Navy is made by a route you might not guess. Holbein lists PG7, the green phthalocyanine, with PB29 ultramarine, and green added to a violet-leaning blue is what pulls it to a true navy instead of a purple one. The figures show it worked: a value of 2.5 is very dark and chroma 6.5 is deliberately low, so it is deep and quiet rather than deep and vivid. Hue 3.0PB keeps it reading as a blue, not a black.

A dark blue is more useful than black in most palettes, and this one is ready to go without the mixing. It does uniform, denim, night, the deep shadow in blue drapery, and it makes a strong ground for lighter colours to sit on. There is no white in the pigment list, so it stays properly dark rather than drifting towards slate. It also earns its keep as a shadow colour, since a little navy into a mid-blue is far more convincing than the same amount of black, which flattens everything it touches.

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

A word on the category. Acrylic gouache takes the flat matte look of gouache and puts an acrylic binder behind it. 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. With dark colours in particular that permanence is useful, because you can put a pale layer straight on top without dragging any of the dark up into it. The rest of what we stock from them is on our Holbein 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 Navy Blue