Mustard is a clever bit of formulating. Holbein builds it from two yellows, PY3 and PY83, listed as Monoazo and Disazo Pigments, then adds PB29, described as a Complex of Silica, Alumina, Soda and Sulphur. A trace of blue is what turns a bright yellow into a mustard. There is no white in it, which is why the chroma still reads 10.0 at value 7.5. Munsell hue 4.0Y puts it in the yellow band, slightly greened.

Mustard turns up constantly in contemporary illustration and design, and it holds a large flat area beautifully, which is half the reason. Use it for turmeric, wheat stubble, ochre-painted walls, vintage upholstery and any retro palette that wants warmth without red. It sits very comfortably against Deep Violet or Prussian Blue. Because the blue is already in the formula it moves into olive and khaki with the smallest push, and a touch of Jet Black gives a convincing dry-grass green with no green pigment involved at all.

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

The name confuses people, so plainly. Holbein Acrylic Gouache dries to a matte, opaque finish and is water resistant once dry, which means it does not reactivate with water like traditional gouache. You get gouache's flat matte character in a paint that stays where you put it. Holbein states it dries to even, uniform layers straight from the tube, and that the colour does not shift from wet to dry. There are 109 colours in the range, and every one of them is listed on our Holbein Acrylic Gouache page.

This is not poster paint, even though a photograph of a flat matte swatch cannot tell you the difference. Poster paint is a low-cost classroom and craft material with a light pigment load and no permanence rating at all. Holbein publishes a pigment list, a chemical name and a lightfastness figure for every colour here.

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 Mustard