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118
#534E4B
YOUR COLOR STORY

Charcoal Gray

Castle Arts Gold Neutral Gray neutral

Castle Arts Gold 118 Charcoal Gray is a dark gray colored pencil in the Neutral Gray family. It sits in the darker value range, making it well-suited for mid-tone shadows, dark backgrounds, shadow shading. Neutral undertones adapt well across both warm and cool color schemes. Low saturation keeps it grounded and easy to layer.

Neutral Gray family Neutral temperature 31% lightness
Mid-tone shadowsDark backgroundsShadow shadingStone texturesConcrete
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Marker Facts

Marker Name
Charcoal Gray
Color Family
Neutral Gray
Temperature
Neutral
Lightness
31%
Saturation
5%
Palettes Using This Marker
0

Suggested Blend Ladder

Neutral Gray family — layer from shadow to highlight for smooth gradients.

Shadow Side
071
Ivory Black L23%
Current Marker
118
Charcoal Gray L31%
Highlight Side
119
Payne's Gray L33%
156
Mars Black L37%

Works Well With

Highlights
162
Graphite Light
+18 lightness
065
Cool Gray
+21 lightness
163
Dove Gray
+24 lightness
195
Argent Gray
+32 lightness
Analogous Colors
021
Venetian Red
15° hue shift
076
Green Gold
15° hue shift
121
Walnut Brown Light
15° hue shift
015
Red Ochre
16° hue shift
Complementary Accent

Opposite on the color wheel. Useful for contrast, focal points, and making warm colors stand out.

164
Graphite
opposite hue
044
Ultramarine Light
opposite hue
098
Primary Blue
opposite hue
119
Payne's Gray
opposite hue

Compatible Palettes

Curated palettes where 118 fits the color story by mood and hue.

🎃 Pumpkin Patch Harvest
Pumpkin orange, harvest gold, oat cream, forest green, cranberry, and dark walnut.
Seasonal
🌋 Apocalypse Glow
Ash falling through orange dust; the sky lit like a furnace nobody is tending.
Cinematic
🔧 Underground Bunker
Olive concrete lit by one tungsten leak; the hum underneath you isn't the lights.
Environment
🖨 Linocut
Two-color block print pulled fresh from the press; carved white lines biting through saturated ink.
Art Style
🔥 Firelight
Hearth glow throwing soft red shadows up the wall while the logs settle one notch lower.
Lighting
🎃 Halloween Candy
Porch light on a bowl of orange wrappers; witch-purple sky and somebody's footsteps on the walk.
Seasonal
💻 CRT Bedroom
Blue-white monitor light on a face nobody else is seeing; tangerine screensaver glow at the edge of dark.
Cinematic
🎞 Tungsten Portrait
3200K key from camera-left; north-window blue fill; the catch light is the only thing perfectly white.
Lighting

Similar Colors in Neutral Gray

120
Warm Gray Light
light muted orange
#B6B0A9
192
Blue Gray
mid gray
#6E6660
200
Slate Gray
dark muted orange
#71635E
195
Argent Gray
light gray
#A69C9A
067
Davy's Gray
mid gray
#726464
119
Payne's Gray
dark gray
#515456
066
Cool Gray Deep
mid gray
#5B6268
156
Mars Black
mid gray
#655965

Match 118 across brands

Compare Charcoal Gray with nearby colors from other brands and media in the Art Supply Matcher.

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