Metallic Yellow pairs a yellow pigment with mica. Holbein lists PY1 with PW20, given as Titanated Mica and a Monoazo Pigment, so the yellow hue rides on flat mineral particles instead of sitting as a solid film of colour. There is no published Munsell notation, and for a paint that shifts as you tilt it there is no single value or chroma worth quoting anyway. Holbein rates it two stars for lightfastness.

Metallic Yellow is the brass-and-gold-leaf option: temple detail, trumpet bells, wheat heads catching low sun, beetle carapaces, embroidered thread, warning flashes on machinery. Because yellow is naturally light, it needs a dark surrounding tone to register as metal at all, which makes it a natural partner for Deep Green or Burnt Umber grounds. Animators and illustrators use it as a spot accent on flat-design work where one glinting element carries the whole frame. Thinned slightly it holds a fine line, so it doubles as a highlight colour on top of finished flats.

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 does two jobs at once. On the brush and on the paper it feels like gouache, dense and matte and easy to lay flat. Underneath, it is an acrylic emulsion. 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 Metallic Yellow, laid over a dark ground as an accent, that permanence is exactly what makes the technique possible. It works on card, board and heavier drawing stock, so browse our pads and paper for a suitable surface.

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 Metallic Yellow