Candle niche: amber on iron grayBlack vault, charcoal stone wall, iron gray niche, bone wax, amber flame.
Cobweb arch: gold on silverBlack arch shadow, dark gray stone, silver cobwebs, dusty violet grate light, gold candle flame.
Dripping vault: scarlet on dusty blueMidnight blue ceiling, dark teal puddle, dusty blue wet wall, silver drip, scarlet wax seal.
Dusty crown: pale gold on boneCharcoal shelf, dark gray crown, bone film of dust, plum velvet, pale gold polished jewel.
Guttering torch: ember orange on oliveBlack passage, dark olive damp wall, olive moss, tan torch handle, ember orange flame.
Iron gate: rust on moss greenBlack passage beyond, dark gray bars, moss green step, silver lock, rust hinges.
Sealed door: crimson on khakiBlack doorway, raw umber oak, khaki dust, bone carved letters, crimson wax seal.
Stone knight: ember orange on grayCharcoal alcove, iron gray carved armor, gray stone face, bone plinth, ember orange brazier coals.
Sunken stair: pale gold on dusty tealBlack water below, dark teal steps, dusty teal wet stone, sage green lichen, pale gold lantern.
Warden's keys: rust on tanDark brown door, charcoal iron bands, tan old rope, iron gray keys, rust oldest key.
Show all 40 palettes (30 more)
Moonlit marsh and forest 10
Bog road: rust on oliveCharcoal sky, dark olive bog, olive tussocks, tan plank road, rust dead bracken.
Hermit window: amber on dusty greenBlack night, forest green wood, dusty green ferns, bone birch trunk, amber window.
Hollow oak: ember orange on moss greenDark brown hollow, raw umber bark, moss green root, khaki shelf fungus, ember orange fire inside.
Low red moon: crimson on dusty tealMidnight blue sky, forest green pines, dusty teal mist, gray reed tips, crimson moon.
Marsh lantern: amber on moss greenBlack water, dark olive reeds, moss green bank, sage green mist, amber lantern.
Mist on the mere: pale gold on silverDark teal deep water, dusty teal shallows, silver mist, dusty blue far shore, pale gold moon path.
Ravens in a tree: scarlet on grayBlack ravens, dark gray bare branches, gray fog, sage green lichen, scarlet berries.
Stone ring: ember orange on silverMidnight blue sky, iron gray stones, moss green turf, silver moonlit edges, ember orange signal fire.
Sunken chapel: amber on sage greenCharcoal tower, dark teal marsh water, sage green duckweed, gray mist, amber lit window.
Thorn thicket: scarlet on dusty greenBlack gaps, dark olive thorns, dusty green leaves, burgundy old stems, scarlet rose hips.
Battlefield at dusk 10
Beacon hill: amber on iron grayMidnight blue east sky, dark olive hill, iron gray tower, dusty blue haze, amber beacon.
Crows at dusk: rust on oliveBlack crows, dusty violet sky, olive trampled grass, tan broken cart, rust low sun.
Herald horn: crimson on silverDark brown horn, plum dusk sky, silver horn rim, khaki tabard, crimson pennant.
Muddy ford: amber on dusty tealDark teal river, raw umber mud, dusty teal ripples, gray far smoke, amber sunset on the water.
Pennant ridge: scarlet on sage greenCharcoal ridge, dusty violet sky, sage green field, silver pennant poles, scarlet pennants.
Picket line: gold on moss greenDark brown horses, raw umber rope posts, moss green grass, silver breath in cold air, gold last light.
Siege camp: pale gold on oliveCharcoal smoke, iron gray far wall, olive camp ground, bone tent rows, pale gold cook fires.
Torn banner: scarlet on dusty greenCharcoal smoke sky, iron gray pole, dusty green field, bone banner cloth, scarlet banner device.
War drum: scarlet on tanDark brown drum shell, raw umber straps, tan drum skin, dark gray shadow, scarlet tassels.
Watch fire: ember orange on khakiBlack night edge, dark brown mud, khaki tents, gray smoke, ember orange fire.
Throne room 10
Banner hall: amber on grayDark brown beams, burgundy banners, gray stone, bone window light, amber torches.
Brazier row: ember orange on plumBlack ceiling, dark gray pillars, plum carpet, silver chains, ember orange coals.
Candle wheel: pale gold on raw umberBlack rafters, dark brown chain, raw umber wooden ring, tan wax, pale gold flames.
Cracked dais: rust on moss greenCharcoal floor, iron gray dais, moss green creeping weeds, bone dusty light, rust fallen curtain.
Empty throne: gold on iron grayBlack hall, charcoal steps, iron gray throne, dusty violet canopy, gold crown on the seat.
Green marble: gold on dusty greenDark teal floor, forest green pillars, dusty green veining, gray steps, gold inlay.
Lancet window: crimson on dusty violetMidnight blue wall, dusty blue glass, dusty violet glass shadow, silver leading, crimson center pane.
Queen in gray: scarlet on silverCharcoal backdrop, dusty teal gown, silver fur trim, bone collar, scarlet ring.
Tapestry wall: amber on khakiBurgundy border, dark olive wall, olive tapestry field, khaki worn patches, amber candle stand.
Winter court: ember orange on silverMidnight blue windows, dusty blue frost, silver ice on the throne, gray stone, ember orange hearth fire.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09: palettes of five colors for dark fantasy pictures, sorted by place (a crypt, a moonlit marsh or forest, a battlefield at dusk, a throne room). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and part is our own choice; nothing is sampled from a book cover, a film, a show or a game, none is named, and the page states no outside fact. How a strip is ordered: the darkest color first, each color named for its part of one small scene, the one accent last; the name gives that accent and the muted color it sits on. Our own tests, not a standard: the first color is the darkest (WCAG relative luminance, the formula at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html) and has an HSL lightness of 20 percent or less; each of the first four colors has a saturation of 45 percent or less; the last is the only strong color (a saturation over 55 percent with a lightness between 30 and 85), has a hue from 340 degrees around to 50 (red through orange to gold: an ember, a flame or a red moon) and reaches 3 to 1 against the first color; no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab; no two palettes share four codes. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-09: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, 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, pencils or ink, take the nearest color. Licence: own work
How it works
A dark fantasy color palette here is mostly dark and muted: blacks, iron grays, olive and moss greens. One color is allowed to burn, an ember, a flame or a red moon, and it comes last on the strip.
Read the full guide
Four places
Crypt is stone and candle wax: black, charcoal, iron gray and bone. Moonlit marsh and forest is where the greens live, dark olive, moss and sage over black water. Battlefield at dusk is mud and canvas, dark brown, raw umber and khaki under smoke. Throne room is stone again, with silver, plum and dusty violet for cloth and glass.
Keep the accent small
The first four colors of a strip stay under half strength, and the first is always the darkest. Give the accent the smallest shape in the picture: a flame, a wax seal, one lit window.
Questions and answers
What colors are dark fantasy?
Most strips here start from black or charcoal, then add iron gray, silver and bone, with greens such as dark olive #373A1D, moss green #536A3E and sage green #8CA583. The accents are amber, ember orange, scarlet, rust, crimson and two golds.
What accent color goes with dark greens and grays?
A warm one. Amber #F9AF10 is the accent here most often, then ember orange #F55F14 and scarlet #E12C14. Each reaches a contrast of 3 to 1 or more against the darkest color of its strip.
What colors make a moonlit marsh?
Mist on the mere: dark teal deep water, dusty teal shallows, silver mist, a dusty blue far shore and a pale gold moon path. Low red moon swaps the gold for crimson over forest green pines.