Light Yellow is made from PY3 and PY83 with PW6, and Holbein's chemical listing for it reads Monoazo Pigment, Titanium Dioxide. Munsell notation of 5.0Y 8.5/13.0 is the useful detail: value 8.5 is high, chroma 13.0 is strong, and the 5.0Y hue sits squarely in the yellows rather than leaning warm. Alongside Yellow it looks less golden and slightly cooler, and the titanium white in it takes a little of the edge off, so it reads as an even yellow rather than a piercing one. Two stars for lightfastness.

A mid, unbiased yellow is a better mixer than a warm one, and this is where Light Yellow earns its place. With Cobalt Blue it makes clean, believable foliage greens; with Orange it gives an amber that does not go muddy; with Neutral Grey #1 it drops to the soft dulled yellows that make everything around them look brighter. It suits botanical illustration, flat-design work, product mock-ups and children's book palettes. Because the value is high it also works as a light note straight from the tube instead of being tinted with white first.

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

This is a water-based acrylic formulated for matte, opaque coverage rather than glazing. High pigment load, an acrylic emulsion binder, and a surface that dries without any gloss to fight your lighting. 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 mixing yellow such as Light Yellow the practical gain is that mixed greens can be layered without disturbing what is underneath. More from the maker on our Holbein page.

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 Light Yellow