48 palettes

Analogous and Complementary Colors for Every Hue

Press the button for one strip of four: a color, its two neighbors and its opposite, with hex codes.

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Red-orange with red and orange, and blue-green, all mutedThe clay rooftops of an old town in the first three colors. One muted blue-green shutter is the accent.#C26847 · #B24D5A · #B88151 · #50958C

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Red 4

Red with red-violet and red-orange, and green A bowl of cherries and plums in the first three colors. One green leaf on a stalk is the accent.
Red with red-violet and red-orange, and green, all deep A heavy velvet stage curtain in the first three colors. One deep green tassel is the accent.
Red with red-violet and red-orange, and green, all muted A faded brick wall in the first three colors. One muted green door is the accent.
Red with red-violet and red-orange, and green, all pale Blossom filling the page in the first three colors. One pale green bud is the accent.

Red-orange 4

Red-orange with red and orange, and blue-green The flames of a campfire in the first three colors. One blue-green tent behind them is the accent.
Red-orange with red and orange, and blue-green, all deep A heap of fallen leaves in the first three colors. One deep blue-green rubber boot is the accent.
Red-orange with red and orange, and blue-green, all muted The clay rooftops of an old town in the first three colors. One muted blue-green shutter is the accent.
Red-orange with red and orange, and blue-green, all pale A sky at sunrise in the first three colors. One pale blue-green sail is the accent.

Show all 48 palettes (40 more)

Orange 4

Orange with red-orange and yellow-orange, and blue A crate of oranges and tangerines in the first three colors. One blue ribbon is the accent.
Orange with red-orange and yellow-orange, and blue, all deep A market stall of squashes in the first three colors. One deep blue jug is the accent.
Orange with red-orange and yellow-orange, and blue, all muted Sand dunes at noon in the first three colors. One small traveler in muted blue is the accent.
Orange with red-orange and yellow-orange, and blue, all pale A glass of melting peach sorbet in the first three colors. One pale blue spoon is the accent.

Yellow-orange 4

Yellow-orange with orange and yellow, and blue-violet A field of marigolds in the first three colors. One blue-violet butterfly is the accent.
Yellow-orange with orange and yellow, and blue-violet, all deep Jars of honey on a shelf in the first three colors. One deep blue-violet lid is the accent.
Yellow-orange with orange and yellow, and blue-violet, all muted A field of ripe wheat in the first three colors. One muted blue-violet bird is the accent.
Yellow-orange with orange and yellow, and blue-violet, all pale A stack of buttered pancakes in the first three colors. One pale blue-violet napkin is the accent.

Yellow 4

Yellow with yellow-orange and yellow-green, and violet A pile of lemons and bananas in the first three colors. One violet fig is the accent.
Yellow with yellow-orange and yellow-green, and violet, all deep The horns of a brass band in the first three colors. One deep violet cap is the accent.
Yellow with yellow-orange and yellow-green, and violet, all muted Dry grass on a hillside in the first three colors. One muted violet thistle is the accent.
Yellow with yellow-orange and yellow-green, and violet, all pale A huddle of fluffy chicks in the first three colors. One pale violet flower is the accent.

Yellow-green 4

Yellow-green with yellow and green, and red-violet New leaves on a branch in the first three colors. One red-violet blossom is the accent.
Yellow-green with yellow and green, and red-violet, all deep A mossy forest floor in the first three colors. One deep red-violet berry is the accent.
Yellow-green with yellow and green, and red-violet, all muted An olive grove on a dry hillside in the first three colors. One muted red-violet picnic rug is the accent.
Yellow-green with yellow and green, and red-violet, all pale Sliced pears and melon on a plate in the first three colors. One pale red-violet petal is the accent.

Green 4

Green with yellow-green and blue-green, and red A meadow of long grass in the first three colors. One red poppy is the accent.
Green with yellow-green and blue-green, and red, all deep A fir wood on a steep slope in the first three colors. One deep red cabin roof is the accent.
Green with yellow-green and blue-green, and red, all muted A vegetable patch of cabbages in the first three colors. One muted red watering can is the accent.
Green with yellow-green and blue-green, and red, all pale Hills in morning mist in the first three colors. One pale red kite is the accent.

Blue-green 4

Blue-green with green and blue, and red-orange Clear sea over a reef in the first three colors. One red-orange fish is the accent.
Blue-green with green and blue, and red-orange, all deep A kelp forest under water in the first three colors. One deep red-orange starfish is the accent.
Blue-green with green and blue, and red-orange, all muted Waves under a gray sky in the first three colors. One muted red-orange buoy is the accent.
Blue-green with green and blue, and red-orange, all pale A frozen lake in the first three colors. One skater's pale red-orange scarf is the accent.

