Violet is one of the fluorescent-pigment colours, and it is not what most people expect from that description. Holbein builds it from BV1, BV7, BV15 and AB83, all listed as Fluorescent Pigment, with no white in the mix. Munsell reads 2.0P 2.5/12.5, so a deep value of 2.5 carrying a chroma of 12.5. That pairing is unusual: a dark, dense purple that holds far more saturation than a conventional violet manages at the same depth.

Reach for it when a violet has to be both deep and vivid, which is a combination most pigments cannot give you. It is a natural for gig posters, book covers, editorial illustration, packaging roughs and any palette where one colour has to carry the mood. Because the fluorescent component does the work, use it at or near full strength and let it sit against something restrained rather than diluting it. Animators use violets like this for night-lit scenes and glow cues. It is also a very good field colour to drop lighter accents onto once it is dry.

What Makes This Colour Special

Pigment, lightfastness and series as published by Holbein. Holbein does not publish an opacity rating for individual colours; the range as a whole is described by Holbein as opaque.

Acrylic Gouache, Not Traditional Gouache

In Holbein's own words this is an opaque acrylic paint, which is the neatest description of the whole category. Pigment in an acrylic emulsion, thinned with water, no medium required. Holbein Acrylic Gouache dries to a matte opaque finish and is water resistant once dry, so it does not reactivate with water like traditional gouache. For a deep colour such as Violet, the flat surface is exactly what keeps a large field looking even. Compare it with everything else in our gouache range.

Why Holbein Acrylic Gouache Is in Serious Studios

• Genuinely opaque. Holbein describes the range simply as an opaque acrylic paint. It covers, including over darker colour, which is the whole point of reaching for gouache rather than watercolour.
• Velvety matte, no sheen. Holbein describes the colour as opaque, intense, smooth and velvety. It dries flat, which is why it photographs and scans without glare.
• Water resistant once dry, so you can layer. Holbein’s own wording, and the reason the range exists. A dry layer will take another one over the top without lifting.
• The colour you mix is the colour you get. Holbein states it does not shift in colour tone from wet to dried colour. Anyone who has watched a perfect grey dry into a different grey will appreciate that.
• Built to use straight from the tube. Holbein says it is specifically designed to be used directly from the tube and will dry to even, uniform paint layers.
• Works on more than paper. Holbein lists paper, canvas, cloth, stone, wood, leather, plexiglass and concrete, with excellent adhesion, and full compatibility with all acrylic mediums.

Getting the Most Out of This Tube

Straight from the tube is the default. This is what Holbein designed it for, and it is where you get those even, flat, uniform layers. Add a little water to loosen it, but go easy: very diluted washes can dry streaky across a large flat area, so build coverage in thin even coats rather than flooding it on.

Watch the palette, not the clock. Holbein gives an open time of roughly 10 to 30 minutes and notes the drying time is much like ordinary watercolour. The practical consequence is that paint left sitting on the palette will go off and will not come back, so squeeze out small amounts as you need them.

It plays well with acrylic mediums. Holbein states the range is compatible with all acrylic mediums, so you can change the body or extend the working time if you want to. Soft synthetic brushes suit it, since they hold enough paint to lay a flat area without dragging.

Questions About Holbein Violet