Metallic Violet puts PV23 with PW20, which Holbein lists as Titanated Mica and Dioxazine Pigment. Dioxazine violet is a deep, intense hue, and on mica particles it gives a dark violet that changes character as the light shifts across it. As with the rest of the mica colours, Holbein publishes no Munsell notation, because a paint whose appearance depends on viewing angle has no one value and chroma to record. Three stars for lightfastness.

This is the metallic for night and for the theatrical end of illustration: twilight, iris petals, plums with a bloom on them, stage costume, beetle bodies, deep space, hair with a cool sheen. Dioxazine is dark by nature, so Metallic Violet reads well even on a mid-toned ground where paler metallics would vanish. It is a favourite for decorative work and hand-lettered covers. In mixed media it layers cleanly over dried washes and collage. Use it as an accent against Deep Violet or Ultramarine Deep and let the contrast carry it.

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

The short version: gouache handling, acrylic film. Pigment is carried in an acrylic emulsion, water is the only thinner required, and the paint lays down flat with no sheen. 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 Violet that permanence lets you use it as a decorative final layer over dried colour or lettering. It suits smooth card and heavier stock, both of which you will find in our pads and 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 Metallic Violet