As I transition from a watercolor-only artist to watercolor-and-gouache, I’m finding that it’s harder to find lightfast pigments in gouache, even in professional/artist lines. I love Holbein and Winsor & Newton’s gouache, but I’ve seen so many pigments in their lines with super-low ASTM lightfastness ratings – not just the typical fluorescents (which are also much more widespread in gouache), but stuff like PR1 or PR60 that are uncommon in watercolor because they’re notoriously fugitive. What gives?
Does lightfastness matter in gouache?
First, you’ll have to decide if lightfastness matters to you at all. If you’re making practice pieces destined for the recycle bin; if you post things on social media right after you make them and don’t care what happens to the original; or if you work primarily in sketchbooks that stay closed, it might not be something you need to care about. To be honest, all of the above mostly describe me, but I like to hold out the possibility of framing my artwork and hanging in a sunny room, gifting it, or even selling it at some point, and I don’t want to have to pick and choose colors based on my intended future use for the painting.
Note that some pigments that are considered iffy in watercolor are actually more lightfast in gouache. This is true of pigments that tend to be lightfast in masstone but fugitive in dilute. In gouache, you are less likely to paint tints by diluting, instead you’ll add white. Since you’re using or mixing the paint at full strength, it’s always masstone, so it’s more lightfast. This includes pigments such as PY74 (Brilliant Hansa Yellow), PY84 (Diarylide Yellow), and PR176 (Benzimidazolone Carmine).
However, other pigments are fugitive no matter what strength they’re painted at. This includes the fluorescents and anything with an ASTM rating of IV. I’ve found plenty of these in gouache catalogues, even colors with more lightfast alternatives available. They’re not necessarily cheaper tubes than lightfast pigments, either.
Why is this? I wonder if people find gouache a more inherently temporary medium because the paint can be reactivated, or because it cracks if you apply it too thickly and bend the paper. But if you paint in thin layers and treat the final product with respect, it’s my understanding that gouache can last just as well as any other painting.
It also seems to be true that people simply don’t tend to take it seriously as a medium; they think of it as a way of throwing together quick designs, or a craft project, rather than a fine art medium. This reputation feels undeserved to me! Gouache is extremely versatile and can be used with similar techniques as acrylics, or a combination of acrylic and watercolor. Then again, watercolor also used to be considered a non-serious medium, so maybe gouache is the next to be rehabilitated.
Lightfast Pigments List
It’s not impossible to source lightfast pigments in gouache: they’re just a bit harder to find.
I compared the catalogs of five top gouache lines – Holbein Artists’ Gouache, Winsor & Newton Designers’ Gouache, Schmincke Horadam Gouache, M. Graham Artists’ Gouache, and Daniel Smith Extra Fine Gouache – to bring you this list of decently-lightfast paints. I’ve limited myself to single pigment paints for simplicity, but many mixes are also lightfast (e.g. M Graham’s Payne’s Gray is a mix of PB29 and PBk9; Holbein’s Brilliant Pink is a mix of PR209 and PW6).
| Pigment | Holbein Artist | WN Designer | Schmincke H. | M Graham | Daniel Smith |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PW4/PW5 | Zinc White (PW5) | Zinc White (PW5) | Zinc White (PW4) | Zinc White (PW4) | |
| PW6 | Primary White, Perm. White, White (Irodori) | Perm. White | Titanium White | Titanium White | Titanium White, Buff Titanium |
| PY3 | Lemon Yellow, Lemon (Irodori) | Lemon Yellow | Lemon Yellow | Hansa Yellow | Hansa Yellow Light |
| PY184 | Vanadium Yellow | ||||
| PY35 | Cad. Yellow Lemon, Cad. Yellow | Cad. Lemon, Cad. Yellow Pale | Cad. Yellow Light, Cad. Yellow Middle | Cad. Yellow Light, Cad. Yellow | |
| PY151 | Azo Yellow | ||||
| PY154 | Cad. Yellow Tone | ||||
| PY74 | Canola Yellow (Irodori) | Spectrum Yellow | Hansa Yellow Medium | ||
| PY65 | Perm. Yellow Deep | Hansa Yellow Deep | |||
| PY153 | Indian Yellow | ||||
| PY83 | Marigold | ||||
| PO20 | Cad. Yellow Orange | Cad. Yellow Deep, Cad. Orange | Cad. Orange | ||
| PO62 | Cad. Orange Tone | ||||
| PO73 | Pyrrol Orange | ||||
| PR255 | Vermilion Tone | Pyrrol Scarlet | |||
| PR242 | Cad. Red Tone | ||||
| PR108 | Cad. Red, Cad. Red Deep, Cad. Red Purple | Cad. Red, Cad. Scarlet | Cad. Red Light, Cad. Red Middle, Cad. Red Deep | Cad. Red Light | |
| PR254 | Scarlet (Irodori) | Winsor Red | Scarlet Red | Pyrrol Red | |
| PR209 | Quin. Red | ||||
| PR176 | Perm. Alizarin Crimson | ||||
| PV19 Rose | Perm. Rose | Carmine | Quin. Rose | ||
| PR122 | Primary Magenta, Rose Violet | Quin. Magenta | Purple Magenta | Quin. Magenta | |
| PV19B Violet | Quin Violet | Quin. Violet | |||
| PV23 | Winsor Violet | Violet | Diox. Purple | ||
| PB29 | Ultramarine Light, Ultramarine Deep, Ultramarine (Irodori) | Ultramarine, Ultramarine (Green Shade) | Ultramarine Deep, Ultramarine Light | Ultramarine Blue | Ultramarine Blue |
| PB60 | Deft Blue, Dark Blue Indigo | ||||
| PB28 | Cobalt Blue | Cobalt Blue | Cobalt Blue | Cobalt Blue Light | Cobalt Blue |
| PB15 | Primary Cyan, Pure Blue | Intense Blue, Winsor Blue, Primary Blue | Helio Blue | Phthalo Blue | |
| PB35 or PB36 | Cerulean Blue (PB35) | Cerulean Blue (PB35) | Cerulean Blue (PB36) | ||
| PB16 | Helio Turquoise | ||||
| PG7 | Phthalo Green, Patina (Irodori) | Winsor Green | Helio Green Bluish | Phthalo Green | |
| PG36 | Helio Green Yellowish | ||||
| PG17 | Oxide of Chromium | Chromium Oxide Green | |||
| PG50 | Cobalt Turquoise | Cobalt Turquoise Light | Cobalt Turquoise (Limited Edition) | ||
| PBr24 | Naples Yellow Deep | Titianium Gold Ochre | |||
| PY42 or PY43 | Yellow Ochre (PY42) | Yellow Ochre (PY43) | Yellow Ochre (PY42) | ||
| PR101 | Russet Brown (Irodori), Iron Oxide Red (Irodori) | English Red | Indian Red | ||
| PBr7 | Raw Umber, Burnt Umber | Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber | Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber | ||
| PR179 | Perylene Maroon | ||||
| PV29 | Perylene Violet | ||||
| PBk31 | Perylene Black | ||||
| PBk6 | Ivory Black | Ivory Black | Ivory Black | Lamp Black | |
| PBk7 | Primary Black | ||||
| PBk9 | Lamp Black | Lamp Black |