What makes a colour muted
A muted colour is a hue with some of its saturation taken away: dusty rose, sage, slate blue, taupe. They are still clearly a colour, just quieter. Most of what you see in the real world is muted, which is why paintings made entirely of tube colours can look artificial.
Dull with the complement, not black
The painter's way to mute a colour is to add a little of its complement, the colour opposite it on the wheel. The two partly cancel out, so saturation drops while the hue stays recognisable. Black does mute colours too, but it tends to make them dirty, and it shifts some hues: black turns yellow greenish.
Using muted colours
- Muted colours make bright ones look brighter. Surround one saturated accent with muted colour and it will glow.
- Use them for anything in shadow, in the distance, or seen through haze.
- A palette of mostly muted colours is the easiest way to make a painting feel harmonious. Every colour shares a little of the same greyness.