Colour news
FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For SaleFestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For Sale
Rang

All colours

698 colours written up so far, best known first, and 1,292 named values in the swatch book. 90 more are on the list to be written.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 #3D2B1F Bistre A dark brown pigment and colour made from soot, once used in Old Master drawingsPigment #E49B0F Gamboge A strong yellow pigment tapped from Southeast Asian treesPigment 路 馃嚢馃嚟 Cambodia +5 #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +1 #E32636 Rose madder A traditional red pigment made from the roots of the madder plantPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Red Dragon's blood A deep red resin from several plants, used as pigment, dye and varnish since ancient timesColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +3 Red Betalain Red and yellow plant pigments found in beets, bougainvillea, and cactiPigment Brown Juglone A plant compound that gives deep brown-orange colour to cloth, ink and foodPigment Yellow Anthoxanthin A group of plant pigments ranging from white to yellow, used in foods and dyesPigment #E32636 Alizarin crimson A deep red with blue undertones, once made from madder rootsNamed shade 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt #FADA5E Stil de grain yellow A yellow pigment made from buckthorn berries, once known as 'pink' or 'sap green'Pigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2 Red Santalin Red pigments obtained from the wood of the red sandalwood treePigment Orange Carotene The orange pigment found in carrots and many fruits and vegetablesPigment Red Lycopene The deep red pigment found in tomatoes and many red fruitsPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 Red Rose madder A red dye and pigment from the roots of a climbing plantDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +4 Yellow Curcumin The bright yellow pigment found in turmeric rootPigment Yellow Lutein A yellow-orange plant pigment used in food and supplementsPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 Orange Flavin mononucleotide An orange-red food colour and biomolecule made from vitamin B2Pigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Yellow Zeaxanthin A yellow pigment found in corn, saffron, paprika and many plantsPigment Red Betanin A red food dye made from beets and other plantsPigment Orange Violaxanthin An orange pigment found in many plants and used as a food colouring in some countriesPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +1 Red Indian madder A plant root once prized for its red dye and pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +1 Orange Crocin The deep red pigment that gives saffron its colourPigment Blue Genipin A natural compound used to make blue pigment from gardenia fruitColour named from nature #D71345 Carthamin A red pigment and dye obtained from safflower flowersPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +1 Red Phlobaphene A group of reddish, water-insoluble plant pigments found in bark and seedsPigment Yellow Bisdemethoxycurcumin A yellow pigment and curcuminoid found in turmeric rootPigment Yellow Zeinoxanthin A rare yellow carotenoid found in corn and linked to eye healthPigment Yellow Gamboge (from Garcinia cambogioides) A yellow resin from the Garcinia cambogioides tree, used in food, paint and medicineColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.