40 palettes

Romanticism Color Palette

Press the button for one Romantic palette: five colors, each named for its part of a scene.

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Wall of rain: Prussian blue and lead whitePrussian blue cloud bank, slate gray rain curtain, dusty blue sea, lead white wave crest, raw sienna shore.#073355 · #4D5A6A · #6282A7 · #F6F4EE · #C17A33

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Storm skies 10

Clearing sky: sky blue and Naples yellow Navy departing cloud, sky blue clearing, pale blue wet air, Naples yellow evening light, sage green meadow.
Cloud tower: slate gray and Naples yellow Charcoal cloud base, slate gray cloud wall, pale gray cloud top, Naples yellow light in the gap, moss green hill.
Gale at sea: Prussian blue and lead white Prussian blue sky, dark teal wave trough, dusty teal wave face, lead white sail, raw umber hull.
Hay cart: cobalt blue and yellow ochre Cobalt blue sky gap, slate gray cloud, pale gray cloud edge, yellow ochre stubble, raw umber cart.
Lightning on a moor: plum and lead white Navy sky, plum cloud, dusty violet rain, lead white lightning, olive moor.
Mountain storm: ultramarine and pale gray Charcoal crag, ultramarine far range, dusty blue cloud shadow, pale gray mist, chrome yellow sunlit slope.
Old windmill: navy and burnt sienna Navy cloud, dusty violet far rain, pale blue sky gap, tan mill, burnt sienna roof.
Pass in snow: slate gray and lead white Charcoal rock, slate gray cloud, gray driving snow, lead white drift, dusty blue shadow.
Rock light: Prussian blue and vermilion Navy sea, Prussian blue sky, gray spray, lead white tower, vermilion lamp.
Wall of rain: Prussian blue and lead white Prussian blue cloud bank, slate gray rain curtain, dusty blue sea, lead white wave crest, raw sienna shore.

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Ruins at sunset 10

Abbey arch: burnt sienna and apricot Burnt sienna shadowed stone, raw sienna lit stone, apricot sky in the arch, dusty violet far hills, moss green ivy.
Aqueduct: Naples yellow and mauve Sand stone, Naples yellow sun, mauve haze, rust brickwork, olive plain.
Castle on a crag: plum and chrome yellow Plum castle, maroon crag, chrome yellow sun, peach sky, navy valley.
Cloister: raw sienna and peach Tan arcade, raw sienna lit pillars, dusty blue shade, peach sky, brown doorways.
Empty tracery: ultramarine and apricot Black tracery, ultramarine upper sky, apricot low sky, dusty rose cloud, raw sienna wall.
Grassy stair: vermilion and cream Yellow ochre steps, burnt sienna shadow, sage green grass, vermilion poppies, cream sky.
Grazing flock: yellow ochre and rust Sand fallen stones, yellow ochre dry grass, cream flock, dusty violet long shadows, rust cloak.
Ivy tower: moss green and amber Burnt sienna tower, moss green ivy, amber west wall, cream sky, charcoal doorway.
Lone column: Naples yellow and dusty rose Naples yellow sky, yellow ochre column, raw umber fallen blocks, dusty rose cloud, olive weeds.
Moonlit keep: Naples yellow and navy Naples yellow moon, navy keep, cobalt blue sky, dusty rose afterglow, yellow ochre lit wall.

Sea fog 10

Boats at dawn: pale gray and peach Pale gray fog, silver water, peach sun disc, dusty blue hulls, raw umber masts.
Buoy in fog: pale blue and vermilion Pale blue sky, silver fog, gray breakwater, vermilion buoy, dusty teal water.
Chalk cliffs: pale blue and seafoam green Lead white cliff, pale blue haze, seafoam green shallows, gray shingle, sage green cliff top.
Cliff path: pale gray and dusty rose Sage green turf, pale gray fog, raw sienna path, dusty rose wildflowers, slate gray sea.
Frozen sea: gray and dusty blue Pale blue ice, lead white snow, gray fog, dusty blue ice shadow, navy open water.
Gulls in surf: lead white and dusty blue Lead white gulls, pale gray spray, dusty blue swell, seafoam green breaking wave, slate gray rocks.
Mast in fog: pale gray and raw sienna Gray fog bank, pale gray thin fog, slate gray hull, raw sienna furled sail, silver water.
Misty moon: dusty violet and lead white Navy sea, dusty violet mist, pale gray halo, lead white moon, silver wave tops.
Rowboat ashore: mauve and cobalt blue Sand beach, mauve fog, pale gray sky, cobalt blue boat stripe, raw umber boat.
Tide flats: silver and dusty teal Silver wet sand, sand dry beach, pale gray fog, dusty teal channel, raw umber posts.

