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

Colours of painting and art

On the palette: oils, watercolour, fresco, miniature and mural.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +5 #6A5DFF Indigo A deep blue named for the dye once exported from IndiaNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚫 Spain +5 Brown Terracotta A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +4 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +5 Blue Woad A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3 Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 #003153 Prussian blue A deep blue pigment first made in Berlin in the early 1700sPigment 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +2 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 #007FFF Azure A clear sky blue, halfway between blue and cyan on the colour wheelNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy +2 #E25822 Scarlet A bright red with a touch of orange, long tied to power, sacrifice and sinNamed shade 路 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey +4 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment 路 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey +5 Red Rubia A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Black India ink A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +1 #DC143C Crimson A deep red with a hint of purple, once made from insectsNamed shade 路 馃嚦馃嚨 Nepal #800000 Maroon A deep brownish red named for the French word for chestnutNamed shade 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +4 Purple and violet Tyrian purple A reddish-purple dye once worth its weight in silver, made from sea snailsDye 路 馃嚤馃嚙 Lebanon +4 #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +4 #704214 Sepia A reddish-brown colour named for the ink of the cuttlefishNamed shade Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye 路 馃嚨馃嚟 Philippines #0047AB Cobalt blue A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3 #FFFDD0 Cream A soft yellow-white named after the top layer of milkNamed shade #000080 Navy blue A deep blue shade named for the uniforms of the Royal NavyNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment 路 馃嚞馃嚪 Greece +1 #F4C430 Saffron A yellow-orange shade named after the colour of saffron crocus threadsNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +1 Orange Annatto A yellow-orange dye and flavour from the seeds of the achiote treeDye 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +5 #E0B0FF Mauve A pale purple named after the mallow flower and once a fashion sensationNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France #1034A6 Egyptian blue A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Green Celadon闈掔摲 A jade-green ceramic glaze prized in East Asian pottery for centuriesNamed shade 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +4 #8A3324 Umber A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚲 Cyprus +2 #3D2B1F Bistre A dark brown pigment and colour made from soot, once used in Old Master drawingsPigment #007BA7 Cerulean A blue-green colour once made from cobalt stannate and linked with the skyNamed shade 路 馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom #9966CC Lavender A pale purple named for the lavender flower, with many subtle variationsNamed shade #E97451 Sienna A reddish-brown earth pigment named after the city of Siena in ItalyPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France #002366 Royal blue A strong, deep blue linked with royalty and national flagsNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #E3A857 Indian Yellow A clear, glowing orange-yellow pigment once made in India from cow urinePigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India #FADA5E Naples yellow A historic synthetic yellow pigment once prized by painters and pottersPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +1 Red Kermes A deep red dye made from Mediterranean scale insects, once prized for scarlet clothDye 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +1 Red Brazilin A red dye from brazilwood and sappanwood, used in textiles and paints since the Middle AgesDye 路 馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil +4 #0033CC International Klein Blue A deep blue made famous by Yves Klein's art and a special synthetic binderNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France #CC8899 Puce A brownish-purple shade named after the flea and once favoured in French fashionNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +1
More colours

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.