Add pastel colors to your decor

Table of Contents

Certainly, pastel colors are on the rise, the two colors of 2016 are even pastel! Here is how I suggest you integrate it into your decor.

What are the pastel colors?

Pastel colors consist of a base of pure white, colored with one of the primary colors so as to obtain a lighter version of the original colored pigments. By varying the number of color pigments in the basic white paint, I obtain a whole series of shades of the same shade. The presence of white prevents the intensity of the color from becoming too dominant.

pastel colors
pastel colors

Whether pink, blue, mint or peach, these soft shades are always very soothing. You just have to know how to make them fit into a decor. The idea is to integrate them into a neutral base, such as white, gray, black, because an entire room designed with these colors could end up being too “sweet”.

pastel colors
pastel colors

Pastel colors accessories

Sometimes the pastel colors touch can be as simple as accessories. A few vases, frames or a lamp base is enough to soften a room. Also try a few towels in a neutral bathroom to bring spring in no time. I like this DIY which consists of sticking a small animal on a glass jar cover then painting them with pastel colors.

pastel colors
pastel colors

Integrating a single piece of pastel-colored furniture such as a chair, a carpet is another idea. Do not be afraid to add an element of color even if we do not find this color in the rest of your decor. The effect will be more surprising and less “kit” which is much more current. Although all the pastel colors shade are pretty, the one that is the most trendy at the moment is undoubtedly mint, a turquoise diluted with white.

Adding colored

Adding colored furniture such as a side table or stools is also a great way to add softness to your decor. You can think of recycling by spraying a table or even painting an old piece of furniture with a pastel color shade. Revamping that brings instant freshness!

pastel colors
pastel colors

I know it’s rather daring, but why not cut the uniformity of a kitchen with the addition of one or two cabinets in pastel colors? It creates an interesting block of color that does not go unnoticed and which brings unparalleled originality. A great way to follow the trend without large investments!

Finally, do not forget that cushions, framing and other small decorations are undoubtedly the best way to incorporate pastel touches in small doses and at low prices. Avoid “kits” choose different materials and textures to create warm weddings. Know that whatever pastel color shade you prefer, the mixture with black, white and gray remains harmonious and current combinations.

Carry out a pastel colors study

Personally, I love the rendering of the airbrush and I plan to test this wonderful tool when I have moved and have a room dedicated to my art

What I am going to show you now is the simplest method I use and can serve you too, whether you practice the acrylic painting, the oil painting or other processing technique in color.

It is above all a method of progression which starts from the idea of ​​a painting and which makes it possible to walk step by step until the realization of the final work.

To learn the technique of dry pastel colors:

WHY USE THE PASTEL DRY BEFORE GETTING STARTED

Many people are afraid of failing a painting before even starting to paint it, especially because of the coloring…

It’s a shame because I see that it is a real brake on their artistic creation.

Dry pastels allow you to quickly put colors on a sketch block without having to use large resources.

This is why they are for me the ideal tool when it comes to making a quick study of colors.

I always advise to do a color study before embarking on the realization of a painting in large format; this allows not to leave “at random” and to master the steps even if your idea evolves along the way.

Some say that the pastel technique is halfway between that of drawing and that of painting. I think it’s true!

PREPARATORY SKETCHES BEFORE THE COLOR STUDY

I usually start a composition with preparatory sketches in fine black felt with reference images or photos which I redraw in a simplified style.

With all of these sketches, I create a composition which will be the black and white model of my painting.

Black-and-white-model

pastel colors

COLORING OF THE MODEL

Once I find the satisfactory result, I reuse the same pastel pencils to colorize my model in black and white.

It is also time to give more details, for example the background clouds.

Study-2-poppies-blueberries

pastel colors

What is pleasant with dry pastels is that you can superimpose colors, blend them with your finger and obtain subtle gradations quite easily.

I always have my miniature painting in front of me, which does not prevent me from providing more contrast if the need arises.

Study-3-poppies-blueberries

For this painting I seek to obtain a photographic effect with a blurred background and a subject which stands out very clearly from the front.

I voluntarily leave certain white areas of the paper to be able to include, afterwards, the rather fuzzy red poppies in the background.

What is interesting with this method is that even at this stage of the work if one realizes that something does not fit, simply redo its design, it avoids wasting time, the painting and the canvas.

pastel colors

Blue poppies painting

The technique of the airbrush has a rendering quite close to that of the dry pastel, with it, one can just as much play on the “sharp” and the “fuzzy”. It is for this reason that I love them both.

I hope that this article will have inspired you and that this simple method will allow you, in your turn, to work with confidence from the sketch until the realization of your own paintings.