I bought Windsor & Newton first, it was expensive and I was afraid to use it so it just sat in a drawer for a year. The jelly gouache craze hit and I wanted to try it. It was cheap so it didn’t feel wasteful. Jelly gouache is what made me fall in love with gouache. I still use it occasionally but my go to brand is Shinhan. I also love Holbein but I can get Shinhan much cheaper.
The facts I wish someone told me when I was a newbie!!! 🙌🏽 Practice with the cheap stuff and then invest once you get better/want to get fancy with colour saturation and pigments. I tend to prefer splurging on handmade paints when I can, because I prefer supporting artists/artisans-however that is entirely not necessary.
@@HandofHolmes I don't fully agree. I don't let my students bring cheap cheap supplies into my class, I noticed previously that students had a very difficult time if they brought in Royal and Langnickel Gouache or Oils or Acrylics to the point they drop my class. I have an approved supply list, which of course I put in a range of prices. After doing this I noticed my students do MUCH better and learn quicker. I don't allow HIMI in my class, but I do allow Arteza Jelly Gouache which is around the same price. The one thing I don't allow them to go cheaply on is paper. Since paper is the most important supply. A lot of people starting don't know this.
I think Himi is great when you want to practice a lot without running out of your paints quickly. I'd never use an expensive gouache like Holbein purely for sketching purposes, I mess up way too often for that. I have Himi and yes, they are tricky to work with but great for my sketchbooks. I use my Talens and Winsor and Newton paints for more official pieces because they are better in quality.
To add to it, unless you are covering your himi gouache constantly, eventually it will start to lose moisture, for which you will need to add water and lose even more opacity. Holbein tubes (or any other brand that comes in tubes) will allow you to work with fresh gouache every time.
@@kartenita most sets will come with a seal, but during your painting process (which could be easily a couple of hours) you won’t be opening and closing the full lid. If you like the “pudding style cups”, you could transfer your paints to sets that have containers each ones with their own individual lids, so you are opening and closing each lid as you go.
My understanding is Himi is based on quick art admission exam paint in china. Its not meant for anything but sketches. Which is ok for the price they just don't tell anyone what it's really for sadly.
Oh this is a great video, thank you! I am an absolute beginner and checked a lot of reviews. I bought Holbein primary colours first and for me it is too hard. I ordered Himi now. For me indeed the high price holds me back for just an easy practice. Also the constant mixing is a lot of work. But the thing that most annoys for me, holbein dries super fast on the palette (i'm a slow painter). So you constantly need to add paint and not put to much on your palette otherwise you waste it. So I have high hopes for my Himi that comes tomorrow and hope it make the painting process more fun!
Thank you, a wonderful explanation and live demonstration of gouache. I agree with you, although the HIMI is less expensive, it lessens the joy and experience and well as the end results of your projects. Well done.
I really love using the himi gouache, It took me a while to get to grips with the water to paint ratio, but once I got it right, the paints were smooth and opaque. I’m definitely not ready to drop £150 on paints just yet- himi let’s me develop my skills and if I use too much paint or it goes dry- it’s not expensive to replace.
Jelly gouache dries out and is a waste of money. Arteza tubes are cheap and good quality. Also Shinhan is a very good brand of designer gouache that is not expensive and lightfast. Holbein's are wonderful but not everyone can afford them and Shinhan is great for a person who wants something better than student grade but not overly expensive.
Wow, thank for these details! My jelly gouache is relatively new and I use it quite often, I don’t have any issues with drying out yet. I’ve heard a lot about Arteza tubes, seems like it’s a really good gouache! I will definitely try it out later🥰
Jelly gouache dries out if you don’t care for it. All you have to do is spritz it with distilled water every couple of days, keep the palette closed when you’re not pulling paint out of it, and store it in the refrigerator. also stir it up with a palette knife every now and then. And you might want to add some blending medium or gum Arabic occasionally will stay good forever if you care for it properly.
You can re activate jelly gouache… that makes it worth it you can use them for like 3-4 years just reactivate(spry them with water after use) them every time so they are worth it!
