Lilac is PV23 Dioxazine Pigment lifted with PW6 Titanium Dioxide, so it is a tint of the same dioxazine that makes Deep Violet. Munsell notation of 9.0PB 6.5/7.5 sets it at a light-mid value of 6.5 with a chroma of 7.5, and the 9.0PB hue keeps it on the blue side of violet. Expect a soft, slightly powdery wisteria that stays cool. Three stars for lightfastness.

Lilac is one of those colours you will keep reaching for without quite deciding to. It does wisteria, jacaranda, hydrangea and lavender straight from the tube, and it is a beautiful mid-light for cool shadow on white cloth, snow, porcelain and skin in cold light. Designers use it as a calm mid-tone that stops a palette of blues from going monotonous. Ultramarine Blue deepens it back towards a strong blue-violet, and a whisper of Yellow Ochre greys it off into the sort of soft warm mauve that reads as dusk.

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 gives you the matte chalk-flat look of gouache with the durability of an acrylic film, and water is the only thinner it wants. 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. That is what makes a mid-tone such as Lilac so useful, since you can lay it as a ground and then build over it as many times as the piece needs. If you already use acrylic paint, nothing here will surprise you.

Jelly gouache comes in little pots, stays water-soluble for good, and is built for quick sketchbook colour rather than layering. Acrylic gouache is the opposite proposition: once a passage of Lilac has cured it will not lift, so you can build a picture in layers and correct on top as often as it needs.

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 Lilac