110 palettes

Art Color Challenge: One Limited Palette to Draw With

Press the button for one limited palette, shown as a strip of swatches with its hex codes.

All 110

Orange and deep tealDeep teal takes the most room and is also your black. Orange is the accent and the only light.#F97D10 · #0F5457

Next step Draw a colour wheel to check it Get a subject for this palette

All 110 palettes

One colour 24

Aubergine, dusty violet and pale lilac grey Dusty violet fills most of the page, pale lilac grey is the light, and aubergine does the work of black.
Bronze, ochre and cream Ochre fills most of the page, cream is the light, and bronze does the work of black.
Burnt red, vermilion and pale coral Vermilion fills most of the page, pale coral is the light, and burnt red does the work of black.
Chestnut, clay and sand Clay fills most of the page, sand is the light, and chestnut does the work of black.
Dark amber, amber and pale amber Amber fills most of the page, pale amber is the light, and dark amber does the work of black.
Dark green, green and mint Green fills most of the page, mint is the light, and dark green does the work of black.
Dark indigo, indigo and periwinkle Indigo fills most of the page, periwinkle is the light, and dark indigo does the work of black.
Dark lime, lime and pale lime Lime fills most of the page, pale lime is the light, and dark lime does the work of black.

Show all 110 palettes (102 more)

One colour, continued

Dark magenta, magenta and pale orchid Magenta fills most of the page, pale orchid is the light, and dark magenta does the work of black.
Dark mustard, mustard and ivory Mustard fills most of the page, ivory is the light, and dark mustard does the work of black.
Dark orange, orange and pale peach Orange fills most of the page, pale peach is the light, and dark orange does the work of black.
Dark red, bright red and pale pink Bright red fills most of the page, pale pink is the light, and dark red does the work of black.
Dark violet, violet and lilac Violet fills most of the page, lilac is the light, and dark violet does the work of black.
Deep sea green, dusty teal and sea mist Dusty teal fills most of the page, sea mist is the light, and deep sea green does the work of black.
Deep teal, teal and pale turquoise Teal fills most of the page, pale turquoise is the light, and deep teal does the work of black.
Ink blue, denim and powder blue Denim fills most of the page, powder blue is the light, and ink blue does the work of black.
Midnight, dusk blue and lavender grey Dusk blue fills most of the page, lavender grey is the light, and midnight does the work of black.
Navy, blue and ice blue Blue fills most of the page, ice blue is the light, and navy does the work of black.
Old gold, yellow and pale lemon Yellow fills most of the page, pale lemon is the light, and old gold does the work of black.
Olive, moss green and pale moss Moss green fills most of the page, pale moss is the light, and olive does the work of black.
Pine green, sage and pale sage Sage fills most of the page, pale sage is the light, and pine green does the work of black.
Plum, mulberry and mauve Mulberry fills most of the page, mauve is the light, and plum does the work of black.
Rust, terracotta and shell pink Terracotta fills most of the page, shell pink is the light, and rust does the work of black.
Wine, dusty red and blush Dusty red fills most of the page, blush is the light, and wine does the work of black.