I have both. It's not exactly HIMI branded, but i have a jelly gouache i got off aliexpress years ago, mine comes with a foam protection which locks in moisture easier. I love to paint with mine, but when i finally got some holbein tubes i saw a huge gap of quality difference. HIMI is a good paint for the price, at least it's better than the kid's stuff i find easily in my country, but holbein is another league of paint quality. The pigment is so strong, i can stretch the paint to the max with water until it loses opacity way more than the jelly gouache. About "jelly gouache is not lightfast" - not even Holbein is either, depending on the pigments! Because gouache is a material more geared towards illustration/reproduction art than fine art/ i-want-this-to-stay-the-same-color-for-25-years-under-museum-light art so durability is not the main concern (unless the thing changes color/fades even when closed off in a sketchbook/drawer). If lightfast is a concern, the artist must check holbein's individual colors durability (flame red is a very fugitive color while ultramarine is more stable for example) or opt for Schmincke's professional gouache (they have desginer's gouache which is equeally as good as professional but with more fugitive colors).
Hullo Kate, I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for! I do believe that some bargains are worth using IF YOU have the experience to make it work! I have recently started looking to get back into gouache, I was so surprised that even mostly lightfast paints fade out when you add white to tint the paint. If you mix it into the full saturated colors they fade like crazy! Sweet video If you use real gouache you can re-activate dry paint! I hope your gouache adventures bring you much happiness!
@@kartenita some pigments are lightfast! It just takes mote effort to find out which ones are! I believe this is from when gouache was NOT expected to last the week! Much less longer!
Thanks for this. I got Holbein's starter set (6 x 15ml) for around 17-20€, after being so frustrated with HIMI. More quality and less quantity means that I get more practice at mixing and making all the colours I want. Your sketches look great in both paints!
Cheap supplies can make beginners feel they're struggling, even when it's not their fault. An experienced painter knows how to achieve results with any materials. I'm not saying you need the most expensive supplies, but it's worth investing in quality materials, especially good paper, as it makes a significant difference. I'm not sure if you mentioned the type of paper you're using, but remember: you're not wasting paint if you're using it. The practice and experience you gain are invaluable. Paint only goes to waste when it sits unused in a tube.
It's true that artists do not need expensive art supplies to do a good art but sometimes you have to go with the expensive one, I've bought a cheap gouache colors and they're literally transparent like watercolors I can't use them as a gouache they don't layer even after drying
I knew right away which paintings where made with HIMI gouache 😂 HIMI was my first gouache set and I like that I got so many colors for a good price + they really look cute ❤ I switched to tubes because HIMI dries out so fast (even with adding water) and the consistency gets worse with time. Its a bit messy to maintain them. For practicing HIMI is quite good tho... at least if you're on a budget you get much product for the price and dont have to worry about using "too much expensive paint".
I love my himi set and each time I’m afraid to open the lid and see dried paint😀 when the day comes I plan to try arteza tubes, seems like people love it
There’s no doubt that Holbein gouache is beautiful, and very high quality, but to use it for every piece of work, including practice and sketchbook pieces is beyond the budget of most people. Himi is a great budget friendly option, with a good variety of convenience colours and large amount of paint per cup. Yeah, it’s got its downsides, but for the price point it’s not going to be perfect.
Olá! Eu sou do Brasil, por isso o comentário em português... Bem, sobre HIMI eu tenho o estojo e gosto muito. Para artistas como eu que só vendem arte se forem digital, compensa muito comprar um material mais barato, ainda que desbote com o tempo. A guache Holbien aqui no Brasil é um absurdo o valor de cada um tubo. Você compraria CADA TUBO aqui por um equivalente a U$20. Logo uma caixa com 12 tubos de Holbien seria cerca de U$600, pois nossos impostos internos e de importação são altos, além do lucro dos revendedores... É algo triste para nós, isso também acontece com outros materiais, mas há marcas legais como a OHUHU que dão um jeito de diminuir impostos para nós e tornar mais acessível. Meu sonho é uma Holbien, mas sei que não compensa tanto em valores exorbitantes para brasileiros, quanto pelo fato de que, como eu disse, eu não vender arte tradicional, e sim fazer apenas para evoluir. 😗 E assim, HIMI dá excelentes resultados como você mostrou. Amo como as jelly são em maioria muito opacas. Gosto de sobreposição, então sim, compensa para quem só vai utilizar como hobbie ou estudo!
