There is no green pigment in Olive at all. Holbein makes it from PY83, a Disazo Pigment, and PB29, listed as a Complex of Silica, Alumina, Soda and Sulphur. Yellow and blue, mixed the way you would mix it yourself. Munsell reads 5.0Y at value 5.5 with a chroma of 6.5, which places it in the yellow band rather than the green one: a mid-dark dusty yellow-green with none of the phthalo brightness.

Olive is the green for anywhere hot and dry, which makes it particularly useful to Australian painters. Dry grass, gum leaves, army canvas, dulled brass, bottle glass, camouflage. Because it is a yellow-and-blue mix rather than a phthalo, it sits naturally next to earth colours, and Yellow Ochre or Burnt Sienna will move it around without a fight. A touch of Titanium White gives sage tones immediately, and a little more takes you to the grey-greens of saltbush. It is also the fastest way to knock the acid out of Light Green.

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

Worth a line on what the range is. 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. Holbein calls it an opaque acrylic paint, made to be used from the tube, and it holds up next to pencil, ink, pastel and collage because a dry layer no longer moves. That makes a mixed media pad a natural surface for it, and it takes canvas, wood and cloth just as happily.

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 Olive