Fireflies: pale green on forest greenPine green outline, clearly darker than the pale green figure. Leaf green and lemon details, forest green behind.#133929 · #C0EAB8 · #5EB234 · #FBEF51 · #235C36
Circus ring: scarlet on royal blueBlack outline, darker than the scarlet figure. Gold and white details, royal blue behind.
Fire station: red on pale blueSoft black outline, darker than the red figure. Yellow and silver details, pale blue behind.
Flying hero: red on pale grayBlue-black outline, darker than the red figure. Bright blue and lemon details, pale gray behind.
Lift-off: white on azureSoft black outline, far darker than the white figure. Scarlet and silver details, azure behind.
Pet parade: orange on lemonBlack outline, clearly darker than the orange figure. Leaf green and hot pink details, lemon behind.
Seaside game: orange on pale yellowDark brown outline, darker than the orange figure. Azure and white details, pale yellow behind.
Sunny park: yellow on sky blueBlack outline, far darker than the yellow figure. Red and blue details, sky blue behind.
Toy box: bright blue on creamInk blue outline, darker than the bright blue figure. Scarlet and gold details, cream behind.
Show all 48 palettes (40 more)
Soft pastels 8
Bath duck: butter on pale cyanLeather brown outline, darker than the butter figure. Apricot and white details, pale cyan behind.
Bunny picnic: pale pink on pale blueCocoa outline, clearly darker than the pale pink figure. Mint and butter details, pale blue behind.
Cloud kingdom: snow white on sky blueIndigo outline, clearly darker than the snow white figure. Lilac and pale pink details, sky blue behind.
Ice cream cart: pink on pale aquaBrown outline, darker than the pink figure. Vanilla and mint details, pale aqua behind.
Little dragon: pale green on pale lavenderGrape outline, clearly darker than the pale green figure. Lilac and pale yellow details, pale lavender behind.
Sleepy kitten: silver on pale lilacDark gray outline, darker than the silver figure. Blush and powder blue details, pale lilac behind.
Spring lamb: ivory on pale blueUmber outline, clearly darker than the ivory figure. Pale green and pink details, pale blue behind.
Tea party: rose pink on pale peachPlum outline, darker than the rose pink figure. Cream and seafoam details, pale peach behind.
Two or three inks 8
Blue pen strip: white on ice blueInk blue outline, far darker than the white figure. Pale blue and azure details, ice blue behind.
Bouncy dance: ivory on sandCharcoal outline, clearly darker than the ivory figure. Warm gray and amber details, sand behind.
Green ink imp: pale mint on pale greenPine green outline, clearly darker than the pale mint figure. Lime and white details, pale green behind.
Newsprint gag: bone on strawSoft black outline, far darker than the bone figure. Silver and yellow details, straw behind.
Old-time reel: white on dark grayBlack outline, far darker than the white figure. Pale gray and gray details, dark gray behind.
Purple ink mouse: pale lilac on lavenderDeep purple outline, clearly darker than the pale lilac figure. Amethyst and pearl white details, lavender behind.
Red spot gag: chalk white on pale grayBlack outline, far darker than the chalk white figure. Steel gray and scarlet details, pale gray behind.
Sepia short: cream on wheatDark brown outline, far darker than the cream figure. Tan and caramel details, wheat behind.
Flat mid-century 8
Atomic kitchen: aqua on mustardWalnut outline, clearly darker than the aqua figure. Coral and ivory details, mustard behind.
City bus: ochre on oliveSoft black outline, darker than the ochre figure. Steel blue and bone details, olive behind.
Family car: terracotta on pale aquaDark brown outline, darker than the terracotta figure. Sage and butter details, pale aqua behind.
Jazz cat: mustard on burnt orangeCharcoal outline, darker than the mustard figure. Turquoise and cream details, burnt orange behind.
Record shop: pumpkin on old goldCharcoal outline, darker than the pumpkin figure. Aqua and cream details, old gold behind.
Seaside poster: apricot on turquoiseNavy outline, clearly darker than the apricot figure. Sage and ivory details, turquoise behind.
Sunday picnic: coral on sageUmber outline, darker than the coral figure. Mustard and linen details, sage behind.
