Primary White is the white built for the primary set. Holbein lists PW6, Titanium Dioxide, a single pigment, and the Munsell notation is recorded as V 9.5, a value with no hue or chroma because there is no colour bias to note. A value of 9.5 sits right near the top of the lightness scale, so this is a clean, bright, neutral white. It carries four stars for lightfastness, the highest rating Holbein publishes.

White does more work in a palette than any single colour, and a neutral one is essential to a primary system. With Primary Magenta it gives a long ladder of clean pinks, with Primary Cyan a run of even pale blues, and with Primary Black an unbiased grey scale for tonal studies. Illustrators and animators lean on it for tinting flats, for highlights on finished work and for correcting an edge that has wandered. Because it is a titanium white it tints strongly, so add colour to white rather than white to colour when you want control.

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 gives you gouache's flat matte finish without gouache's habit of coming back to life the moment water touches it. Pigment is bound in an acrylic emulsion and thinned with water alone. 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. With a tinting white such as Primary White that means mixed pastels stay exactly as you mixed them once they are down. Card and heavier stock suit it well, so browse 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 Primary White