Burnt Umber is a single-pigment earth, PBr6, which Holbein lists as Iron-Manganese Oxide, a native earth. Munsell notation of 5.0YR 3.0/2.0 gives a dark value of 3.0 and a chroma of just 2.0, so this is a deep, warm, close-to-neutral brown rather than a chocolate-rich one. The 5.0YR hue is what keeps it on the red side of the umbers. Holbein rates it four stars for lightfastness, the top of its published scale.

This is the darkener that keeps its manners. A single-pigment earth this low in chroma will take almost anything down a few values without hijacking the hue, which is why it lives permanently on so many palettes. Alone it gives shadowed timber, leather, dark hair, ploughed soil and the shaded side of brick. With Ultramarine Blue it makes deep, controllable darks that still read as colour, and with a little Scarlet it becomes a convincing rich brick. Titanium White brings it up through a lovely set of warm greys and taupes.

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 bound in an acrylic emulsion and formulated to sit flat rather than hold a brush mark. Thin it with water, use it from the tube for flats, no medium needed. 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 darkener like Burnt Umber that means clean, even shadow shapes you can work over freely. Heavier sheets handle large flats best, and our pads and paper has the options.

Heavy-body acrylic holds a brush mark and dries with a sheen, which is wonderful for texture and unhelpful when you want a flat even brown. Acrylic gouache is thinner in body and dries matte, so Burnt Umber goes down as a level field with no ridges catching the light across it.

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 Umber