Tin robot: orange on khakiMidnight blue outline, darker than the orange figure. Silver and turquoise details, khaki behind.
Spooky 8
Bat attic: mauve on plumSoft black outline, darker than the mauve figure. Tan and pale gray details, plum behind.
Broomstick cat: steel gray on plumBlack outline, darker than the steel gray figure. Lime and orange details, plum behind.
Creaky mansion: amethyst on deep violetBlack outline, darker than the amethyst figure. Lime and pale yellow details, deep violet behind.
Monster lab: bright green on slate blueCharcoal outline, darker than the bright green figure. Pale cyan and hot pink details, slate blue behind.
Porch pumpkin: pumpkin on indigoDark brown outline, darker than the pumpkin figure. Leaf green and pale yellow details, indigo behind.
Shy ghost: white on grapeDeep indigo outline, far darker than the white figure. Pale aqua and orange details, grape behind.
Skeleton band: bone on deep tealBlack outline, far darker than the bone figure. Bright green and violet details, deep teal behind.
Swamp monster: lime on tealPine green outline, clearly darker than the lime figure. Leaf green and lemon details, teal behind.
Night scenes 8
Alley cat: warm gray on deep indigoBlack outline, darker than the warm gray figure. Terracotta and pale yellow details, deep indigo behind.
Campfire: ember orange on navyBlue-black outline, darker than the ember orange figure. Tan and pale gold details, navy behind.
Chimney tops: amber on midnight blueBlack outline, clearly darker than the amber figure. Slate blue and pale yellow details, midnight blue behind.
Fireflies: pale green on forest greenPine green outline, clearly darker than the pale green figure. Leaf green and lemon details, forest green behind.
Sleeper train: scarlet on deep blueSoft black outline, darker than the scarlet figure. Silver and lemon details, deep blue behind.
Sleepover: lavender on indigoInk blue outline, clearly darker than the lavender figure. Butter and pink details, indigo behind.
Tugboat at night: white on denimBlue-black outline, far darker than the white figure. Red and yellow details, denim behind.
Wide-eyed owl: tan on deep blueDark brown outline, darker than the tan figure. Cream and amber details, deep blue behind.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-01: palettes of five colors in the order a flat cartoon picture is colored: the outline first, then three flat fills (the first of them for the main figure), then the background. Every palette, name, color word, hex code and scene is our own; a group is a look, and no show, studio, channel or character is named or copied. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and 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, the outline is the darkest color of its palette (WCAG relative luminance, https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html) and contrasts with each of the three fills by 3 to 1 or more, a figure that is ours and no standard; the line says the outline is far darker than the figure at 12 to 1 or more, clearly darker from 7 to 1 and darker below that. No two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab, no two palettes share four colors, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint or pencils, take the nearest color. Licence: own work
How it works
A cartoon palette here is five colors in the order a flat cartoon picture is colored: the outline, three flat fills and the background. Each comes as swatches with hex codes.
Read the full guide
Read the strip from the top
The top swatch is the outline, always the darkest color. The next fills the main figure, two more fill the details, and the last is the background. The line under the name says how much darker the outline is than the figure.
Pick a look
A menu under the button keeps to one look: bright primaries, soft pastels, two or three inks, flat mid-century, spooky, or night scenes. For a subject, see cartoon things to draw.
Questions and answers
What colors are used in cartoons?
It depends on the look. Here the bright primaries are mostly reds, yellows and blues with a near-black outline, the pastels take a brown, gray, indigo or purple outline, and each ink look keeps to black, one ink color, or black with a spot color.
What color should a cartoon outline be?
On this list, darker than everything it surrounds. Every outline here is the darkest color of its palette and contrasts with each fill by 3 to 1 or more. They are blacks, dark grays, dark browns, dark blues, dark greens and dark purples.
What is a flat color?
A shape filled with one even color, with no shading and no blend. The three fills of each palette are meant to be used that way, inside the outline.
Are these palettes from real cartoons?
No. Every palette was made up for this list around a look and a scene, such as a sunny park or a creaky mansion. No show, studio or character is named or copied.