Bronze is the warm, browned member of the metallic group. Holbein makes it from PW20, Titanated Mica, with no colour pigment added, so everything you see comes from the mineral itself. Mica is naturally platey, and those flat particles are what give the paint its shift as the light moves across it. There is no Munsell notation published, because a colour that changes with viewing angle cannot be pinned to one value and chroma. Holbein rates it three stars for lightfastness.

Bronze is the one to reach for when Silver reads too cold and Gold too bright. It suits antique metalwork, coins, buckles, instrument fittings, leather tooling and the warm glint on old timber. Illustrators use it in historical and fantasy work, where a warm metal against Burnt Umber or Sepia looks aged instead of new. It also behaves well as a top layer in mixed media, sitting over dried ink or collage without disturbing what is underneath. Keep it for accents and let a darker surrounding colour do the contrast work for you.

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 artists who wanted gouache handling without gouache fragility. Water is the only thinner needed, it goes on flat from the tube or diluted for detail, and the dried film is acrylic. 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. With a metallic like Bronze that means you can build a dark ground, let it dry, and work over it with no risk of lifting. Compare it with the rest of our gouache range.

A metallic acrylic from the craft aisle usually dries with a satin or glossy sheen, which competes with the metallic effect and bounces light off the whole surface. This dries matte, so the only shine in the picture is the mica doing its job. That difference matters a lot if the work is going to be photographed or scanned.

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 Bronze