Holbein Artists’ Gouache

Holbein’s Artists’ Gouache is a high-quality product that comes in 89 brilliant opaque colors in 15ml tubes. Contrary to other competing products, Holbein is more finely ground for a better consistency and best results, and it contains no whitening agents. The naturally opaque color pigments used in the formula deliver a rich, matte finish, while the colors are vibrant and bright.

This gouache won’t darken, bleed, or crack, as it was designed and manufactured according to the strictest production quality assurance standards. Holbein’s Gouaches are also available as sets of 5, 12, 18, 24, and 84 which follow the Munsell color system. The set of five contains primary colors which are suitable for mixing, while the complete set of 84 contains every available color except those five primary ones.

Product Pros & Cons

Artist Likes

• Vibrant and bright colors
• Lasts for long thanks to its high pigment concentration
• Dense and smooth color with no whitening agents
• Reasonable price
• Short drying times
• Can be diluted with water as they are quite concentrated
• Evenly matte
• Great color variety

Artist Dislikes

• Not suitable for palette storing
• Some find the blues to be quite weak

Besides a few individual complaints about too thin blues which can be attributed to a defective product, the only thing to worry about is the inability of this paint to live outside the tube even for a short period of time. Other than that, it delivers great results with vibrant colors, an evenly matte finish, and an overall consistent hue.

Final Considerations

If you need a gouache that delivers bright colors and allows perfect mixability, then Holbein’s Gouache won’t disappoint you. Gouache isn’t an easy to use medium in general, so it is natural that some practice is required before achieving perfect results, but this product will act as the solid basis to help you reach them.