Ivory White is a white with an iron oxide in it, which is exactly what makes it useful. Holbein lists PY42, Hydrous Iron Oxide, alongside PY53 Nickel-Antimony Titanate and PW6 titanium dioxide. Munsell reads 5.0Y at value 9.0 with a chroma of just 2.0, so this is very nearly a white carrying the faintest warm cast. It also holds four stars for lightfastness, the top rating Holbein publishes, since all three pigments are stable inorganics.

Anyone who has painted a white object knows that pure white looks wrong and slightly dead. This is the warm alternative: linen, eggshell, bone, plaster, old book pages, the lit side of a white shirt. Designers use it as a background that still reads as white but sits more comfortably than paper white. It is also the gentlest way to lighten a colour, lifting value without the cold snap Titanium White brings, and it is worth keeping beside Beige for pale interior and still-life work.

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

For anyone new to the range: Holbein Acrylic Gouache is a professional water-based paint that dries to a matte, opaque finish and is water resistant once dry, so it does not reactivate with water like traditional gouache. Holbein describes it as opaque, intense, smooth and velvety, and lists paper, canvas, cloth, stone, wood, leather, plexiglass and concrete among its surfaces. The 109 colours run from four-star earths to fluorescent brights, and we publish the individual rating on every colour. There is more about the maker on our Holbein page.

People often arrive here expecting designer's gouache, which shares the flat matte look. The difference is the binder. Designer's gouache uses gum arabic and stays re-wettable for life, so it can always be lifted and reworked. This sets with an acrylic binder and stops being soluble, which suits layered flat-colour work far better.

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 Ivory White