Silver sits with the specialty colours, and it does not behave like the rest of the range. Holbein builds it from PW20 alone, listed as Titanated Mica. Mica is a naturally platey mineral, so the effect comes from how those flat particles settle in the dried film and which way they throw light back at you. Holbein publishes no Munsell notation for it, which makes sense: there is no single flat value to quote for something that changes as you move. Three stars for lightfastness.

Silver earns its keep where you want a real shift in surface rather than a painted grey. Armour, machinery, keys, fish scales, frost, lettering across a dark cover, foil-look accents on packaging roughs. Model makers reach for it on panel detail because a matte binder does not throw hot spots under photography lights. It reads strongest as an accent rather than a field, so a small passage of it against Jet Black or Prussian Blue does more work than a whole panel would. Lay it over dry colour instead of mixing it into your other tubes.

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 finely ground pigment carried in an acrylic emulsion, made to handle like gouache on the surface and behave like acrylic once it has set. 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 mica colour such as Silver that matters twice over: the matte binder keeps the surface from throwing competing shine, and the water resistance is what lets you lay it over dried colour. The complete colour list sits 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 Silver