Colortober calendar image of all the colors on each day

Colortober 2026: Your Color Prompts Are Here (And They're Your Favorites)

Hi friends,

October is almost here, and that means one thing: it's Colortober time.

If you're new — welcome! Colortober is our version of a color-a-day challenge for Inktober. Instead of a word prompt, you get a color prompt: one CfM handmade watercolor for each day of October. You paint whatever you want, however you want — just use that day's color as your guide. It's joyful, low-pressure, and honestly one of my favorite things we do all year.

This year, we did something a little different when building the list.

We let you choose.

The Colortober 2026 colors are our 31 bestselling CfM handmade watercolors from the past year — ranked in order, starting with your #1 most-loved color on Day 1. So this list isn't just a prompt list. It's kind of a love letter from our community back to itself.

(Spoiler: you really, really love Sorrel. And honestly? Same.)

The Colortober 2026 Color Prompt List

  1. CfM Sorrel
  2. CfM Hibiscus
  3. CfM Mermaid
  4. CfM Tide Pool
  5. CfM Lagoon
  6. CfM Monarch
  7. CfM Algae
  8. CfM Nebula
  9. CfM Hot Pink
  10. CfM Topaz
  11. CfM Riverbed
  12. CfM Pluot
  13. CfM Lupine
  14. CfM Seashell
  15. CfM Smoke
  16. CfM Olive
  17. CfM Denim
  18. CfM River Red
  19. CfM Hot Spring
  20. CfM Desert Pink
  21. CfM Coral
  22. CfM Turmeric
  23. CfM Moss
  24. CfM Velvet
  25. CfM Sunset
  26. French Vermilion
  27. CfM Shadow
  28. Ultramarine Blue
  29. CfM Celadon
  30. CfM Pacific
  31. Indigo

All 31 colors are available individually in our Handmade Watercolors collection, and if you want to paint along with the full list, our Colortober 2026 palette has everything you need in one place.

Want even more inspiration? We love pairing Colortober with @furrylittlepeach's #Peachtober prompt list — use the day's CfM color alongside her word prompt for a built-in creative challenge. It's a match made in October heaven.

Share your paintings with #cfmcolortober, #colortober, and #peachtober — we repost as many as we can and I genuinely look forward to seeing what everyone makes every single day of October. It's the best month on the internet, in my opinion.

See you on Day 1. 🎨

— Alexis

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