Lemon Yellow is PY3 alone, listed by Holbein as a Monoazo Pigment. Munsell notation of 9.0Y 9.0/11.5 makes it the lightest colour in this batch by value, and the 9.0Y hue puts it right at the edge of the yellows, a whisker from green. Chroma of 11.5 is high but not the highest here, which fits: a cool yellow this light reads as bright and slightly acidic rather than heavy. Two stars for lightfastness.

This is the yellow that mixes the greens you actually wanted. Because there is almost no red in it, taking it towards Primary Cyan gives a clean bright green with no hint of olive, and towards Jet Black it drops into a proper olive when you do want one. Straight from the tube it does highlights, lemons, spring growth, high-visibility flats and anything that needs to feel cold and bright at once. Illustrators and animators use it as the top note in a warm palette. With Magenta it gives a surprisingly warm red-orange.

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 makes this paint for work that has to be reproduced. Pigment in an acrylic emulsion, water thinnable, and a dried surface with no sheen at all, which is exactly what a scanner or a camera wants. 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. A bright such as Lemon Yellow therefore reproduces evenly across a large flat. Have a look at how it differs from the rest of our gouache range.

A standard acrylic in this hue would dry with a low sheen, and a sheen is the enemy of anything you plan to scan or photograph flat. Lemon Yellow dries completely matte, so it reproduces evenly under studio lights with no bright patches, while still behaving like the acrylic it is once dry.

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 Lemon Yellow