Light Magenta is PR170, a Monoazo Pigment, brought up with PW6 Titanium Dioxide. That white is why the colour reads as it does. Munsell notation of 6.0RP 7.0/8.0 gives a light value of 7.0 and a moderate chroma of 8.0, so this is a soft, confident mid pink with a cool violet lean rather than a hot one. Holbein rates it two stars for lightfastness.

Tints like this are the ones illustrators actually run out of. It is the colour of peony and camellia, of painted plaster, of ballet shoes and worn signage and the lit side of a pale fabric. Because it is already lifted with white it lays down as an even mid-light field straight from the tube, which saves remixing a pink to the same strength across a series. Titanium White carries it up into blush territory, Rose Violet takes it back down into full saturation, and Neutral Grey #3 gives you a lovely dusty antique pink for period work.

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

Acrylic gouache is pigment carried in an acrylic emulsion, made to behave like gouache on the surface and like acrylic underneath. 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. A pre-tinted pink such as Light Magenta is a good advertisement for the category: flat, even, repeatable colour that you can then draw and paint straight over. See how it compares with the rest of 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 Light Magenta