Two colours 24

Amber and indigo Indigo takes the most room and is also your black. Amber is the accent and the only light.
Bright red and dark green Dark green takes the most room and is also your black. Bright red is the accent and the only light.
Clay and periwinkle Periwinkle takes the most room and is your light. Clay is the accent and stands in for black.
Coral and dark green Dark green takes the most room and is also your black. Coral is the accent and the only light.
Dusty red and sea mist Sea mist takes the most room and is your light. Dusty red is the accent and stands in for black.
Gold and ink blue Ink blue takes the most room and is also your black. Gold is the accent and the only light.
Lemon and dark indigo Dark indigo takes the most room and is also your black. Lemon is the accent and the only light.
Lilac and olive Lilac takes the most room and is your light. Olive is the accent and stands in for black.
Lime and dark magenta Dark magenta takes the most room and is also your black. Lime is the accent and the only light.
Mint and mulberry Mint takes the most room and is your light. Mulberry is the accent and stands in for black.
Mustard and plum Plum takes the most room and is also your black. Mustard is the accent and the only light.
Ochre and periwinkle Periwinkle takes the most room and is your light. Ochre is the accent and stands in for black.
Olive and mauve Mauve takes the most room and is your light. Olive is the accent and stands in for black.
Orange and deep teal Deep teal takes the most room and is also your black. Orange is the accent and the only light.
Orange and navy Navy takes the most room and is also your black. Orange is the accent and the only light.
Pale amber and aubergine Pale amber takes the most room and is your light. Aubergine is the accent and stands in for black.
Pale lemon and violet Pale lemon takes the most room and is your light. Violet is the accent and stands in for black.
Pale lime and dark violet Dark violet takes the most room and is also your black. Pale lime is the accent and the only light.
Pale pink and pine green Pale pink takes the most room and is your light. Pine green is the accent and stands in for black.
Peach and blue Peach takes the most room and is your light. Blue is the accent and stands in for black.
Rust and powder blue Powder blue takes the most room and is your light. Rust is the accent and stands in for black.
Terracotta and pale turquoise Pale turquoise takes the most room and is your light. Terracotta is the accent and stands in for black.
Vermilion and deep teal Deep teal takes the most room and is also your black. Vermilion is the accent and the only light.
Yellow and aubergine Aubergine takes the most room and is also your black. Yellow is the accent and the only light.

Three colours 24

Amber, deep teal and pale orchid Deep teal takes the most room and is also your black. Amber is the accent.
Blush, mustard and denim Blush takes the most room, mustard is the accent, and denim stands in for black.
Bright red, pale lemon and navy Navy takes the most room and is also your black. Bright red is the accent.
Bright red, pale lime and deep teal Deep teal takes the most room and is also your black. Bright red is the accent.
Coral, pine green and ice blue Ice blue takes the most room, coral is the accent, and pine green stands in for black.
Dark orange, amber and pale lemon Pale lemon takes the most room. Dark orange is the accent and also stands in for black.
Green, plum and shell pink Shell pink takes the most room, green is the accent, and plum stands in for black.
Lilac, magenta and wine Lilac takes the most room, magenta is the accent, and wine stands in for black.
Magenta, dark red and pale coral Dark red takes the most room and is also your black. Magenta is the accent.
Mint, teal and navy Teal takes the most room, mint is the accent, and navy stands in for black.
Moss green, mint and deep teal Moss green takes the most room, mint is the accent, and deep teal stands in for black.
Navy, terracotta and pale amber Navy takes the most room and is also your black. Terracotta is the accent.
Old gold, pale lime and pine green Pine green takes the most room and is also your black. Pale lime is the accent.
Orange, dark green and lilac Dark green takes the most room and is also your black. Orange is the accent.
Orange, sea mist and indigo Sea mist takes the most room, orange is the accent, and indigo stands in for black.
Pale peach, sage and aubergine Sage takes the most room. Aubergine is the accent and also stands in for black.
Pale turquoise, blue and midnight Blue takes the most room, pale turquoise is the accent, and midnight stands in for black.
Periwinkle, violet and plum Periwinkle takes the most room, violet is the accent, and plum stands in for black.
Powder blue, dusk blue and dark violet Dusk blue takes the most room, powder blue is the accent, and dark violet stands in for black.
Rust, orange and pale amber Pale amber takes the most room, orange is the accent, and rust stands in for black.
Teal, wine and pale peach Pale peach takes the most room, teal is the accent, and wine stands in for black.
Vermilion, pale lime and dark indigo Dark indigo takes the most room and is also your black. Vermilion is the accent.
Violet, pale amber and olive Pale amber takes the most room, violet is the accent, and olive stands in for black.
Yellow, dark indigo and mulberry Dark indigo takes the most room and is also your black. Yellow is the accent.

