My New Gouache Theory: Base Colors & Mixing Colors

I have a new gouache theory.

When I first posted my gouache observations and palette, I noted that some of my favorite watercolor pigments – the transparent, high-tinting ones in the phthalo and quinacridone families – don’t always make good gouache, because gouache is meant to be opaque. Phthalo Green gouache, for example, while thicker and less transparent than the corresponding watercolor, still isn’t opaque, and when you paint it out it can appear patchy. My favorite gouache colors were opaque pigments with more robust coverage: colors like Titanium White (PW6) and Hansa Yellow Light (PY3). 

I’ve come to realize, though, that there is still important value to those less-opaque colors, especially the ones with high tinting strength, because they can be great mixing colors. You just need to combine them with another color that has the desired opaque properties. You mix practically everything in gouache with at least a little white, anyway, so it’s not such a big deal that not every color has perfect coverage alone. 

I now mentally divide my gouache palette into two categories: base colors and mixing colors. 

Base Colors

Base colors have excellent coverage in gouache, even unmixed. This includes opaque-leaning pigments such as:

• Titanium White (PW6)
• Buff Titanium (PW6:1)
• Cadmium colors like Cadmium Yellow (PY35), Cadmium Orange (PO20), Cadmium Red (PR108)
• Vanadium Yellow (PY184)
• Hansa colors like Hansa Yellow Light (PY3), Hansa Yellow Medium (PY74), Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65)
• Marigold (PY83)
• Benzimida Orange (PO62)
• Pyrrol colors like Pyrrol Orange (PO73), Pyrrol Scarlet (PR255), Pyrrol Red (PR254)
• Cobalt colors like Cobalt Blue (PB28), Cobalt Turquoise (PG50), Cerulean Blue (PB35 or PB36)
• Chromium Oxide Green (PG18)
• Naples Yellow Deep (PBr24)
• Yellow Ochre (PY42 or PY43)
• Indian Red (PR101)
• Most other earth colors including PBr7 Siennas/Umbers
• Lamp Black (PBk6)

For base colors, I tend to prefer brands with a thick, creamy consistency, like Holbein.

Mixing Colors

Mixing colors may not have ideal coverage, but are great to add to base colors to shift the color. These include high-tinting but transparent pigments, such as:

• Zinc White (PW4)
• Azo Yellow (PY151)
• Indian Yellow (PY153)
• Naphthol Red (PR188)
• Quinacridone colors like Quin Red (PR209), Quin Rose (PV19), Quin Magenta (PR122), Quin Purple (PV19)
• Dioxazine Violet (PV23)
• Ultramarine Blue (PB29)
• Phthalo colors like Phthalo Blue (PB15), Phthalo Turquoise (PB16), Phtalo Green (PG7 or PG36)
• Prussian Blue (PB27)
• Perylene colors like Perylene Maroon (PR179), Perylene Violet (PV29), Perylene Black (PBk31)

For mixing colors, I tend to enjoy brands with a more liquid consistency, such as M. Graham. 

Implications for Premixed Colors

Since I made this breakthrough, I suddenly understand why some premixed colors seem to work better than the components. For example, Holbein Permanent Green Deep (PG7, PB15, PY3) paints out better than PG7 alone; naturally, it contains a lovely base color in PY3. Now that I know the secret, I can mix one myself!

Current Gouache Collection

Here are all the colors I currently own. In the photo, base colors are starred. More info and affiliate links in the table below.

Brand	Color	Pigment	Base or Mixing?	Favorite?
Holbein	Permanent White	PW6	Base	*
M. Graham	Zinc White	PW4	Mixing
Schmincke	Vanadium Yellow	PY184	Base
Holbein	Lemon Yellow	PY3	Base	*
Holbein Irodori	Canola Yellow	PY74	Base
Holbein	Marigold	PY83	Base	*
Winsor & Newton	Permanent Yellow Deep	PY65	Mixing
Schmincke	Vermilion Tone	PR255	Base	*
Winsor & Newton	Opera Pink	PR122 + fl.	Undecided
Holbein	Primary Magenta	PR122	Mixing	*
M. Graham	Quinacridone Red	PR209	Base
M. Graham	Ultramarine Blue	PB29	Base	*
M. Graham	Prussian Blue	PB27	Mixing	*
Holbein	Primary Cyan	PB15	Mixing	*
Winsor & Newton	Primary Blue	PB15	Mixing
Winsor & Newton	Oxide of Chromium	PG17	Base
Holbein	Phthalo Green	PG7	Mixing	*
Holbein	Yellow Ochre	PY42, PY43	Base	*
Winsor & Newton	Burnt Sienna	PY42, PR101	Mixing
Holbein Irodori	Iron Oxide Red	PR101	Base	*
Holbein Irodori	Russet Brown	PR101	Base
Winsor & Newton	Perylene Maroon	PR179	Mixing
Winsor & Newton	Perylene Violet	PV29	Mixing
Winsor & Newton	Perylene Black	PBk31	Mixing
M. Graham	Payne’s Gray	PBk9, PB29	Mixing

Some notes:

• Titanium White and Zinc White are both white, but Titanium is more opaque and has more use cases for things like stars. Some people strongly prefer Zinc for mixing pastels, but I don’t know that I really see much difference in mixes.
• Vanadium Yellow and Lemon Yellow are about the same hue. Vanadium Yellow was really expensive and I think going forward I will just go with Lemon Yellow.
• Marigold and Permanent Yellow Deep are about the same hue. I prefer the texture and coverage of the Marigold, though PYD could be more lightfast.
• I do think that SH Vermilion Hue was worth the cost since it’s my favorite scarlet gouache I’ve ever tried! Most are made of toxic or fugitive pigments.
• Holbein Primary Magenta is relatively robust for a magenta. Most are very transparent and streaky; such as the popular WN colors Perm Rose and Perm Alizarin Crimson.
• Holbein Primary Cyan and WN Primary Blue are both cyans based on Phthalo Blue (PB15), but WN has a slightly more middle tone (not quite PBRS but a bit more royal blue than a typical PBGS). Still, they’re similar enough that you don’t need both.
• WN Burnt Sienna and Holbein Irodori Iron Oxide Red both cover the same palette slot for a burnt sienna. I like the hue of WN, but Holbein is more of a base color. They both mix gorgeously as a earth orange. I haven’t found many as uses for the Russet Brown.
• Dark colors, like Prussian Blue and the Perylenes, are mixing colors IMO but because they are so dark, it doesn’t really matter if they’re opaque or not: they will show up in the foreground and take over mixes purely from the darkness.
• WN Perylene Black is the same pigment as Perylene Green in watercolor, but it is so dark it can be used as a primary black. It has a green tone when diluted.
• Payne’s Gray is a good mixing black but Holbein Primary Black (not shown) is better for a flat, black, base color.