Peacock Blue is the greener neighbour in this group. Holbein gives the hue as 10.0BG, the very top of the blue-green band, with a value of 4.0 and a chroma of 7.0. So it is deep, moderately saturated, and reads as a green-leaning teal rather than a blue. The pigments are the two phthalocyanines with titanium white, the same list as Turquoise Blue and Blue Green, and the three of them sit on a short line running from green to blue.

Colours in this teal band are heavily used and often mixed badly, because pushing a green towards blue by eye tends to dull it. Having it ready in a tube keeps it clean. Peacock does well for plumage and insect colour, deep water, enamel and lacquer effects, and stylised botanical work where the leaves are not meant to be literal. It holds an edge for fine detail and behaves the same across a flat panel. If you want the same idea a step bluer, Blue Green at 5.0BG is next along.

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? It gives you the flat matte surface of gouache with an acrylic binder holding it down. 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. Because a dry layer will not lift, it plays nicely with other media, and plenty of people run it alongside ink, pencil and marker in a mixed media pad. Thin it with water only, and put out small amounts, since it does not stay open long on the palette.

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 Peacock Blue