Four or five colours 24

Aubergine, mustard, dusty teal and sand Dusty teal takes the most room, mustard is the accent, and aubergine stands in for black.
Burnt orange, olive, sand and dark brown Sand takes the most room, burnt orange is the accent, and dark brown stands in for black.
Chestnut, gold, sage and cream Cream takes the most room, gold is the accent, and chestnut stands in for black.
Coral, navy, sand and white Sand takes the most room, coral is the accent, and navy stands in for black.
Dark green, terracotta, cream and charcoal Cream takes the most room, terracotta is the accent, and charcoal stands in for black.
Dark violet, lime, pale turquoise and charcoal Pale turquoise takes the most room, lime is the accent, and dark violet stands in for black.
Denim, clay, cream and charcoal Denim takes the most room, clay is the accent, and charcoal stands in for black.
Dusty red, green, gold, cream and ink blue Green takes the most room, gold is the accent, and ink blue stands in for black.
Dusty rose, pine green, ivory and plum Ivory takes the most room, dusty rose is the accent, and plum stands in for black.
Indigo, amber, cream and rust Indigo takes the most room and is also your black. Amber is the accent.
Lilac, pale lime, peach and slate Lilac takes the most room, peach is the accent, and slate stands in for black.
Magenta, teal, yellow and black Teal takes the most room, yellow is the accent, and black does the darks.
Mustard, sage, ivory and charcoal Sage takes the most room, mustard is the accent, and charcoal stands in for black.
Navy, bright red, white and sand White takes the most room, bright red is the accent, and navy stands in for black.
Orange, pink, violet and navy Violet takes the most room, orange is the accent, and navy stands in for black.
Peach, terracotta, olive, cream and ink blue Peach takes the most room, terracotta is the accent, and ink blue stands in for black.
Periwinkle, lemon, vermilion and white Periwinkle takes the most room. Vermilion is the accent and also stands in for black.
Pine green, pale pink, gold and ivory Pine green takes the most room and is also your black. Gold is the accent.
Plum, ochre, pale pink and slate Pale pink takes the most room, ochre is the accent, and plum stands in for black.
Powder blue, dusty red, ivory and slate Powder blue takes the most room, dusty red is the accent, and slate stands in for black.
Rust, dusty teal, cream and ink blue Cream takes the most room, rust is the accent, and ink blue stands in for black.
Sky blue, lemon, vermilion and navy Sky blue takes the most room, vermilion is the accent, and navy stands in for black.
Sky blue, navy, ochre, white and rust Sky blue takes the most room, rust is the accent, and navy stands in for black.
Teal, mustard, coral, cream and charcoal Cream takes the most room, coral is the accent, and charcoal stands in for black.

