Ecoline techniques: Transform Ecoline colours into pastel shades - Royal Talens

Creating pastel shades with Ecoline

You can create beautiful pastel shades with Ecoline! By mixing colours the right way, you can achieve unique, opaque pastel tones. In this blog, you'll find a step-by-step guide to help you.

What you need View steps

What you need

Your favorite liquid Ecoline colours
Ecoline White 100
A mixing palette
Watercolour paper (for example, Ecoline's smooth-textured paper)
A watercolour brush
A bit of water to rinse your brush

Tips

Tape your paper along the edges to prevent buckling from the use of water
Add white Ecoline gradually to avoid making the colour too intense and losing the pastel effect. Adding too much white Ecoline at once can disrupt the desired result.
These opaque pastel shades also look beautiful on black watercolour paper. Give it a try for a surprising effect!

Step 1

Choose your base Ecoline colour

Start by selecting an Ecoline colour that you like. This can range from a vibrant red to a soft green hue. Add a few drops of this colour to your mixing palette. Thanks to the handy pipette in the bottle, you can precisely dose the Ecoline.

Step 2

Add the white Ecoline

By adding white Ecoline to your favorite Ecoline colour, subtle, light colours emerge that reflect natural beauty. Shake the white Ecoline bottle gently by slowly inverting it. This prevents air bubbles. Use a pipette to add a drop of white Ecoline to your base colour. This drop will turn your colour into a beautiful pastel shade. If you want a lighter pastel tint, you can gradually add more white Ecoline.

Step 3

Mix thoroughly

Use a brush to mix the white Ecoline and your base colour well until you have an even pastel shade. Keep mixing until no white Ecoline is visible.

Step 4

Test and adjust

Apply a bit of your new colour to a piece of paper to test it. If you’re happy with the colour and the pastel tint, you can proceed with your project. If not, gradually add more white Ecoline until you reach the desired shade.

Step 5

Let it dry

Let your artwork dry completely before evaluating the pastel effect. Only once it’s fully dry will the pastel tint truly shine!

Creating pastel shades with Ecoline