Pastel (color)

This article is about the color family. For the art medium, see Pastel.

Pastels or pastel colors belong to a pale family of colors, which, when described in the HSV color space, have high value and low saturation.^[1][2] They are named after an artistic medium made from pigment and solid binding agents, similar to crayons. Pastel sticks historically tended to have lower saturation than paints of the same pigment, hence the name of this color family.

Pastel

Pastel sticks in a variety of colors
Common connotations
Soothing

The colors of this family are usually described as "soothing."^[3] Pink, mauve,^[4] and baby blue^[5] are commonly used pastel colors, as are mint green, peach, periwinkle, lilac, and lavender.

Examples

Examples of pastels in HEX-code
	fea3aa	f8b88b	faf884
	baed91	b2cefe	f2a2e8

Gallery

• 
  Gaiety pastels
• 
  Pastel-colored beads

References

1. Gilbert, Beverly Ash (2009). Beaded Colorways: Freeform Beadweaving Projects and Palettes. Cincinnati, OH: North Light Books. p. 13. ISBN 9781600613180. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
2. Whitaker, Jerry C. (1996). "Principles of Light, Vision, and Photometry". In Whitaker, Jerry C. (ed.). The Electronics Handbook. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780849383458. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
3. Clark, Sally (2003). House Beautiful Magazine (ed.). House Beautiful Color: Bright Ideas for Every Room. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. p. 27. ISBN 9781588162519. OCLC 61439232. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
4. McCarthy, Michael; Felicity O'Dell (2002). English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 154. ISBN 9780521653978. OCLC 49550686. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
5. Weber, Jeanette (1990). Clothing: Fashion, Fabrics, Construction. McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9780026401616.