Sepia is a dark brown with almost no colour left in it, and the Munsell notation says so plainly: 8.0YR 2.5/1.0. A value of 2.5 is close to black and a chroma of 1.0 is very nearly neutral. Holbein makes it from PBr6, a native earth listed as Iron Manganese Oxide, with PBk7 carbon alongside. Both are about as stable as pigments get, and Holbein gives the tube four stars, the highest rating it publishes.

This is a working dark rather than a feature colour. Use it where black would be too blunt: hair, tree trunks, ironwork, ink-style line work, the deepest note in a portrait. It sits comfortably under and over the warmer earths, so landscape and botanical painters reach for it to build depth without shifting hue. Thinned in the palette it makes a very usable sepia line colour for pen and brush drawing. With Titanium White it walks through a full range of warm greys that feel far more natural than anything mixed from a black.

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

Holbein made this paint for people who wanted gouache handling with a film that stays put: finely ground 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 the way traditional gouache does. A near-black such as Sepia is where that matters most, because darks are the layers most likely to lift. Choose a heavier, well-sized sheet from our pads and paper for broad flats.

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 Sepia