The word for today is…

scumble (verb) – 1. To soften the colours or outlines of (a painting or drawing) by covering with a film of opaque or semiopaque colour or by rubbing.
2. To blur the outlines of.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : The history of scumble is blurry, but the word is thought to be related to the verb scum, an obsolete form of skim, meaning “to pass lightly over.” Scumbling, as first perfected by artists such as Titian, involves passing dry, opaque coats of oil paint over a tinted background to create subtle tones and shadows. Although the painting technique dates to the 16th century, use of the word scumble is only known to have begun in the late 18th century. The related noun form soon followed.

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