Omg it’s not worth it paying 600$ for Holbein 🫣 I believe HIMI is a decent paint! If you have access to it, I recommend getting it 🥰 I love my HIMI set
100/10 video, loved the comparison, super useful to see actual paintings with both brands 🩷👈🏻 thanks :) I would love to keep seeing videos from you, so new sub and please keep doing this kind of reviews with more in depth content about the medium and the possibilities
I bought Windsor & Newton first, it was expensive and I was afraid to use it so it just sat in a drawer for a year. The jelly gouache craze hit and I wanted to try it. It was cheap so it didn’t feel wasteful. Jelly gouache is what made me fall in love with gouache. I still use it occasionally but my go to brand is Shinhan. I also love Holbein but I can get Shinhan much cheaper.
It’s exactly the same for me! Jelly gouache makes me paint more often ☺️
The only thing i suggest to newbies is dont buy the most expensive brands thinking it will make you a better artist. Being Better comes with practise.
The facts I wish someone told me when I was a newbie!!! 🙌🏽 Practice with the cheap stuff and then invest once you get better/want to get fancy with colour saturation and pigments. I tend to prefer splurging on handmade paints when I can, because I prefer supporting artists/artisans-however that is entirely not necessary.
It may depend because cheap supplies often don't behave similar to the good quality medium
@@HandofHolmes I don't fully agree. I don't let my students bring cheap cheap supplies into my class, I noticed previously that students had a very difficult time if they brought in Royal and Langnickel Gouache or Oils or Acrylics to the point they drop my class. I have an approved supply list, which of course I put in a range of prices. After doing this I noticed my students do MUCH better and learn quicker. I don't allow HIMI in my class, but I do allow Arteza Jelly Gouache which is around the same price. The one thing I don't allow them to go cheaply on is paper. Since paper is the most important supply. A lot of people starting don't know this.
I think Himi is great when you want to practice a lot without running out of your paints quickly. I'd never use an expensive gouache like Holbein purely for sketching purposes, I mess up way too often for that. I have Himi and yes, they are tricky to work with but great for my sketchbooks. I use my Talens and Winsor and Newton paints for more official pieces because they are better in quality.
Great point!
To add to it, unless you are covering your himi gouache constantly, eventually it will start to lose moisture, for which you will need to add water and lose even more opacity. Holbein tubes (or any other brand that comes in tubes) will allow you to work with fresh gouache every time.
Wow, I have never considered that adding water to the cups will lead to transparency 🤔 my set is still relatively new
@@kartenita most sets will come with a seal, but during your painting process (which could be easily a couple of hours) you won’t be opening and closing the full lid.
If you like the “pudding style cups”, you could transfer your paints to sets that have containers each ones with their own individual lids, so you are opening and closing each lid as you go.
My understanding is Himi is based on quick art admission exam paint in china. Its not meant for anything but sketches. Which is ok for the price they just don't tell anyone what it's really for sadly.
That’s right, himi works well with sketches, but I wouldn’t paint something large scale and complex with it
I got Himi gouache a few years ago and I hated the smell. I got rid of it. Lovely video 👏
Oh this is a great video, thank you! I am an absolute beginner and checked a lot of reviews. I bought Holbein primary colours first and for me it is too hard. I ordered Himi now. For me indeed the high price holds me back for just an easy practice. Also the constant mixing is a lot of work. But the thing that most annoys for me, holbein dries super fast on the palette (i'm a slow painter). So you constantly need to add paint and not put to much on your palette otherwise you waste it. So I have high hopes for my Himi that comes tomorrow and hope it make the painting process more fun!
