Taxi stand: rose pink on midnight blueMidnight blue sky, deep teal towers, rose pink jacket, mauve in its shadow, amber taxi light.#131839 · #195157 · #E283A3 · #A76285 · #F2B62C
Balcony: sky blue on deep purpleDeep purple sky, indigo tower blocks, sky blue pajamas, steel blue in their shadow, pale yellow room light.
Cinema queue: tan on indigoIndigo sky, deep purple doorway, tan skin, brown in its shadow, pale yellow marquee bulbs.
Harbor bridge: lavender on midnight blueMidnight blue sky, deep teal water, lavender scarf, dusty purple in its shadow, hot pink bridge lights.
Late train: white on midnight blueMidnight blue window, dusty purple seats, white shirt, pale lavender in its shadow, amber carriage lamp.
Noodle counter: red on deep tealDeep teal alley, navy doorway, red apron, maroon in its shadow, amber paper lantern.
Pay phone: peach on indigoIndigo street, purple far buildings, peach skin, apricot in its shadow, cyan booth light.
Rooftop antenna: brown on deep purpleDeep purple sky, dusty pink horizon glow, brown skin, dark brown in its shadow, pale yellow window lights.
Scooter ride: turquoise on midnight blueMidnight blue sky, purple far towers, turquoise scooter, teal in its shadow, amber headlamp.
Taxi stand: rose pink on midnight blueMidnight blue sky, deep teal towers, rose pink jacket, mauve in its shadow, amber taxi light.
Zebra crossing: cream on navyNavy sky, steel blue wet road, cream raincoat, sand in its shadow, coral stop light.
Show all 40 palettes (30 more)
Beach noon 10
Ankle-deep: brown on aquaAqua shallows, sand rock shelf, brown skin, dark brown in its shadow, pale yellow sun glare.
Ferry deck: white on sky blueSky blue horizon, faded blue sea, white railing, pale lavender in its shadow, red life ring.
Parasol shade: mustard on pale bluePale blue sky, aqua sea, mustard parasol, ochre in its shadow, cream towel.
Reef swim: tan on aquaAqua water, sea green reef, tan skin, brown in its shadow, pale yellow mask strap.
Rescue float: orange on pale bluePale blue sky, sand beach, orange float, rust in its shadow, white lookout chair.
Seawall walk: peach on sky blueSky blue horizon, concrete gray seawall, peach skin, apricot in its shadow, white sun hat.
Shaved ice stand: red on sky blueSky blue horizon, aqua sea, red banner, maroon in its shadow, white ice.
Summer clouds: white on faded blueFaded blue sky, pale blue haze, white cloud, pale lavender in its shadow, cream sunlit edge.
Surfboard rack: turquoise on pale bluePale blue sky, sand dune, turquoise board, teal in its shadow, coral fin.
Watermelon on a mat: mint green on sandSand beach, aqua sea, mint green rind, sea green in its shadow, coral cut slice.
Cockpit glow 10
Co-pilot seat: mustard on charcoalCharcoal cabin, deep teal seat, mustard jacket, ochre in its shadow, bright green gauges.
Deep-sea pod: red on deep tealDeep teal water, black pod wall, red wetsuit, maroon in its shadow, pale yellow lamp.
Docking view: lavender on midnight blueMidnight blue space, steel blue station, lavender flight suit, dusty purple in its shadow, cyan guide lights.
Hatch closing: white on blackBlack shaft, steel blue hull, white helmet, pale lavender in its shadow, coral alert light.
Liftoff: orange on charcoalCharcoal cabin, navy seat, orange pressure suit, rust in its shadow, amber warning lamps.
Night flight: peach on midnight blueMidnight blue canopy sky, charcoal frame, peach skin, apricot in its shadow, cyan dial glow.
Night landing: sky blue on navyNavy sky, charcoal console, sky blue uniform shirt, steel blue in its shadow, amber runway lights.
Radar sweep: olive green on blackBlack cabin, charcoal console, olive green flight suit, dark olive in its shadow, bright green radar screen.
Star chart: brown on midnight blueMidnight blue window, indigo panel, brown skin, dark brown in its shadow, pale yellow star map.
Throttle hand: tan on blackBlack cabin, maroon lever housing, tan skin, brown in its shadow, amber gauge glow.
School roof 10
After the bell: brown on dusty pinkDusty pink sky, lavender far clouds, brown skin, dark brown in its shadow, cream sun.
