Super Opaque White is Holbein's Series C white. The pigment is PW6, Titanium Dioxide, and the lightfastness rating is four stars, both exactly as listed for Titanium White. The published Munsell value is 9.6 against 9.5, which is a tenth of a step. That is the whole of the difference Holbein puts in print, and rather than dress the name up we would rather you knew what the data says before you choose.

Whites do the same jobs whichever one you pick: highlights, tinting, corrections, white line work over dried colour, reclaiming an area you want to rework. At a published value of 9.6 this is the highest value white in the batch by a whisker, and it is the one people reach for when a project or a studio is standardised on the Series C tubes. It mixes like any titanium white, taking every colour in the range up through its tints, and it thins with water for fine work like the rest of the line.

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 best understood as an opaque, matte, water-thinnable acrylic. The pigment load is high, the binder is an acrylic emulsion, and it is made to level out rather than hold a brush mark. 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. Whites benefit twice over: flat coverage on the way down and no lifting on the way back up. Series A and Series C tubes are listed together 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 Super Opaque White