Thank you, a wonderful explanation and live demonstration of gouache. I agree with you, although the HIMI is less expensive, it lessens the joy and experience and well as the end results of your projects. Well done.
I really love using the himi gouache, It took me a while to get to grips with the water to paint ratio, but once I got it right, the paints were smooth and opaque. I’m definitely not ready to drop £150 on paints just yet- himi let’s me develop my skills and if I use too much paint or it goes dry- it’s not expensive to replace.
Jelly gouache dries out and is a waste of money. Arteza tubes are cheap and good quality. Also Shinhan is a very good brand of designer gouache that is not expensive and lightfast. Holbein's are wonderful but not everyone can afford them and Shinhan is great for a person who wants something better than student grade but not overly expensive.
Wow, thank for these details! My jelly gouache is relatively new and I use it quite often, I don’t have any issues with drying out yet. I’ve heard a lot about Arteza tubes, seems like it’s a really good gouache! I will definitely try it out later🥰
I second that. I got some Shinhan tubes and they are great. Get Shinhan instead of Arteza I'd say.
You can re activate jelly gouache… that makes it worth it you can use them for like 3-4 years just reactivate them every time so they are worth it!
You can reactivate Himi if it dries. Himi is used by many Chinese students who paint everyday and have no time for mixing color in timed test.
Jelly gouache dries out if you don’t care for it. All you have to do is spritz it with distilled water every couple of days, keep the palette closed when you’re not pulling paint out of it, and store it in the refrigerator. also stir it up with a palette knife every now and then. And you might want to add some blending medium or gum Arabic occasionally will stay good forever if you care for it properly.
You can re activate jelly gouache… that makes it worth it you can use them for like 3-4 years just reactivate(spry them with water after use) them every time so they are worth it!
I have both. It's not exactly HIMI branded, but i have a jelly gouache i got off aliexpress years ago, mine comes with a foam protection which locks in moisture easier. I love to paint with mine, but when i finally got some holbein tubes i saw a huge gap of quality difference. HIMI is a good paint for the price, at least it's better than the kid's stuff i find easily in my country, but holbein is another league of paint quality. The pigment is so strong, i can stretch the paint to the max with water until it loses opacity way more than the jelly gouache. About "jelly gouache is not lightfast" - not even Holbein is either, depending on the pigments! Because gouache is a material more geared towards illustration/reproduction art than fine art/ i-want-this-to-stay-the-same-color-for-25-years-under-museum-light art so durability is not the main concern (unless the thing changes color/fades even when closed off in a sketchbook/drawer). If lightfast is a concern, the artist must check holbein's individual colors durability (flame red is a very fugitive color while ultramarine is more stable for example) or opt for Schmincke's professional gouache (they have desginer's gouache which is equeally as good as professional but with more fugitive colors).
Hullo Kate, I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for! I do believe that some bargains are worth using IF YOU have the experience to make it work! I have recently started looking to get back into gouache, I was so surprised that even mostly lightfast paints fade out when you add white to tint the paint. If you mix it into the full saturated colors they fade like crazy! Sweet video If you use real gouache you can re-activate dry paint! I hope your gouache adventures bring you much happiness!
Thank you for the comment ☺️ It’s a bummer that gouache isn’t lightfast. I use this paint more often in a sketchbook, so it will last longer 😊
@@kartenita some pigments are lightfast! It just takes mote effort to find out which ones are! I believe this is from when gouache was NOT expected to last the week! Much less longer!
Amazing video, loved the paintings especially the egg and the little window scenes ❤❤🌻🌻
Thank you very much ❤️🥰 i appreciate your support
Thanks for this. I got Holbein's starter set (6 x 15ml) for around 17-20€, after being so frustrated with HIMI. More quality and less quantity means that I get more practice at mixing and making all the colours I want. Your sketches look great in both paints!
