Deep Green is the dark green of the range, and the numbers explain the difference between dark and dull. It shares the 3.0G hue of the standard Green but drops to a value of 3.5 with the chroma down at 5.5, so it is both darker and considerably less saturated. The pigments are PG7 Polychloro Copper Phthalocyanine with PY83 Disazo Pigment, and there is no black in the formula, which is why it stays green rather than sliding towards grey.

This is the colour for the shaded parts of things: the underside of a canopy, wet moss, pine, bottle glass, dark ivy, deep water over weed. It saves you mixing a dark green from scratch every session, which is exactly the sort of small saving that adds up across a long illustration. Naples Yellow or Cream Yellow bring lit passages back out of it, and Prussian Blue pushes it towards near-black. Botanical and landscape painters tend to make it their standing shadow green and rarely need another.

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

What acrylic gouache actually is, briefly. Holbein Acrylic Gouache dries to a matte, opaque finish and is water resistant once dry, so it does not reactivate with water the way traditional gouache, bound with gum arabic, does. For dark colours that is a real advantage, because lighter passages can go over the top without muddying into what is underneath. Holbein lists compatibility with all acrylic mediums if you want to change the body of the paint. Heavier sheets take it best, and there are plenty of those in our pads and paper 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 Deep Green