Winter lake: pale blue to navyPale blue ice, powder blue sky, faded blue far shore, slate blue open water, navy pines.#C8D7E5 · #A1BFD3 · #7F9ABD · #475A76 · #1C283F
Clouded hills: pale blue-gray to soft blackPale blue-gray gap overhead, light gray cloud, blue-gray far hills, dark blue-gray near hill, soft black fence posts.
Coat on a hook: light gray to soft blackLight gray wall, ash gray coat, gray coat folds, dark gray boots, soft black umbrella.
Drizzle on the pier: pale gray to charcoalPale gray sea mist, cloud gray water, stone gray planks, dark gray railings, charcoal pilings.
Ferry in the rain: pale gray to soft blackPale gray sky, blue-gray sea, stone gray ferry, dark blue-gray wake shadow, soft black funnel.
Gray Sunday: pale blue-gray to charcoalPale blue-gray window, cloud gray curtain, blue-gray sofa, slate gray rug, charcoal bookshelf.
Ledge pigeons: pale gray to soft blackPale gray sky, cloud gray ledge, gray pigeons, slate gray wing bars, soft black window.
Rain barrel: light gray to charcoalLight gray sky in the water, cloud gray downpipe, stone gray barrel, dark blue-gray barrel hoops, charcoal wall shadow.
Slate roofs: light gray to soft blackLight gray sky, ash gray chimney smoke, stone gray far roofs, slate gray near roof, soft black gutter.
Wet cobbles: pale blue-gray to charcoalPale blue-gray sky, ash gray square, gray shuttered stalls, dark gray lamp posts, charcoal doorways.
Empty harbor: powder blue to midnight bluePowder blue sky, faded blue water, steel blue boats, slate blue sea wall, midnight blue bollards.
Evening snow: pale blue to midnight bluePale blue snow, powder blue drifts, dull blue shadows, deep blue sky, midnight blue fence.
Folded letter: pale blue to midnight bluePale blue envelope, light gray folded page, dull blue handwriting, slate blue desk shadow, midnight blue ink bottle.
Iced birdbath: pale blue to midnight bluePale blue frost, faded blue ice, steel blue bowl, dark blue-gray pedestal, midnight blue hedge.
Night bus home: powder blue to midnight bluePowder blue fogged window, dull blue seat backs, steel blue coats, dark blue-gray aisle, midnight blue street outside.
Off-season beach: pale blue to navyPale blue sky, sand beach, dull blue sea, steel blue shuttered hut, navy wet rocks.
Unlit lamps: powder blue to navyPowder blue sky, dull blue far houses, slate blue road, deep blue near houses, navy lamp posts.
Unmade bed: pale blue to navyPale blue sheet, faded blue pillow shadow, steel blue blanket, deep blue under the bed, navy window.
Winter lake: pale blue to navyPale blue ice, powder blue sky, faded blue far shore, slate blue open water, navy pines.
Winter washing line: pale blue to deep bluePale blue sheet, faded blue shirt, dull blue sky, slate blue fence, deep blue hedge.
Dusk browns 10
Bare furrows: faded peach to espressoFaded peach dusk sky, tan stubble, faded brown far rows, brown near rows, espresso hedge.
Barn at dusk: tan to espressoTan track, mauve far hills, brown barn, plum barn shadow, espresso field.
Boots by the door: sand to dark brownSand doormat, tan floorboards, faded brown boots, brown door, dark brown boot soles.
Closed piano: sand to espressoSand sheet music, tan wall, brown piano, walnut brown stool, espresso shadow under the lid.
Dry reeds: sand to dark brownSand sky, tan reed heads, taupe stems, walnut brown water, dark brown mud bank.
Dusk platform: faded peach to espressoFaded peach sky, mauve cloud bank, faded brown platform, walnut brown bench, espresso roof.
Empty armchair: oat to espressoOat wall, tan cushion, faded brown armchair, walnut brown side table, espresso shadow.
Packed trunk: faded peach to dark brownFaded peach label, tan straps, faded brown trunk, walnut brown corners, dark brown lock shadow.
Unlit hearth: oat to espressoOat mantel, mauve cold ash, taupe stone, brown logs, espresso firebox.
Winter orchard: oat to dark brownOat sky, sand dry grass, taupe far trees, brown trunks, dark brown branches.
