Green is the range's straightforward mid green, and it is a phthalo at heart. Holbein lists PG7, Polychloro Copper Phthalocyanine, with PY3 Monoazo Pigment to warm it. Munsell puts it at 3.0G with a value of 4.5 and a chroma of 10.0, so it is saturated and mid-dark, a clean true green with just enough yellow in it to stop it reading blue-green. Phthalo also means serious tinting strength for the amount you use.

Most of the time this is the green you mix from rather than the green you use neat. At full strength it does foliage in shade, painted metal, tabletop terrain and the crisp flat greens of graphic work. Its real job is as a base: Yellow Ochre or Naples Yellow drag it towards something believable in a landscape, Burnt Umber takes it to a deep forest tone, and Titanium White gives clean mints without chalkiness. Model makers and animators like how evenly a flat area of it lays down.

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

A quick primer. Acrylic gouache gives you the dense, flat, matte surface gouache is loved for, with a binder that sets for good. 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. That is what lets you layer and overpaint a strong colour like this one without dragging it back up into the next coat. Holbein also gives an open time of roughly 10 to 30 minutes. The wider gouache range is worth a browse.

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 Green