Softer Distress Ink colors?

[poppydarling]

I have been having such fun "water coloring" with Distress Inks, but I like a softer look and so many of the colors need a lot of water added before they become toned down. Many are just too bright for me.

What are some of the more subtle colors in the line? I have Old Paper, Antique Linen, and Weathered Wood and they are very very subtle � almost too subtle! I hope this doesn't become a Three Little Bears situation

Or is there another technique I can use to get a softer effect from some of the brighter colors? I started taking note of Tim Holtz's color charts for colors that are similar, and bought Mustard Seed based on that, and it's definitely a yellow with some black in it, I think, because it's not nearly as bright as Squeezed Lemonade!

[iamvics]

Muted colors: Spun Sugar, Bundled Sage, Milled Lavender, Tattered Rose, Shaded Lilac, Iced Spruce, Victorian Velvet

Scattered Straw is a paler yellow.

[ailhelen]

Tumbled glass (hope I got that right this time, had to edit) can be nice and soft too.

[Angelnorth]

I would add Pumice Stone to the ones already mentioned.

Almost any colour can be used for a pale "wash" though. Are you using a reinker or the pad? You're right that the stronger colours need lots of water in proportion to the ink but if you start with a tiny amount of ink you're good to go with no waste. If you're currently using a reinker, try the pad instead - just dab the very corner on a slick surface (old CD, piece of acetate, acrylic block etc) for a tiny smudge of ink and then swoosh on some water with a paint brush.

[rosegold]

I would try to approach this in the same way you make less saturated colors when handling bright shades in watercolour - you mix with the complimentary.
So if you want to make a green less bright, you mix it with (bright) red; you only want to add a little bit of the red at a time until you reach the desired tone. If you have reinkers and an unfilled Distress Ink Pad you could make your own custom colored pads this way.