Chinese White in this range is titanium, not zinc. Holbein lists a single pigment, PW6, Titanium Dioxide, the same as in Titanium White, with the same four-star lightfastness. What separates the two is the published Munsell value, 9.0 here against 9.5. Half a step on a ten-point value scale is a small difference written down and a noticeable one when the two swatches sit side by side. This is the softer, less glaring white.

Because it sits a little lower in value, this is the white to use when a full-strength white would punch a hole in the picture. It suits highlights on soft subjects, snow and cloud that need to stay believable, pale flesh tones, and any palette built on muted colour where a bright white looks pasted on. It tints exactly as you would expect from titanium dioxide, giving a slightly gentler set of pastels than Titanium White does. Watercolourists who work in this paint tend to like it as a body-colour white over washes.

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

This is a Japanese-made paint developed for illustrators, designers and animators who need colour to sit down flat and stay put on paper, board, card or canvas. 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 softer white such as Chinese White is happy alongside pencil, ink, pastel and collage, because the matte film gives all of them something to bite on. A mixed media pad is a good place to test that.

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 Chinese White