Firelight 10

Barn lantern: Naples yellow and raw sienna Black loft, brown stalls, yellow ochre straw, Naples yellow lantern, raw sienna lit planks.
Bonfire on a beach: orange and apricot Navy sea, raw umber driftwood, orange fire, apricot lit sand, dusty violet smoke.
Campfire in pines: amber and peach Navy sky, dark teal pines, amber flames, burnt sienna lit trunks, peach smoke.
Candle at a desk: chrome yellow and rust Black study, raw umber desk, chrome yellow flame, cream page, rust book spine.
Fire and moon: amber and burnt sienna Prussian blue night sky, dark teal river, pale gray moon, amber fire, burnt sienna lit bank.
Hearth in a hut: orange and Naples yellow Black room, raw umber beams, burnt sienna brick, orange fire, Naples yellow lit wall.
Kiln at dusk: vermilion and raw sienna Charcoal kiln, plum sky, vermilion kiln mouth, apricot steam, raw sienna lit bank.
Lava glow: vermilion and amber Black slope, maroon smoke, vermilion lava, amber glow on cloud, navy bay.
Torch walk: orange and yellow ochre Black night, plum cloaks, orange torches, yellow ochre lit stone, maroon banners.
Village forge: vermilion and chrome yellow Black roof, charcoal anvil, vermilion hot iron, chrome yellow sparks, brown apron.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09: palettes of five colors, sorted by subject (storm skies, ruins at sunset, sea fog, firelight). Every palette, name, hex code and part is our own choice. No painting, print or tube of paint was sampled, and no palette is named after a painter or a painting. Eleven of the color words are names of pigments (Prussian blue, cobalt blue, ultramarine, chrome yellow, Naples yellow, yellow ochre, raw sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, vermilion, lead white): their codes are our own screen approximations, since a pigment has no single hex code, and every strip holds at least one of them. Facts in the page copy, each read on 2026-10-09 in English Wikipedia: Romanticism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism: a movement that began in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and was at its peak from about 1800 to 1850; in the visual arts it first showed itself in landscape painting, where British artists turned to wilder landscapes and storms from as early as the 1760s; J. M. W. Turner painted huge landscapes and, above all, seascapes), Prussian blue (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_blue: probably first made in Berlin around 1706), Cobalt blue (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt_blue: discovered as a pigment by Louis Jacques Thenard in 1802 and used by Turner), Ultramarine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultramarine: made from lapis lazuli and costly until a synthetic form in 1826), Chrome yellow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrome_yellow: earliest known use in a painting before 1810), and Sienna, Umber and Ochre (earth pigments). Storms and seascapes are in the Romanticism article; ruins at sunset, sea fog and firelight are our own choice of subjects, and which colors stand for a subject is ours. How a strip is ordered: each color is named for its part of one small scene, and the name carries two of the colors. Our own tests, not a standard: a storm strip holds a dark (an HSL lightness of 26 percent or less), a light (80 or more) and two or more cool colors (a hue from 180 to 275 degrees); a ruins strip holds two or more warm colors (a hue from 8 to 55 degrees, a saturation of 40 percent or more); a sea fog strip holds three or more soft colors (a saturation of 45 percent or less, a lightness of 50 or more); a firelight strip starts with its darkest color (WCAG relative luminance, the formula at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html) and holds two or more colors of the fire (a hue from 0 to 55 degrees, a saturation of 55 percent or more); 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

Romanticism began in Europe toward the end of the 18th century, and in painting it showed first in landscapes. A romanticism color palette here is one small scene in five colors, at least one named for a pigment.

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Four subjects

Storm skies set Prussian blue, slate gray and navy against lead white. Ruins at sunset are warm stone: yellow ochre, raw and burnt sienna under Naples yellow or apricot skies. Sea fog is pale gray, silver and dusty blue. Firelight starts from its darkest color, most often black, and holds orange, vermilion and amber.

Pigments of the time

Prussian blue was probably first made in Berlin around 1706. A synthetic ultramarine followed in 1826, and chrome yellow was in a painting before 1810. The ochres, siennas and umbers are earth pigments, far older. The codes here are screen approximations.

Questions and answers

What colors did Romantic painters use?

Cobalt blue is one: discovered as a pigment in 1802, it was used by J. M. W. Turner. On this list eleven colors carry pigment names, from lead white to vermilion; their codes are our own, and no painting was sampled.

When was the Romantic period in art?

At its peak from about 1800 to 1850, by English Wikipedia's account. British artists had begun turning to wilder landscapes and storms as early as the 1760s.

What colors make a stormy sea?

Gale at sea: a Prussian blue sky, a dark teal wave trough, a dusty teal wave face, a lead white sail and a raw umber hull. Rock light keeps the Prussian blue and adds one vermilion lamp.