pastel
Gentle, chalky hue
Pastel describes pale, soft colors—pink, lavender, mint, peach—as if white had been mixed in to mute their intensity.
The word comes from the chalky drawing sticks artists use, which produce these gentle hues: a pastel sketch, done in pastels.
Pastel often suggests springtime, nurseries, or deliberate softness: pastel Easter eggs, a room decorated in pastels.
Soft sedimentary writing stone
- crayonColored wax stick
- sanguineCheerfully optimistic temperament
- sepiaReddish-brown pigment
- fixativeSubstance that preserves artwork
charcoal · gouache · watercolor · graphite · tempera · encaustic · sketch · portrait
Reduced in intensity
- toned-downMade less extreme
- desaturatedReduced in color intensity
- fadedLost original color
- washed-outLacking original vibrancy
pale · soft · dusty · powdery · chalky · diluted · lightened · whitened
chalk
Soft sedimentary writing stone
fixative · charcoal · gouache · watercolor · graphite · tempera · encaustic · sketch · portrait · landscape
subdued
Reduced in intensity
- toned-downMade less extreme
- desaturatedReduced in color intensity
- fadedLost original color
washed-out · pale · soft · dusty · powdery · chalky · diluted · lightened · whitened · hazy
feminine
Pertaining to women
- nurseryRoom for infants
- springtimeSeason following winter
- EasterResurrection commemoration day
romantic · vintage · whimsical · dreamy · ethereal · kawaii · cottagecore · bridal · macaron · fondant
lavender
Fragrant herb, pale violet
lemon · mauve · aqua · coral · rose · periwinkle · lilac · turquoise · beige · ivory
- Light & Colorhue, shade, tint, brightness, saturation
- art techniquespainting, drawing, sketching, shading, blending
- color termsblack, white, red, blue, green
- hair colorblonde, brunette, auburn, red, brown
- photo effectsblur, sharpen, brightness, contrast, saturation
- portrait sketchingpencil sketch, charcoal sketch, charcoal sketches, self-portrait, likeness
- copy and pasteReplicate content elsewhere
- cut and pasteRelocate selected content
- tomato pasteConcentrated cooked puree
- shrimp pasteFermented ground crustacean condiment
- copy pasteDuplicate and transfer digitally
- pastel colorsPale, diluted hues