Elena Rossi
There are several ways to tone down paint that is too bright. One option is to add a glaze to the paint, such as a clear latex glaze, which will make the colour more translucent and blend it with the base shade. You can also use a brown antiquing gel or a coloured glaze such as black or brown, depending on your colour scheme. Another option is to mix in complementary colours from the colour wheel to dull the brightness, such as adding red/orange to a colour like blue. You can also thin some burnt umber with Liquin and wipe it on the painting with a rag, or use a whitewash technique by mixing white paint with a clear liquid glaze.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Use of glaze | Glaze can be used to tone down bright paint. A white glaze can be applied with a balled-up piece of cheesecloth in large circular motions. A brown antiquing gel can also be rubbed on and off. |
| Whitewashing | White paint can be mixed with a clear liquid glaze to create a milky finish. This mixture can be applied to the wall to tone down the original paint colour. |
| Colour mixing | To tone down a colour, add the opposite colour from the colour wheel. For example, red/orange can be used to tone down a bright blue. |
| Colour washing | A colour wash can be applied over the original paint, allowing the original shade to remain evident but toned down. |
| Grey | Grey paint can be added to a bright colour to create a less bright shade. |
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What You'll Learn
Use a glaze
Glazing is an effective way to tone down a bright paint colour. A glaze will tone down the original shade while still allowing it to be evident. You can use a clear latex glaze, following the manufacturer's recommendations. The more glaze added to the paint, the more translucent the top colour will be, blending the base and top shades together.
You can tint a clear glaze to tone down a bright colour without losing any detail. For instance, to tone down a bright yellow, add a small amount of violet paint, its complementary colour, to "knock the colour down" without reducing its intensity. You can also add white to the glaze, very slowly, testing as you go, until the original paint colour is toned down. Alternatively, you can use a brown glaze, such as burnt umber, which can be thinned with Liquin and wiped onto the painting with a rag.
You can also use a colour wash with glaze to tone down a bright colour. This will create a varied look, with some areas appearing as a combination of the base and top colours. For example, a yellow topcoat over indigo will appear green.
If you are glazing a painting, you can use Matte Medium, which is available at art supply stores. You can try applying a coat of it plain to see if it tones down the painting by itself, and then add small amounts of grey for cool colours or beige for warm colours. Multiple layers of medium can be applied to seal and protect the canvas, and you can even paint over it with acrylic paint.
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Whitewash
If you want to tone down a colour on your wall without repainting, whitewashing is a great option. Whitewash is a simple mixture of white paint and clear liquid glaze, which gives a translucent, milky finish.
Before you begin, wipe down the wall with a soft cloth or duster to remove any dust or debris. Cover the floor with newspaper to protect it from paint drips. You can also use painter's tape to mask off any areas you want to keep paint-free.
To make the whitewash, mix the white paint and clear liquid glaze, slowly adding more white paint until you reach the desired shade. Test the mixture on a small section of the wall to gauge the effect as it dries. If you are happy with the shade, apply the whitewash to the wall in large circular motions using a balled-up piece of cheesecloth.
You can also create a varied look by brushing the whitewash mixture on in a thick layer and then dragging a dry, stiff-bristled brush through the glaze in one direction to create a silky strie effect. You can also brush in both vertical and horizontal directions for a linen-like appearance.
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Add a darker shade
If you have a bright colour on your walls that you want to tone down, one option is to add a darker shade to it. You can do this by getting a shade or two darker than the original colour and painting over the bright colour with the darker one. This will result in a more muted version of the original colour.
Alternatively, you can add grey to the bright colour. The more grey you add, the less bright the colour will become. You can also use brown antiquing gel, which can be rubbed on and off the walls easily.
If you are toning down a painting, you can thin some burnt umber with Liquin and wipe it onto the painting with a rag. You can then wipe out parts that you want to be brighter.
Another option is to glaze over the painting. You can use black or brown glaze, depending on your colour scheme. You can add multiple coats until you achieve the desired shade.
If you are toning down bright-coloured wood, you can add clear latex glaze to the paint. The more glaze you add, the more translucent the top colour will be, resulting in a blend of the base and top shades.
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Use a colour wheel
Using a colour wheel can be an incredibly effective way to tone down a colour without changing its identity. Colours that are complementary, or opposite, to each other on the colour wheel can neutralise or cancel each other out when mixed, producing a grey or black shade. For example, Fluid Permanent Green Light and Quinacridone Red are complementary colours that, when mixed, create an achromatic grey.
When working with paints, it is important to consider the Masstone and Undertone of a colour. The Masstone is the colour that is visible when paint is applied thickly, whereas the Undertone is most visible when the paint is spread thinly or mixed with a lot of medium. Knowing the Undertone of a colour can help you find its complement on the colour wheel. For example, Quinacridone Magenta has a cool bias leaning towards blue, so its complement would be a colour on the warmer end of the spectrum.
You can also use the colour wheel to find colours that are not direct complements but still help to tone down the brightness of a colour. For example, if you have a bright yellow wall, painting stripes of a lighter shade of yellow will gently tone down the overall effect without changing the colour. Similarly, you can use a colour wash or glaze in a complementary colour to tone down the brightness of a colour without repainting. For example, a white glaze can be applied to a brightly coloured wall to tone down its brightness and create a pleasing, muted colour.
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Paint over with a less bright colour
If you have a wall or painting that is too bright, one option is to paint over it with a less bright colour. This can be done by mixing white paint with a clear liquid glaze, creating a milky finish that can be applied in thin layers until the desired tone is achieved. This method maintains the original shade while significantly toning it down.
Alternatively, you can add a darker shade of the same colour or grey to the bright colour and paint over it. This technique will result in a blend of the base and top shades. You can also use a brown antiquing gel, rubbing it on and then wiping it off for a subtle effect.
If you are toning down a painting, you can thin some burnt umber with Liquin and wipe it onto the dry painting with a rag. This will mellow the overall tone of the painting.
For walls, a colour wash can be applied to tone down the brightness while still allowing the original shade to remain evident. This can be achieved by using a colour from the opposite end of the colour wheel, such as red/orange to tone down a bright blue, for example.
Remember to test these methods on a small section of the wall or canvas first to ensure you are happy with the result and to allow for adjustments.
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Frequently asked questions
You can try whitewashing the wall by mixing white paint with a clear liquid glaze for a milky finish. You can also add a glaze – we suggest black or brown depending on your colour scheme. Alternatively, you could paint a colour-blocking design on a large canvas and hang it on the wall, or stencil a design on the wall itself.
You can add a darker shade or grey to the original bright colour and paint over the top. You could also try using a brown antiquing gel, or whitewashing the surface.
You can thin some burnt umber down with Liquin and wipe it on the painting with a rag. You can then wipe out parts that you want to be brighter. You could also try glazing over the painting.
Mix a little of the colours' complements into the mix. That will dull the colour down. You could also try painting an underpainting in too-bright colours so they glow through subsequent layers.
You could try adding a coat of lighter or darker paint in a similar colour.