One muted accent 10
Boat on a gray lake: faded teal in graysPale gray sky, cloud gray water, stone gray far shore, soft black jetty, faded teal boat.
Door in a gray street: faded teal in graysPale gray sky, ash gray walls, gray pavement, charcoal windows, faded teal door.
Forget-me-nots: dusty blue in graysPale blue-gray sky, ash gray gravel, slate gray wall, soft black crack in the wall, dusty blue flowers.
Lamp in fog: dull mustard in graysPale gray fog, ash gray houses, slate gray road, soft black lamp post, dull mustard lamp glow.
Last leaf: dull orange in graysPale blue-gray sky, cloud gray mist, stone gray branch, dark gray trunk, dull orange leaf.
Mitten on a fence: dull red in graysLight gray snow, ash gray sky, gray fence rails, charcoal posts, dull red mitten.
Moss on stone: faded green in graysLight gray sky, ash gray lit stone, stone gray shaded side, dark gray cracks, faded green moss.
One umbrella: dull red in graysLight gray rain, cloud gray far umbrellas, slate gray coats, charcoal near umbrellas, dull red umbrella in front.
Ribbon in a box: dusty violet in graysPale gray box, light gray tissue paper, stone gray lid, dark gray shadow, dusty violet ribbon.
Wilted rose: dusty rose in graysPale gray wall, cloud gray tablecloth, gray vase, dark gray stem shadow, dusty rose petals.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-13: low, quiet palettes of five colors for a sad or serious picture, in four kinds (rain grays, faded blues, dusk browns, four grays with one muted accent). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and part is our own choice; nothing is sampled from a painting, a photograph or a film, and the page states no outside fact. What counts as somber here is our own reading: muted colors, most of them dark or gray. How a strip is ordered: from light to dark, each color named for its part; in One muted accent the four grays run from light to dark and the accent comes last. Our own tests, not a standard: no color has an HSL saturation over 50 percent or a lightness over 86 percent; in Rain grays, Faded blues and Dusk browns each color is darker than the one before (WCAG relative luminance, the formula at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html); a Rain grays strip holds only grays and blue-grays (a saturation of 22 percent or less); a Faded blues strip holds three or more blues (a hue from 195 to 250 degrees) and nothing over 40 percent saturation; a Dusk browns strip holds three or more browns (a hue from 12 to 45 degrees at a lightness of 62 percent or less) and nothing over 46 percent saturation; the accent of a One muted accent strip has a saturation from 28 to 50 percent and stands 15 or more from each of its four grays in CIE Lab; no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab. 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 2026-10-13: 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 somber color palette is low and quiet: grays, faded blues and dull browns, with nothing bright. Each strip here is five muted colors for one still scene, such as a winter lake or an empty armchair.
Read the full guide
Light to dark
In three of the four kinds a strip runs from its lightest color to its darkest, so it doubles as a value scale: block in the big shapes with the middle three and keep the two ends for the brightest light and the deepest shadow. In One muted accent the four grays run that way and the color comes last.
Four kinds of somber palette
Rain grays holds only grays and blue-grays. Faded blues has three or more blues, as in Winter lake. Dusk browns holds three or more browns and ends on espresso or dark brown. One muted accent sets a single dull color in gray: the dusty rose #BF7D8E of Wilted rose, the dull mustard #B39542 of Lamp in fog.
Questions and answers
What colors are somber?
Muted ones, most of them dark or gray. On this list no color goes over half saturation and none comes near white: slate gray #444E5A, steel blue #527898, taupe #89796C and navy #1C283F are typical. That reading is ours.
What colors look sad in a drawing?
On this list, the two cool groups: Rain grays and Faded blues. For a sad picture with some warmth left in it, take a Dusk browns strip, or One muted accent for a single worn color.
Can a somber palette have color?
Yes, one, kept dull. Mitten on a fence is four grays and a dull red #98413E mitten; Door in a gray street has a faded teal #438689 door. Each accent stays at half saturation or less, so it reads as worn.
How do I keep a somber painting from looking flat?
Use the whole run from light to dark. The lightest and darkest colors of each strip are far apart in value even though all five are muted: in Evening snow, pale blue #C8D7E5 snow against a midnight blue #13182A fence.