Blue 4

Blue with blue-green and blue-violet, and orange Ripples over the tiled floor of a pool in the first three colors. One orange pool noodle is the accent.
Blue with blue-green and blue-violet, and orange, all deep The sea at night in the first three colors. One deep orange lamp on a boat is the accent.
Blue with blue-green and blue-violet, and orange, all muted Wet sidewalks and puddles in the first three colors. One muted orange umbrella is the accent.
Blue with blue-green and blue-violet, and orange, all pale A winter sky with thin cloud in the first three colors. One low, pale orange sun is the accent.

Blue-violet 4

Blue-violet with blue and violet, and yellow-orange The sky just after sunset in the first three colors. One yellow-orange lit window is the accent.
Blue-violet with blue and violet, and yellow-orange, all deep The dark between the stars in the first three colors. One deep yellow-orange comet is the accent.
Blue-violet with blue and violet, and yellow-orange, all muted Far mountains at dusk in the first three colors. One muted yellow-orange campfire is the accent.
Blue-violet with blue and violet, and yellow-orange, all pale A wood full of bluebells in the first three colors. One pale yellow-orange bee is the accent.

Violet (purple) 4

Violet with blue-violet and red-violet, and yellow A vase of irises in the first three colors. One yellow butterfly on a petal is the accent.
Violet with blue-violet and red-violet, and yellow, all deep A bunch of dark grapes in the first three colors. One deep yellow vine leaf is the accent.
Violet with blue-violet and red-violet, and yellow, all muted A field of lavender in the first three colors. One muted yellow straw hat is the accent.
Violet with blue-violet and red-violet, and yellow, all pale Lilac bushes in flower in the first three colors. One pale yellow moth is the accent.

Red-violet 4

Red-violet with violet and red, and yellow-green A bed of petunias in the first three colors. One yellow-green caterpillar is the accent.
Red-violet with violet and red, and yellow-green, all deep Beets and red cabbage on a cutting board in the first three colors. One deep yellow-green leaf is the accent.
Red-violet with violet and red, and yellow-green, all muted A faded patchwork quilt in the first three colors. One muted yellow-green patch is the accent.
Red-violet with violet and red, and yellow-green, all pale Sticks of cotton candy at a fair in the first three colors. One pale yellow-green ticket is the accent.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-01: for each of the twelve hues of the painter's color wheel, the hue, its two neighbors (the analogous three) and the hue opposite (its complement), at four strengths. The hues are worked out from places on the wheel (one step either side, and six steps across). The subject under each name is our own idea for a picture, not a rule. Checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia, Color scheme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_scheme): an analogous scheme is a base color and the two colors 30 and 330 degrees from it, an accented analogous scheme adds the complement as the accent, and fully saturated complementary colors give the most contrast; and Complementary colors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors): in the traditional red, yellow and blue model the complement of blue is orange, and in the red, green and blue model of a screen it is yellow. The hex codes are the wheel table of our Art Color Challenge list, chosen for a screen; with paint or pencils, take the nearest color. Licence: own work

How it works

Analogous and complementary colors are the neighbors and the opposites on the color wheel. Each strip here shows both for one hue: the color, its two neighbors, then its opposite, with an idea for a picture that uses them.

Read the full guide

Read the strip

The top three swatches are the analogous colors: one hue with a neighbor on each side. The bottom one is the complement, straight across the wheel. A menu under the button lists the hues, each at full strength, pale, deep and muted.

Three for the picture, one for the accent

The line under each name gives a subject, such as a meadow of long grass in the first three colors with one red poppy. Keep the fourth color small. For a complementary color drawing, use only the top swatch and the bottom one.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between complementary and analogous colors?

Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, such as green, yellow-green and blue-green, and look alike. Complementary colors are opposites, such as green and red, and at full strength give the strongest contrast.

What is an analogous complementary color scheme?

Three neighboring colors plus the opposite of the middle one. It is also called accented analogous: the three similar colors do most of the picture and the opposite is the accent.

What is complementary color harmony?

A scheme of two colors from opposite sides of the color wheel. On each strip here the top swatch and the bottom one are such a pair, so complementary harmony is on every strip.

What are examples of analogous colors?

Any three in a row on the wheel: red, red-orange and orange; yellow, yellow-green and green; blue, blue-violet and violet.

What is the complementary color of blue?

Orange, on the painter's wheel taught in art class. A screen mixes light, not paint, and on its wheel the opposite of blue is yellow.