Primary Yellow is the yellow leg of the process-style primary set. Holbein blends two pigments, PY3 and PY74, both listed as monoazo pigments. The Munsell notation of 8Y 9/14 is striking: a value of 9 is about as light as a colour gets, and a chroma of 14 is extremely saturated, so this is a brilliant, cool, slightly greenish yellow rather than a golden one. Holbein gives it two stars for lightfastness.

This is the yellow that makes the primary system work. With Primary Cyan it gives clean greens across the whole range instead of the dull olives a warm yellow hands you, and with Primary Magenta it runs up through oranges into red. On its own it is a strong graphic yellow for posters, packaging, signage roughs, animation flats and colour blocking. Illustrators use it for lemons, wattle, high-visibility clothing and lit windows. Because it is so light in value, a very small amount will shift a dark colour noticeably, so add it a little at a time.

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 describes this range as an opaque acrylic paint, and the description is accurate: finely milled pigment in an acrylic emulsion, thinned with water, laid down flat and matte. 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 designer's yellow such as Primary Yellow, that combination means a flat can be trimmed, masked, overpainted and corrected. The full colour list, all one hundred plus tubes, is on the Holbein Acrylic Gouache page.

Designer's gouache is a beautiful thing but it stays water soluble for ever, which is why designers historically worked in one pass and protected the surface afterwards. This dries water resistant, so flats can be overpainted, masked and corrected. You keep the matte designer finish and lose the fragility, which is the whole point of the format.

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 Primary Yellow