Cerulean here is Holbein's phthalo-based version, PB15:3 with titanium white, rather than a traditional cerulean pigment. The white gives it body and the notation shows the effect: a value of 4.5 lifts it clear of the darker blues while chroma 11.0 keeps it properly saturated, so it is bright rather than pale. Hue 2.0PB sits just on the blue side of the purple-blue band, a shade cooler and greener in feel than the Cobalt Blue at 3.0PB.

This is a working sky blue with enough strength to hold a large flat area without looking washed out. The white in the mix helps it lie down evenly over a mid-tone ground, which matters for colour blocking and flat-design work where a patchy field is immediately obvious. It is lovely for water, tiles, enamel and mid-century palettes, and it makes convincing cool greens with a lemon yellow. Illustrators and animators use blues like this constantly, mostly because they behave the same way every time you open the tube.

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

Acrylic gouache is worth understanding before you start. 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. For flat areas that means you can lay a second colour over the first without the two mingling, which is the whole basis of clean graphic work. It behaves best on a well-sized heavyweight surface, and our pads and paper range has plenty that will take a flat wash without buckling or drinking the colour.

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 Cerulean Blue