Rose horizon: slate blue over dark plumSlate blue, dusty blue, lavender, rose, dark plum. The rose band is the light; the land in front stays dark plum.#4A6190 · #7F9BBD · #B9A9DC · #E08FA0 · #3A1F3C
Blue hour over fields: navy over blackNavy, dusk blue, slate blue, dusty blue, black. Palest at the horizon; fields and hedges stay black.
Clear and cold: midnight blue over soft blackMidnight blue, cobalt, steel blue, powder blue, soft black. Powder blue low down is the light; roofs stay soft black.
First warm line: navy over blue-blackNavy, slate blue, dusty blue, pale peach, blue-black. One thin pale peach line is the only warmth; the land stays dark.
Frosty blue hour: indigo over slate grayIndigo, steel blue, powder blue, pale blue, slate gray. Light pools above the horizon; the frosted ground is slate gray.
Last stars: ink blue over blue-blackInk blue, midnight blue, deep indigo, dusk blue, blue-black. A little paler low down; the ground stays blue-black.
Sliver moon: midnight blue over dark greenMidnight blue, dusk blue, steel blue, ice blue, dark green. Ice blue is the moon and the bright edge of the sky.
Still lake: deep indigo over ink blueDeep indigo, indigo, slate blue, steel blue, ink blue. The light is doubled in the water; the shore stays dark.
Violet hour: deep indigo over dark plumDeep indigo, violet, dusty violet, lavender, dark plum. A lavender band low in the east; the land is dark plum.
Show all 40 palettes (32 more)
First light 8
Cold pink morning: indigo over ink blueIndigo, violet, pink, pale gold, ink blue. Pale gold is the light, with pink above it; the ground stays ink blue.
Lilac to apricot: dusty violet over dark brownDusty violet, lilac, blush, apricot, dark brown. Apricot at the horizon is the light; the land stays dark brown.
Mauve and coral: dusk blue over soft blackDusk blue, mauve, dusty rose, coral, soft black. Coral burns in a narrow strip; the ground stays soft black.
Pale yellow east: steel blue over pine greenSteel blue, powder blue, pale yellow, pale peach, pine green. The east glows low down; the woods stay dark.
Pastel morning: powder blue over dusty bluePowder blue, pale lavender, pale pink, pale peach, dusty blue. All of it is light; the far hills are the only dark.
Peach line: navy over blue-blackNavy, steel blue, pale blue, peach, blue-black. Peach glows low under a wide pale blue; the ground stays dark.
Pink clouds: clear blue over slate grayClear blue, powder blue, pale pink, salmon, slate gray. Cloud undersides catch the light; the ground is slate gray.
Rose horizon: slate blue over dark plumSlate blue, dusty blue, lavender, rose, dark plum. The rose band is the light; the land in front stays dark plum.
Sunrise 8
Burning east: dusty violet over blackDusty violet, coral, tangerine, bright yellow, black. Bright yellow is the sun itself; the ground is a black silhouette.
First edge of the sun: sky blue over dark brownSky blue, pale gold, gold, orange, dark brown. Gold is the glare round the sun; the land stays dark brown.
Full sunrise: cobalt over soft blackCobalt, pink, tangerine, gold, soft black. Gold sits on the horizon under pink cloud; the skyline stays soft black.
Gold through trees: clear blue over dark greenClear blue, butter yellow, gold, burnt orange, dark green. Gold shows between the trunks; the trees stay dark green.
Golden haze: pale blue over bronzePale blue, cream, pale gold, amber, bronze. Everything is lit; the bronze fields are the darkest color.
Orange horizon: powder blue over rustPowder blue, peach, apricot, orange, rust. Orange is brightest at the horizon; rust is the sunlit ground.
Red sunrise: dusk blue over dark umberDusk blue, mauve, coral, red-orange, dark umber. The low sun is red-orange; the land stays dark umber.
Yellow morning: pale blue over dark olivePale blue, pale yellow, butter yellow, gold, dark olive. The low sky is gold; grass in shadow stays dark.
Mist and cloud 8
Bronze haze: blue-gray over dark brownBlue-gray, sand, pale gold, bronze, dark brown. Haze turns the low sun pale gold; the ground stays dark brown.
Fog bank lifting: ice blue over teal blueIce blue, mist white, pearl gray, steel blue, teal blue. Mist white is the fog top in sun; water shows below.
Haze over the hills: pale blue over dusty violetPale blue, pale lavender, cream, lavender, dusty violet. Cream is the light behind; each ridge is a step darker.
