Emerald Green is a tinted green, and the pigment list says so: PG7 Polychloro Copper Phthalocyanine and PY3 Monoazo Pigment with PW6 titanium dioxide. The white is what lifts the Munsell value to 6.0 while the chroma stays high at 9.5, which is an unusual pairing of figures. Hue 5.0G is true green, dead centre, neither yellowed nor blued. On paper it reads bright and jewel-like, light without being pale.

Bright, clean and light all at once, which makes it a natural for graphic and flat-design work where a green has to sing. Tropical leaves, parrots, beetles, bold lettering, mid-century kitchen tins, anything with a slightly artificial cheer to it. Because the white is already in the mix it goes over darker greens as a highlight instead of disappearing into them, so it is useful for lit edges on foliage laid down in Deep Green. A little Viridian cools it, and Lemon Yellow sharpens it towards spring.

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

New to acrylic gouache? The essentials are these. 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. Bright colours benefit particularly, because one can be laid flat and clean over the top of another without the underlayer bleeding up through it. Holbein says the paint is designed to be used directly from the tube and dries to even, uniform layers. Every colour in the range is listed on our Holbein Acrylic Gouache page.

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 Emerald Green