Burnt Sienna is a single-pigment earth, PR101, which Holbein lists as Iron Oxide, and it carries four stars for lightfastness, the highest rating Holbein publishes. Munsell notation of 10.0R 4.0/7.5 places it at the top of the reds heading towards orange, with a mid-dark value of 4.0 and a moderate chroma of 7.5. That reads as a warm, slightly brick-toned red brown with real body to it.

Burnt Sienna is one of the two or three most useful tubes anyone owns. It is roof tile, rust, terracotta, red soil, timber, hair and the warm half of almost every skin tone. Its real party trick is as a mixing partner: with Ultramarine Blue it gives an entire family of warm and cool greys and a near-black far better than any tube black, and with Titanium White it walks up through dusty pinks and pale terracotta. Single-pigment earths mix more predictably than convenience blends, which makes this a sensible backbone for landscape and figure 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 finely milled pigment in an acrylic emulsion, formulated to give the flat matte surface of gouache with a film that cures hard. 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 foundation earth like Burnt Sienna that means you can block in, dry, and keep building without ever disturbing the layer below. The whole colour range is on the Holbein Acrylic Gouache page.

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 Burnt Sienna