In paintings, adjacent areas of differing value/color can be blended with a back and forth or somewhat erratic motion of a soft brush that holds little or no paint.

In drawings, very fine rubbing in a circular or somewhat erratic motion and with varying degrees of pressure applied to the drawing implement can create smooth transitions from one color/value to the next. In drawings, a soft blending tool can also be used to subtly drag a color/value that has already been applied into an adjacent area.

Smooth blending is found in Fully Rendered works.

Featured: Bashi-Bazouk by Jean-Léon Gérôme