Beige is a proper earth colour that has been tinted up. Holbein's list reads PY42 Hydrous Iron Oxide with PBr6, which they describe as Iron-Manganese Oxide (Native Earth), brought to a pale value by PW6 titanium dioxide. Munsell gives 2.0Y at value 8.5 with a chroma of 2.5, so it is light and nearly neutral with a warm lean. Those mined oxides are why it carries four stars, the highest lightfastness rating Holbein publishes.

Beige earns its keep as a mixing colour more than as a subject colour, although it does sand, canvas, cardboard, khaki fabric and weathered timber without any help. Its real value is what it does to everything else: a little makes a bright believable and takes the synthetic edge off a phthalo green or a hot pink without turning the passage grey. Illustrators working in restrained palettes lean on it heavily. It also gives clean pale skin tones with a touch of Crimson, and makes a calm flat ground behind linework.

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

Where this sits between the paints you already know. 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. The binder is acrylic, so it behaves like an acrylic once set, but it is formulated to dry flat rather than with a sheen, and Holbein designed it for use straight from the tube. If you want the glossier, more flexible option instead, have a look through our acrylic paint range.

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 Beige