Dares 14

Black and orange Two flat colours and no blending. Black takes the most room, and orange is both the accent and the light.
Charcoal, dark grey, silver and white Greys only. Silver takes the most room, white is the accent, and charcoal is your black.
Charcoal, silver and vermilion Two greys and one bright. Silver takes the most room, charcoal is your black, vermilion goes in once.
Dark brown, clay, sand and white Brown paper colours. Sand takes the most room, clay is the accent, dark brown stands in for black.
Dark red, orange, amber and pale lemon Warm colours only. Amber takes the most room, pale lemon is the accent, dark red stands in for black.
Magenta, vermilion, lime and dark indigo Three colours that fight. Dark indigo takes the most room and is your black; let lime win in one place.
Navy, ivory and gold Two plain colours and one metal. Ivory takes the most room, gold is the accent, and navy is your black.
Navy, teal, mint and lilac Cool colours only. Teal takes the most room, lilac is the accent, navy stands in for black.
Navy, wine and dark green No light at all. Forest green takes the most room, wine is the accent, and navy is your black.
Pale lime, violet and orange Three that fight. Pale lime takes the most room, orange is the accent, violet stands in for black.
Peach, sky blue and ivory No dark at all. Ivory takes the most room, peach is the accent, and sky blue is the nearest thing to black.
Sea mist, pink and lemon No dark at all. Sea mist takes the most room, lemon is the accent, and pink has to do the shadows.
Slate, grey, pale grey and yellow All greys and one bright. Pale grey takes the most room, slate is your black, yellow goes in one place.
Teal and white One colour and the paper. White takes the most room, and teal is both the accent and your black.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-01: limited palettes of one to five colours, each with its hex codes and our own line on which colour takes the most room, which is the accent and which stands in for black. Every palette, colour name, hex value and line is our own; the hex values were chosen so that a swatch can be shown, and a screen colour is only a target for paint or pencils. Checked: every code is #RRGGBB, no palette and no name repeats, the three colours of a One colour palette share one hue, any two colours of a palette differ either in lightness (a contrast ratio of 1.3 or more by the WCAG relative-luminance formula) or plainly in hue (40 or more apart in CIE Lab, and never under 18), and the colour a line calls the stand-in for black is the darkest of its palette. The scheme of each palette is worked out on the painter's twelve-hue colour wheel (red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue, blue-violet, violet, red-violet) and was checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia, Color scheme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_scheme: a monochromatic scheme is the shades, tints and tones of one hue; a complementary scheme is two colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel; a split-complementary scheme is a base colour and the two colours 150 and 210 degrees from it; analogous colours are adjacent on the wheel; a triadic scheme is three colours 120 degrees apart) and Complementary colors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors: in the traditional red, yellow and blue model the complementary pairs are red and green, yellow and purple, blue and orange). A palette that fits none of these is filed as free: near-opposites, the mixes of four or five and the dares. What a hex code is was checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia, Web colors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_colors: a hex triplet is six hexadecimal digits giving the red, green and blue parts of a colour, each from 00 to FF). Colour names are plain English words: no paint maker, pencil brand or colour-matching system is named, and no palette is named after a film, a game or a studio. No palette wording repeats an entry of the palette lists of the painting challenge generator or the character design generator (checked against every list on the site). Licence: own work

How it works

This art color challenge deals one limited palette: up to five colours as a strip of swatches, each with its hex code. Press Pick another palette and make a whole picture with those colours and nothing else.

Read the full guide

Choose how many colours

A menu under the button sets the size. One colour gives a dark, a mid and a light of one hue, for a one color art challenge. Two colours are opposites or near-opposites on the colour wheel. Three are neighbours, triads or split pairs. Dares bend the rules: greys only for a grayscale drawing challenge, or no dark.

Match the swatches

Type each hex code into the colour picker of a drawing app; after a press, Copy takes the name and the codes together. With pencils, take the nearest to each swatch. The line under the name says which colour takes the most room and which stands in for black. Need a subject? Try the art prompt generator.

Squint at the strip. If two swatches turn the same grey, give one of them the big shapes and the other only small ones.
Decide before you start whether the white of the paper counts. On a one-colour palette it usually should.
Mixing is allowed. Two dealt colours blended together still belong to the palette.

Questions and answers

How does a color palette drawing challenge work?

You are dealt a small set of colours and make a whole picture with them and nothing else. With fewer colours you have to plan the lights and darks first. Any subject and any medium will do.

Is this a random color art challenge?

Yes. Each press draws one palette at random, from the whole list or from the group you picked in the menu. For a stricter challenge, take the first one you are dealt.

What are complementary colours?

Two colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel. On the painter's traditional wheel the pairs are red with green, yellow with purple, blue with orange. Placed side by side, strong opposites give the sharpest contrast.

What is a hex code?

Six characters after a # that give a screen colour as its red, green and blue parts, two characters each. Type or paste the code into the colour picker of a drawing app to get the swatch exactly.

Can I use these palettes with paint or pencils?

Yes. A screen colour is only a target for pigment, so take the nearest pencil or mix towards the swatch. Keep the order of light and dark the same and the palette still works.