Thank you! Mixing colors is a good practice a good skill to learn. Good luck! Holbein is amazing paint
Cheap supplies can make beginners feel they're struggling, even when it's not their fault. An experienced painter knows how to achieve results with any materials. I'm not saying you need the most expensive supplies, but it's worth investing in quality materials, especially good paper, as it makes a significant difference. I'm not sure if you mentioned the type of paper you're using, but remember: you're not wasting paint if you're using it. The practice and experience you gain are invaluable. Paint only goes to waste when it sits unused in a tube.
I started my traditional art journey with Miya Himi. I've since moved on but I wouldn't have been where I am now without it.
It's true that artists do not need expensive art supplies to do a good art but sometimes you have to go with the expensive one, I've bought a cheap gouache colors and they're literally transparent like watercolors I can't use them as a gouache they don't layer even after drying
That a bummer! Gouache supposed to be opaque 🥲
Thanks for the video! It was very relaxing to watch you try the paints :)
Thank you for this comment 🥰🫶
I knew right away which paintings where made with HIMI gouache 😂
HIMI was my first gouache set and I like that I got so many colors for a good price + they really look cute ❤ I switched to tubes because HIMI dries out so fast (even with adding water) and the consistency gets worse with time. Its a bit messy to maintain them.
For practicing HIMI is quite good tho... at least if you're on a budget you get much product for the price and dont have to worry about using "too much expensive paint".
I love my himi set and each time I’m afraid to open the lid and see dried paint😀 when the day comes I plan to try arteza tubes, seems like people love it
This has been very helpful!
I’m glad to hear that! Thank you ☺️
Super useful video thanks!
Happy to hear that! Thank you😊
Nice video!
There’s no doubt that Holbein gouache is beautiful, and very high quality, but to use it for every piece of work, including practice and sketchbook pieces is beyond the budget of most people. Himi is a great budget friendly option, with a good variety of convenience colours and large amount of paint per cup. Yeah, it’s got its downsides, but for the price point it’s not going to be perfect.
Lovely presentation
Thank you✨😍
Paint more using gouache if possible its very pleasing to watch
Thank you very much for this comment ☺️ I will paint more
So pretty 😍😻🤩
🤗☺️
Olá! Eu sou do Brasil, por isso o comentário em português... Bem, sobre HIMI eu tenho o estojo e gosto muito. Para artistas como eu que só vendem arte se forem digital, compensa muito comprar um material mais barato, ainda que desbote com o tempo. A guache Holbien aqui no Brasil é um absurdo o valor de cada um tubo. Você compraria CADA TUBO aqui por um equivalente a U$20. Logo uma caixa com 12 tubos de Holbien seria cerca de U$600, pois nossos impostos internos e de importação são altos, além do lucro dos revendedores... É algo triste para nós, isso também acontece com outros materiais, mas há marcas legais como a OHUHU que dão um jeito de diminuir impostos para nós e tornar mais acessível. Meu sonho é uma Holbien, mas sei que não compensa tanto em valores exorbitantes para brasileiros, quanto pelo fato de que, como eu disse, eu não vender arte tradicional, e sim fazer apenas para evoluir. 😗 E assim, HIMI dá excelentes resultados como você mostrou. Amo como as jelly são em maioria muito opacas. Gosto de sobreposição, então sim, compensa para quem só vai utilizar como hobbie ou estudo!
Omg it’s not worth it paying 600$ for Holbein 🫣 I believe HIMI is a decent paint! If you have access to it, I recommend getting it 🥰 I love my HIMI set
Naah lol
100/10 video, loved the comparison, super useful to see actual paintings with both brands 🩷👈🏻 thanks :) I would love to keep seeing videos from you, so new sub and please keep doing this kind of reviews with more in depth content about the medium and the possibilities
Thank you very much for support 😍😊
im enjoying my himi set but getting the right consistency is such hell sometimes 🥲
So true! It gets transparent pretty easily
Thank you for honest reviews 🤍🤍 what about winsor&newton gouache??
Thank you for the comment! I haven’t had a chance to try winsor&newton yet. My next gouache to test is Arteza😊