Holbein's four Neutral Greys are a published value ladder, and Neutral Grey 1 is the top rung: a Munsell value of 8.5, against 7.5 for Grey 2, 5.5 for Grey 3 and 4.0 for Grey 4. It is made from PBk7 carbon and PW6 titanium white, carries four stars for lightfastness, and has no hue or chroma quoted, which is the notation for a true neutral. A pale, even grey with no colour bias in it at all.

A light grey earns its keep as the paper you paint on rather than the colour you paint with. Designers and illustrators use it as a background field that keeps white elements legible, and it is the natural first step down from white in a value study. It suits concrete, newsprint, aluminium, cloud, pigeons and any subject where white would read as too bright. Mixed into a saturated colour it desaturates without darkening much, since at value 8.5 there is very little black in it to pull the value down.

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 water-thinnable, highly pigmented and made to dry flat. 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. That is exactly why a pale grey works so well in this paint: coat a sheet, let it dry, and you have effectively made your own toned paper to work on. It suits illustration, animation backgrounds, design comps and model work equally. See how it sits against the rest of our gouache range.

Traditional gouache never really dries, so a grey underlayer will lift into whatever you paint over it and quietly muddy the lot. Acrylic gouache dries water resistant, which is exactly why grey works so well as a ground here. Put it down, let it dry, and paint on it as though it were toned paper.

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 Neutral Grey #1