Chain-link fence: navy on peachPeach sky, concrete gray roof floor, navy blazer, midnight blue in its shadow, pale yellow low sun.
Club banner: turquoise on coralCoral sky, concrete gray parapet, turquoise gym jacket, teal in its shadow, cream banner.
Fireworks lookout: rose pink on orangeOrange sky, navy hills, rose pink cotton robe, mauve in its shadow, pale yellow first firework.
Lunch on the ledge: mustard on sky blueSky blue afternoon air, concrete gray ledge, mustard cardigan, ochre in its shadow, white cloud.
Paper glider: peach on lavenderLavender sky, dusty pink cloud band, peach skin, apricot in its shadow, white glider.
Roof garden: mint green on pale bluePale blue sky, concrete gray planter wall, mint green sprouts, sea green in their shadow, pale yellow watering can.
Stairwell door: olive green on peachPeach sky, steel blue door, olive green satchel, dark olive in its shadow, cream doorway light.
Trumpet practice: tan on amberAmber sky, dusty purple rooftops, tan skin, brown in its shadow, pale yellow brass shine.
Water tank: white on orangeOrange sky, dusty purple tank, white shirt, pale lavender in its shadow, cream cloud edge.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-12: palettes of five colors in the look of hand-painted animation cels, sorted by scene (city night, beach noon, cockpit glow, school roof). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and part is our own choice; nothing is sampled from a film, a series, a cel or a background painting, and no show, film, studio or character is named. How a strip is ordered: two colors of the painted background, one flat color of the figure or the thing in front, the darker color for its shadow, and one light; the name gives the flat color and the first background color. Our own tests, not a standard: the shadow is darker than its flat color, 10 or more from it in CIE Lab and within 30 degrees of its hue (a white or charcoal flat excepted); no color has an HSL saturation over 90 percent; a City night strip starts with a color at 30 percent lightness or less and its light contrasts with that color by 4.5 to 1 or more (the WCAG contrast ratio formula, https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html, used as our own threshold); a Beach noon strip starts at 60 percent lightness or more and holds nothing darker than 20 percent; a Cockpit glow strip starts at 26 percent or less and its glow reaches 4.5 to 1; a School roof strip starts with a sky at 55 percent or more and ends on a color at 80 percent or more; every group has light and deep skin among its skin strips; no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab. The facts in the page copy, checked on 2026-10-12 against English Wikipedia, Cel, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cel (text under CC BY-SA 4.0): a cel (the word is short for celluloid) is a clear sheet that carries the drawn or painted objects of traditional hand-drawn animation; as a rule the characters go on cels, which lie over a still background that is painted or drawn; the outline is drawn on the cel's front, and the colors go on its back so that no brushstrokes show. Which colors stand for the look, and the name 80s for it, are our choice. 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 2026-10-12: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, no two palettes share four codes, 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 markers, take the nearest color. Licence: own work
How it works
A retro anime color palette here follows the way cels were used: a painted background, then flat colors laid over it. Most colors are faded: dusk pinks and teals, film blues, warm skin against a cool night sky.
Read the full guide
An 80s anime color palette, scene by scene
The menu under the button keeps to one scene. City night sets one light against the dark: a taxi light, a paper lantern, a lit window. Beach noon starts on a pale sky, sea or sand, with no black anywhere. Cockpit glow puts one glowing screen, dial or lamp in a dark cabin. School roof starts with an afternoon or evening sky, such as peach, orange or lavender.
Flat color, one shadow
On a cel the outline was drawn on the front and the colors were painted on the back, so no brushstrokes show. Fill each shape with one color and add its shadow as a second flat shape, never a blend. For subjects, see anime things to draw.
Questions and answers
What colors are used in retro anime?
On this list: dark backgrounds such as midnight blue #131839 and deep teal #195157, sky blue #86BADF and aqua #7FD2D2 for noon, and warm colors such as rose pink #E283A3, peach #F4C4A4 and amber #F2B62C. The choice is ours.
What is an 80s anime color palette?
Here it is five colors: two for the painted background, one flat color with a single darker shadow, and one light. Calling the look 80s is our choice; no palette is sampled from a show or a film.
How do you shade in a retro anime style?
With one darker flat color, not a gradient. Every strip pairs a color with its shadow: peach skin with apricot, a white shirt with pale lavender, a mustard cardigan with ochre.
What is a cel in animation?
A transparent sheet on which a character is drawn and painted for hand-drawn animation. The painted cel is laid over a separate background painting, which is why these strips list two background colors first.