radish bunch: red and greenPale pink, red and deep red; pale green, green and dark green. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Reef shelf: turquoise and coralPale aqua, turquoise and dark teal; blush, coral and brick red. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Rose in ash: gray and rosePale gray, gray and charcoal; rose pink, crimson and burgundy. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Rowboat: brown and blueSand, caramel and dark brown; powder blue, denim and ink blue. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Thistle patch: purple and greenLilac, amethyst and grape; pale mint, jade and forest green. Each color as a light, a mid and a dark.
Three colors, light and dark 16
Berry patch: red, green and indigoRose and wine, leaf green and dark green, pale lavender and indigo. Each color as a light and a dark.
Brick and steel: red, gray and blueBlush and brick red, silver and slate gray, pale blue and cobalt. Each color as a light and a dark.
Crocus thaw: gray, yellow and violetSilver and charcoal, lemon and mustard, lilac and deep purple. Each color as a light and a dark.
Dusk rooftops: orange, blue and purplePale peach and pumpkin, dusty blue and midnight blue, pale lilac and grape. Each color as a light and a dark.
Festival lamps: red, gold and tealCoral and deep red, pale yellow and gold, seafoam and deep teal. Each color as a light and a dark.
Fishing hut: blue, brown and grayPowder blue and denim, sand and brown, pale gray and charcoal. Each color as a light and a dark.
Fruit stall: orange, green and violetPeach and burnt orange, mint and emerald, lavender and deep violet. Each color as a light and a dark.
Lake picnic: yellow, green and blueCream and ochre, pale green and forest green, ice blue and royal blue. Each color as a light and a dark.
Limpet rock: teal, orange and brownAqua and dark teal, apricot and chestnut, linen and cocoa. Each color as a light and a dark.
Peacock fan: purple, teal and roseLilac and purple, pale cyan and deep teal, rose pink and burgundy. Each color as a light and a dark.
Play mat: red, blue and greenPink and red, sky blue and deep blue, pale green and fern green. Each color as a light and a dark.
Rose hedge: red, green and brownSalmon and maroon, pale mint and pine green, wheat and umber. Each color as a light and a dark.
Swim bag: teal, pink and yellowPale aqua and teal, pink and cherry red, pale yellow and mustard. Each color as a light and a dark.
Thunder bloom: plum, gold and grayOrchid and plum, pale gold and brass, pale gray and dark gray. Each color as a light and a dark.
Toy shelf: red, yellow and bluePale pink and crimson, butter and old gold, sky blue and navy. Each color as a light and a dark.
Woodland walk: green, brown and orangeSage and moss green, tan and dark brown, apricot and rust. Each color as a light and a dark.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-02: palettes of exactly six colors, in groups that are each a way six colors can be built. One of each wheel color: a red, an orange, a yellow, a green, a blue and a purple, in that order, all in one tone, which the line names (bright, pale, muted, earthy, deep, or rich). Where a tone has no plain orange or yellow, a clay, a rust, a copper or a brown stands for orange and a gold, an amber, a wheat, a khaki, a brass, an ochre, a bronze or an olive for yellow. No color is called muted on one palette and rich on another. Two colors in three values: a light, a mid and a dark of one color, then the same of a second. Three colors, light and dark: a light and a dark of each of three colors. The tones, the hue range that counts as each wheel color and the size of a step between values are our own lines, not a standard. The six wheel colors were checked on 2026-10-02 against Wikipedia, Color wheel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_wheel): the usual color wheel for artists' paints or pigments has blue, red and yellow primary colors, and their secondaries are green, orange and violet (or purple); and Secondary color (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_color), which gives the same three for the red, yellow and blue model. Color scheme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_scheme): a hexadic scheme uses six colors arranged into three complementary pairs. Complementary colors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors): in the traditional red, yellow and blue model the complementary pairs are red with green, yellow with purple, blue with orange. Every palette, name, color word and hex code is our own, with plain English color words and no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system; one word is one code everywhere on the list. Checked on 2026-10-02: every code is #RRGGBB, no palette and no name repeats, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, each wheel color sits in its own hue range and every color of a wheel palette passes that palette's tone test, each light is lighter than its mid or dark and each mid lighter than its dark by a contrast ratio of 1.5 to 1 or more (WCAG relative luminance, https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html), no two palettes share four colors, no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites, and none shares four of its six codes with a palette on another of those lists. By subset, not only by exact match: no palette here contains a whole palette of the art color challenge or of the four-color palette list. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint or pencils, take the nearest color. Licence: own work
How it works
Each palette is exactly six colors, built one of these ways: one of each wheel color in a single tone, two colors in three values each, or three colors each as a light and a dark.
Read the full guide
How a 6 colors palette is built
One of each wheel color is a red, an orange, a yellow, a green, a blue and a purple, in that order, all in one tone. Two colors in three values runs light, mid, dark for one color, then for the other. Three colors, light and dark, pairs a light and a dark of each.
Pick a build
A menu under the button keeps to one build. The line under the name lists the six in strip order and the codes sit below it, so each result is a 6 color palette with hex codes.
Questions and answers
What are 6 colors that go together?
Take two colors and use each as a light, a mid and a dark, such as pale blue, blue and navy with peach, orange and chestnut. Or take one of each wheel color in the same tone, all pale or all earthy.
What are the six colors of the color wheel?
On the typical artists' wheel the primary colors are red, yellow and blue, and the secondary colors are orange, green and purple, also called violet. The first group on this page holds one of each.
Is a 6 color scheme the same as a hexadic scheme?
Only sometimes. A hexadic scheme is six colors in three complementary pairs. The wheel group fits on the painter's wheel: red with green, yellow with purple, blue with orange. The other groups use two or three colors.