Mist over a river: pale blue over storm grayPale blue, mist white, pale peach, blue-gray, storm gray. Mist white is the lit fog; the banks stay storm gray.
Pink overcast: dove gray over dusty purpleDove gray, dusty rose, blush, pearl gray, dusty purple. The cloud glows from behind; hills under it are dusty purple.
Rain at dawn: slate gray over charcoalSlate gray, blue-gray, fog gray, pale yellow, charcoal. A pale yellow slit under the cloud is the only light.
Sunbreak: storm gray over charcoalStorm gray, blue-gray, pale gold, apricot, charcoal. Light breaks through one gap; cloud above and land below stay dark.
Thick fog: pale gray over slate grayPale gray, pearl gray, dove gray, blue-gray, slate gray. No sun to see; the nearest trees are slate gray.
Dawn by place 8
City roofline: slate blue over charcoalSlate blue, lilac, salmon, butter yellow, charcoal. Butter yellow is the low sky and lit windows; buildings stay dark.
Dawn at sea: dusty blue over deep tealDusty blue, pale pink, apricot, pale teal, deep teal. Apricot on the horizon, pale teal on the water; waves stay dark.
Dawn in the pines: pale blue over soft blackPale blue, pale yellow, sage green, pine green, soft black. The light shows between the trunks, which stay soft black.
Dawn on the peaks: cobalt over ink blueCobalt, pale blue, pink, dusty purple, ink blue. Pink is first light on the peaks; the valley stays ink blue.
Desert dawn: dusk blue over terracottaDusk blue, mauve, apricot, sand, terracotta. Apricot at the horizon lights the sand; the rock is terracotta.
Farm at dawn: sky blue over brownSky blue, blush, pale gold, tan, brown. Pale gold lies on the horizon and the stubble; plowed earth is brown.
Marsh reeds: lavender over dark oliveLavender, salmon, pale gold, sage green, dark olive. Pale gold repeats in the water; shaded reeds are dark olive.
Snowfield dawn: powder blue over blue-grayPowder blue, pale pink, pale yellow, snow white, blue-gray. Snow is the lightest part; its shadows are blue-gray.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-01: morning skies as five colors each, in order from the top of the sky down to the ground, so the first color is the sky overhead and the last is the land or water. Every palette, color name, hex code and line is our own and is a painter's reading of a sky, not a measurement of one. One name is one code everywhere on the list, and color names are plain English words. The names of the stages were checked on 2026-10-01 against Wikipedia. Dawn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn): dawn is when twilight starts, ahead of sunrise; morning twilight has three phases, astronomical, nautical and civil, and lasts until the Sun's upper edge breaks the horizon; at civil dawn a clear sky is blue, and with cloud or haze bronze, orange and yellow colors are seen. Blue hour (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_hour): the blue hour is the period of twilight, near its nautical stage, when the Sun is well below the horizon and what sunlight is left turns mostly blue; in a clear sky indirect sunlight can also tint it yellow, orange and red. Golden hour (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_(photography)): the golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the light is softer and redder than with the Sun high. Twilight (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight) was read for the same stages. The groups follow that order; which colors a group holds is our choice. Checked on 2026-10-01: every code is #RRGGBB, no palette and no name repeats, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, the color a line says stays dark is the darkest of its palette, 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 dawn color palette here is one morning sky in five colors, ordered from the top of the sky down to the ground, so the strip reads like the sky itself. Each comes with its hex codes.
Read the full guide
Read the strip as a sky
The strip runs from the sky overhead at the top to the land or water at the bottom, with the horizon between them. The line under the name lists the five colors in that order, then says where the light is or what stays dark.
Pick a time or a place
A menu under the button follows the morning: the blue hour, when the sky is mostly blue; first light; sunrise; mist and cloud; and dawn by place, from the sea to a snowfield. For a low sun to paint with it, see sunset painting ideas.
Questions and answers
What colors are in a dawn sky?
While the Sun is well below the horizon the sky is mostly blue: the blue hour. With cloud or haze, bronze, orange and yellow show as the Sun nears the horizon. Shortly after sunrise the light is redder and softer than at midday.
What is the difference between dawn and sunrise?
Dawn is when morning twilight begins and the sky first lightens. Sunrise comes later, when the upper edge of the Sun breaks the horizon. The palettes here cover both, in that order.
What is the blue hour?
The period of twilight, at dawn or at dusk, when the Sun is well below the horizon and the light that is left looks mostly blue. The name is informal and has no official definition.
Can I use a dawn palette for a sunset?
Yes. The blue hour and the golden hour come at both ends of the day, so the same colors serve an evening sky. Read the strip the same way, from the top of the sky down.